Penrod Lumber Co. Inc. Penrod Lumber & Fence - $46K paid / unsatisfactory work getting worse each day Ocala Florida

We used this company for fence work on our farm beginning in March of 2007. Saw the company's work (from a distance) on other farms in Marion County and chose them over buying our own materials and hiring independents to do the actual installation. In the end we decided it was best to hire "professionals". Turned out that the "professionals" were also independent installers.

Being unfamiliar with 3 board / no climb and top board / no climb we didn't really know what to expect.
We didn't know what we didn't know.
We assumed that "a little loose" was normal for no climb wire.
We assumed that straightness of a fence line was subjective.
We assumed (since the wood is not guaranteed by Penrod) that any cracks and splits were normal (even the first day of installation).
We assumed that hacking boards off with a chainsaw was the way it was done.
We assumed that the height of the top board could vary by 6-8".

Eventually we found out (too late) that our assumptions were wrong.

The no climb wire should have been a lot tighter.
The fence lines should have been dead straight.
The cracks in the boards were mostly due to improper nailing.
The boards should have been cut off with a saw.


Many of the gate openings on this job were either too small or too large. We had to scab in pieces on some gate post some and recess the allthread bolts in others.
Some posts had to be notched so that our Co-Line latches would fit.

We still find ourselves having to adjust posts and latches way more than we should had this job been done properly.

The most recent work done by this company was only a few weeks ago.

After numerous return visits we still have loose posts, loose wire, loose braces, incorrectly sized posts, incorrectly sized openings and all in all a really unsatisfactory job.

At one time we thought Penrod was the best fence installer around and we proudly referred the company whenever anyone asked "who did your fence?"

We no longer refer Penrod. A recent question about our fence was answered with "sorry - can't in good conscience refer these people".

This appears online under Penrod's company profile:

Penrod Lumber and Fence Co., Inc. was established under current management in 1982 and has been growing steadily. We are both a retail outlet and a fence contractor. We specialize in four divisions in fence construction, Agriculture, Commercial, Security, and Residential. We are very proud of the reputation that we have established in these four areas. Our headquarters are in Simpsonville Kentucky and now with a new location in Ocala Florida; however, we operate anywhere in the Continental United States. We are keeping our focus on continued growth with a large base of steady customers and a growing list of new customers from all over the country. Our growth can be attributed to one thing, One satisfied customer to another potential customer. We look at quality work as the reason for our past success and the promise of a prosperous future. We are keeping our focus on continued growth with a large base of steady customers


Well, they just broke the satisfied customer chain and in doing so will lose everyone that we'll be talking to in the future about fencing.

We think it is critical to share our experience with other consumers and hopefully save some of them from the aggravation we have endured. I wish we knew as much about fence before we started - as we know now.

If you contract for a farm fence job that involves no climb wire and board - be aware of the following:

You will likely be left with mounds of garbage (including human) that will be your responsibility to remove. That will include fence tops, board ends, broken boards, wire nails, large sections of wire, small and large pcs of no climb and other wire. Some of this debris is almost impossible to dispose of legally.

Know in advance what kind of gates and latches you plan to use. This affects gate openings.
Use allthread gate hangers as opposed to lags. They are more expensive but much easier to adjust and offer tremendous flexibility.

Insist that the installer acknowledge the required gate opening for each gate and that the crew supervisor personally set the gate posts.

Make sure that the wire wrap for the braces is placed in such a way as to not interfere with the installation of your gate hardware.

Oversee the job closely - especially the setting of the string line and the driving of the posts along that string line.

If you plan to run irrigation, do pasture improvements, plant trees or do any other work near your fence lines - do the fencing first because the tractor(s) used will tear up turf, imprint your asphalt and can do other unseen damage.

Make sure you know how tight you need the no climb wire to be to the ground and insist that this gap be consistent wherever possible.

Get an open trailer or dumpster and require the installers to put all debris where you direct them. Make them clean up their mess - otherwise one of your animals may get hurt. Don't let them treat your property as if it was their personal garbage dump.

Make sure they have a level and use it to verify all posts are plumb.

If any gate openings require adjustment or any posts need to be moved - insist they be redone with a post driver.

Good luck. Hopefully yours will be better than ours.

Jeff
Dunnellon, Florida
U.S.A.