MN Fence + Deck

It was really exhausting to work with Mathias. Many days of no shows without letting us know. I had to contacted him to check if he was still working for us some days. I had to inspect every step of the way as I found lots of mistakes and problems. Screws were missing on deck, fence, deck stairs and gate hinges for example.  

Biggest problem I had with him was when he finished the deck and said he will be coming back to do the stairs after my patio is completed. So, I contacted him right after my patio was done and he said he will come as soon as possible. After 2 weeks of not hearing back, I followed up with him for the stairs and he said he is coming this Saturday. He showed up on Saturday around 10 AM to do the stairs. Around 3 PM he told me that he needs to pick up something and should be back later this evening. He came back around 8 PM only to take his tools and left without telling me. When I texted him that night he said he can’t work on Sunday but will be back on Monday. He didn’t show up on Monday and I texted him several times but no reply. Finally, he texted me back 8 PM that evening and he said he had personal matters but he will come tomorrow. On Tuesday, he showed up around 3 PM and left at 6 PM. On Wednesday, it was raining until 3 PM and he didn’t show up and there was no text or call from him. On Thursday, he didn’t show up without text or call. I had to call him that night in the end and he said he is coming tomorrow. On Friday, he came around 8 AM and worked until 11 AM. He said he finished most of the work but he needed more screws for the stairs and spacers for the railing so he will be back later today. Before he left, I asked him to fix problems that I found when he came back. He came back around 7 PM and told me that he fixed all the problems.  

So, I checked them the next day I noticed there were still several problems. The stairs still had missing screws, the railing spacers were missing, there was gap on stairs, deck light cables were hanging down on the ground. There is a height difference all the way between picture frame and rest of deck boards. I can see the side of the boards and can feel it when I step on it. All these issues I had mentioned to him previously which it didn’t get fixed. When he builds the deck stairs, he reused the board that had screw holes in it. I had to ask him to replace it with new one. Screws used for gate handle were too long so they were sticking out dangerously from the gate. 

*** I thought he just forgot to put some screws and railing spacers but it wasn't. I found out that lots of screws were missing from the deck fascia boards. I think he didn't even go to buy the screws and railing spacers. He just removed the screws from the fascia boards and used them on the stairs. This is why some screws and railing spacers were still missing after he came back to fix it. This is definitely unprofessional. 

I found lots of screws around my deck and I even found 3 cutter blades in an area where my kids play. I also found a cover for the deck light hub in garbage that he threw away. We had also asked for stairs through the porch which was made poorly. We have decided to replace the one he built. 

We contacted MN Fence and Deck after seeing a neighboring house have their fence completed by the company. My husband and I reached out for a quote and Mathias was quick to respond and set up a time later that night. After several days of not hearing back, we followed-up asking for the quote information which was provided a few days later. Upon reviewing the quote, we found the prices reasonable for the services provided and accepted the contract. Mathias was able to begin construction mid-May. We had made Mathias aware of a pending deck project as well as other personal circumstances which required the fence to be completed before the 18th which we were assured was not a problem as the construction of the fence would only take 2 days.

The 13th arrived and Mathias showed up mid-morning to mark the area where the fence would be constructed. After only a short time, he left. After several hours of no communication we followed-up to see why the fence construction was not underway. Mathias informed us that they were waiting on the city to mark the lines and they should be able to start later that day. Dinner time arrived, Mathias nor the city had showed up. We called Mathias and asked him to follow-up with the city. The 14th arrived, my husband followed-up again and Mathias explained they were still waiting on the city. After requesting the ticket information for Sask First Call, we were notified that the city was working several weeks behind and they would get to us as soon as possible. The 15th arrives, no communication from Mathias and several more calls to the city resulted in the ticket being pushed forward. By happenstance, a city work was in the area and able to look at our lines that day. We informed Mathias ASAP and he stated he would be out to begin construction that evening, which did not happen. The 16th arrives, Mathias and a co-worker begin digging but were unable to complete 9 fence post holes (a reason not provided until we followed up after they stopped working). Throughout the process, Mathias and the co-worker arrived around 10AM, took long lunches and left each day with too little work being completed. After several days of having to follow-up as to where they were and when construction would be completed the fence was finally finished on the 20th of May. Prior to the fences completion, my husband noticed several issues. The fence had gaps between the fence boards, several screws were missing throughout the fence affecting its integrity, and one side of the fence was not properly mounted to the home.

The following day after the fence was completed a board fell out of the fence. Mathias was notified immediately and it took nearly a week for the board to be mounted correctly. Upon fixing the board, the screws used were too long and are now sticking out hazardously from the fence. Our yard was left in complete disarray with mud, concrete, and screws strewn around our yard.

We are reasonable people and had Mathias clearly and directly communicated the on goings surrounding our fence we would have been more understanding. However, we felt as though without our numerous follow-up phone calls and text messages little progress would have been made. The stress experienced throughout the process was not worth the resulting product. All in all, it was a unprofessional and unsatisfactory experience.

After the posting of this review, Mathias did reach out to us and sought to resolve our concerns. Mathias did fix the screws that were too long and provided a discount of services which was appreciated. He also acknowledge that the service was not what it should have been. While our experience during the building of the fence was stressful we appreciated the fact that Mathias took the time to reach out to us.

I’m very happy I hired Mathias to build our fence this past summer. His quote was fair, he was professional, and the fence he built is sturdy and straight. Definitely would recommend!

Amazing service! From the start to finish everything was done professionally and to a high standard. So happy we choose Mathias to build our deck.