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 A fence, deck or landscaping is a major investment and there are a few things to look for before hiring a contractor.  We believe these are the top 4 things, which are in no specific order.

1. Do they have liability insurance and WCB coverage? You need to know you are covered should any problems arise. Accidents can happen and if they do not have insurance or WCB you potentially could have a claim made against you. Ask them for their Certificate of Liability Insurance as well as their account number.  
2. What are people saying about them?  Lethbridge is a growing community and you may not know anyone that can recommend a contractor.  Luckily with today's technology we have sites like Facebook and search engines like Google to help us out, this is today's word of mouth! Or you can always ask them for references of previous customers
3. Did they supply you with a DETAILED estimate? When you are about to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars you want to make sure you are supplied with a detailed estimate, this way there will never be any disputes in the materials to be used and what work is to be done.  It is also hard to compare estimates with two contractors if you have nothing to compare with except price, are they even estimating on the same materials and work?  
4. Do they require a deposit? Some contractors are busy and this is a good sign however, we feel that nobody should give deposits until the day the job starts and only give the cost of the materials. The cost of materials should be broken down for you in their detailed estimate.

Here are some things to consider when you have a fence and landscaping to be installed.  

1. Our first recommendation is to have the landscaping installed first as it helps with easy access to the yard, we understand that this is not always possible.  
2. If possible have the same company that does the landscaping build the fence, if they are capable of doing both with confidence.  We recommend this because a lot of contractors that build fences don't know anything about landscaping and therefore quite often build the fence too low or too high or the gates are placed in the wrong spot for the landscaping, etc.  If you have hired two different contractors for the jobs ask them to please communicate together, your final product will be better.
3. Does the fence length work for both you and the neighbour?  You should always take into consideration where the fence ends on the neighbours house.  You don't want your last post to stop directly across from a neighbours window or any other obstruction, we just feel it is considerate. 
4. Is there a hose bib both inside and outside the fence.  Typically there is a hose bib on the front and back of the house, one for watering the front and one for the back.  Ideally the one at the front you want to have on the outside of the fence so that you aren't fighting the hose going through the gate.

We  hope we gave you some tools to work with here and if you have any comments, questions or require an estimate you can call us at the office at 403-331-5114 or just tap our contact form below and fill out your information.