Berkeley Parents Network: Fences and Gates

Berkeley Parents Network

Fences and Gates

Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > House & Garden > Fences and Gates

Reviews from BPN Subscribers

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Recommendations

July 2007

Just wanted to say that we just worked with Joe Sampietro of Gate Designs and we had a great experience. He came up with an attractive design for three gates and a small side fence that covered our driveway. He was easy to work with and flexible. We have received many compliments about the design and workmanship of the gates. He can be contacted at joesampietro[at]yahoo.com. LS

Would like to recommend woodworker, Joe Sampietro, of Gate Designs should you need a smart, beautiful gate and fence. Joe is a great guy with an eye for detail, uses quality products, and can creatively balance design asthetics with functionality. We wanted a nice, simple, clean, and elegant, yet modern gate that would compliment our 1920's bungalow. Joe is very creative and builds to compliment your homes architectural style. If you are looking for drop dead cheap, run of the mill stuff- this aint. But if you are looking for a custom, simple, creative, or even one of a kind design this is a guy that you should bring on your project. He specializes in old growth woods and will work with you to help achieve your design ideas within your budget. As far as pricing goes, he does have a range- I would say that he starts at the mid range to the sky's the limit. But again, this is for great craftsmanship and beautiful wood. Contact Joe at: joesampietro[at]yahoo.com or 510 526-1771. He can email photos of his work. glangc

April 2007

We wanted a unique fence that would compliment and add charm to our house while giving a ''pop'' to the curb appeal. We hired Joe Sampietro from Gate Designs who specializes in craftsman style gates, fences and doors. His work is exceptional and his attention to detail unsurpassed. Joe skillfully analyzed our home to determine the best choices for type, style and height of the fence and gates. Joe also incorporated our ideas so we definitely felt like the process was collaborative. The detailed work resulted in the fence taking longer to build than a typical fence, but we are more than happy with the results and the numerous compliments we get from neighbors is telling. If you're looking to add a unique new fence or gate to your home then I recommend Joe. Joe Sampietro - 510-526-1771 or joesampietro[at]yahoo.com. Kristin

We recently had a fence designed and built by Joe Sampietro at our Berkeley home. He did an outstanding job. Our project included 2 gates and a complete backyard fence. Joe created a fence that gave us privacy, security for our dog and the fence actually made our yard look better. He carefully chose the best redwood that fit our price range and matched the pieces well. You can reach Joe at Joe Sampietro - Gate Designs joesampietro[at]yahoo.com Cathy S.

Feb 2007

We recently had about 100 feet of 6' deer fence built on our property. I met with several fence builders who seemed affable and experienced, but ultimately chose Jose Curiel. Recommended on BPN, Jose was punctual, flexible, and generous with his time and suggestions. We are so pleased with the job. His number (510)821-4270. Cheers Hilary

June 2006

I can highly recommend Matthew Whalley for fence work. He has done several projects for me and I have referred to my family and friends and everyone has been very happy with his work. He is professional and reliable and does a great job. His number is: 925.366.6199 s.maher

I have to second the posting for Peter Keenan of K&S Fencing (Alameda). He was so wonderful to have around(with my young kids) and his fence and deck are beautiful. He has great suggestions, he's honest, reliable, quick, friendly and very reasonable. When we are ready to build our next fence(a long one 75ft one) on our property I will definately call him back. Maya

May 2006

For those looking for fences, decks and general handyman recommendations, I recommend DD's Fences and Decks. Don works by himself, so smaller jobs are his specialty. He does beautiful work, and is very reasonably priced. He can be reached at (510)207-2087. kiki

We recently replaced a fence and hired Peter Keenan of K&S Fences (865-1100). He did a fantastic job and was very nice to work with. He gave us a bid within two days as promised, showed up when he said he would, and did the job including hauling the old stuff away. I highly recommend him. Jennifer

April 2006

For the person looking for gate and/or fence builders, I'd like to recommend Joe Sampietro of Gate Designs for distinctive gates and fences. Specializing in reclaimed old-growth redwood and cedar, he'll work with you, the landscape, and your home's architecture to create elegant entryways and borders. You can phone or email him for a free consultation at your home or business and he has digital photos and references available on request. joesampietro[at]yahoo.com (510) 526-1771
Dianne

March 2006

Hired Kennedy (lic 029820) of Paradise Landscape, for a small but very easy fence and gate install and found him to be unreliable. He was referred by ______. Kennedy's work was sloppy (crooked fence boards), which he promised to correct but never did. Once he got paid, left the gate unfinished and did not return (repeated) calls. Besides, his work on the gate was so flimsy that it had to be completely taken out. Ultimately, we had to hire someone else to finish the gate and do it right. Anon

February 2006

My landscaper, Jose Curiel, just redid a fence in our backyard to match an exiting fence. He is not a licensed contractor, but I am much happier with the fence he built than with the other fence done by ________. Jose listens well and was on the job the whole time so that the fence turned out the way we discussed it. With the other company there was poor communication between Mr. Beckworth and the crew and I had to pay extra money to have them redo things that looked quite poorly and were not well thought out. Jose's number is 510-821-4270. Feel free to contact me with questions. Judy

Posting a message for quality fence work and gate. I went online to look for referrals. After an round around, I found Peter from K&S Wooden Fencecraft at 510 865 1100, who actually does the fence work with his nephew on site and does not send crews. He works with you on the design and works with the highest quality redwood. He was a delight to work with and brings experience and poetry. Please email me for any questions - susan

August 2005

After interviewing MANY people we chose Peter Keenan from Alameda to build our fence, gate and small garden deck. He mainly works in Alameda, Berkeley and Oakland, but came out to Orinda to do the job for me.

Peter is straight forward, no BS, no exorbitant prices (he buys his lumber wholesale), he completed a computer drawing of the fence and gate he was going to build for me and he completed the job on time. My children and I enjoyed having him around, and he allowed my boys to "help" him (at the end of the day he gave them a $1 for "working hard"!).

I believe I got the recommendation from this network!

K&S Fences, Peter Keenan (510) 865-1100
maya

April 2005

Someone asked for a recommendation regarding a fence. I've never posted before, and I usually read recommendations with skeptism because I assume they're posted by friends or family. But I just had a really great experience with a fence guy, and someone asked for a recommendation, so here it is. FYI, I have no connection to him other than the fact that we hired him to do the work. We had a fence that needed partial repair and partial rebuild. I tried to get a number of bids, but most people wouldn't show up or said the job was too small. Peter from K&S fencing not only showed up, he gave me a timely bid, did great work, and was wonderful to work with. He's at 510-865-1100. I didn't check his references before I hired him, but I'm happy to be a reference for him. I highly recommend him. Rebecca

We are in the process of having our fence and gate built right now by Peter Keenan of K&S Fencing (510) 865-1100. I looked at 7 bids for our fence, gate, a small garden deck and repairing a bench. I rcvd a bid from a very large fence company (Borg in Pleasant Hill), a mid-size landscaping company that specializes in fences and a number of single artisan type people. I knew from the moment I met Peter that he would be the one to build our fence! He's honest, straight forward about what the job entails, thorough(he does a computer drawing of your fence so you know exactly what it will look like), nice, and does great work. His quotes were very very reasonable, in fact a little cheaper than the large fence company. He also has access to very nice redwood lumber at a good price. My deck looks beautiful and the half of my fence and gate that is up is very nice. When I was interviewing fence people, I had one artisan type say, "You know, I don't do bids. You either like my work and hire me or you don't." Well, I do bids, and I'm glad I did! Peter is giving me exactly what I want at a reasonable price. Anon

August 2004

We just had our fence repaired by a really great guy. He was dependable, honest, reliable, relatively inexpensive, and did a very good job. He returned my phone calls and gave me a fair estimate in a reasonable time. His name is Tom; phone number: 601-5576. Toby

March 2004

Hi, David Ward at Sticks-n-Stones is really good. His number is 658-5863. anon

We had a great redwood fence built a year ago by Eric Manou. He was terrific to work with -- timely, professional and pleasant -- and the fence is handsome and well-built. His bid was also the lowest of the three we got. I would use him again. Eric Manou: 510-597-1790. tyche

June 2003

I highly recommend Matthew Whalley (925) 366-6199 for deck, gate and fence work. He built a sturdy and beautiful picket fence, a backyard fence, awning, and a 6 Ft gate. His estimate was the lowest and reasonable. My deck architect was highly impressed with the quality of his work. He was efficient, punctual, great to work with, and cleaned up. Contrary to a previously posted messsage, he happily painted the picket fence and the awning, stained the back fence and did a superb job. His workmanship, rate and attitude are out of this world. I recommend him highly.

Jan 2003

Does anyone have experience with JV Fence? Also, any recommendations for deck cleaning and refinishing? Terri

JV Fence just completed a fencing job for us not more than 2 weeks ago. They built an approximately 75 foot ''good neighbor'' fence in 2 days (3-4 man crew)! They were clean, courteous and very competitive with regard to rates. The quality of work was far superior to the work a different company had done for us on the other side of our yard the previous year. We would not hesitate to recommend them.

We didn't have a great experience with JV Fence when they built a fence and deck for us about 2 years ago. They took a couple of shortcuts that let to some kludgy work. First, a step they built into our deck was wobbly and it took a lot of prodding to get them to fix it, which they did in a kind of half-a**ed way. The other was a fence post that they made too short and fixed by gluing another piece of post on top. Most people who see our fence and deck think it looks great. They used good quality wood and the angles are neat. But it really irks me knowing about these little shoddy details when we paid so much money. I saw that another person on this list was happy with their work; I don't know if they had a better experience or if they haven't scrutinized for the kinds of shortcuts that we found them doing. n Ilana

We recently did lots of fencing, and liked our fence builder, William Earl Roberts, 510-841-8830 Karen

June 2002

We're hoping to get a recommendation for a good company or person to put in a wooden fence for our front yard and do some other misc construction work, both indoors and out. Any good people/companies out there? - rsladekn

We recently hired Eric Manou to install a 100 foot section of fencing and also to do trenching/piping work to tie in our gutters to underground drains. We were very pleased with his work and recommend him wholeheartedly. - Vali

June 2002

In reponse to the postings re: deck builder/contractor Bill Roberts, the phone number is 510 841-8830. If it is busy in the evening, the teenage daughter is probably on-line. Best to leave a message during the day. Although he prefers to use the phone, e-mail messages can also be sent to me & I will give them to him: randice at uclink4.berkeley.edu (He will respond by telephone, so be sure to leave a phone number.) Randice

I have a close friend who owns a fencing company. I've never used her services, but knowing her personally I'm sure she's great and very reasonable. The company is called CVFENCE Co. Phone number is 581-6116 or 1-877-57-FENCE Good luck! Monica

We would like to recommend Eric Manou (Manou Restoration and Renovation). He rebuilt two sides of our backyard fence for us in less than 3 days, which was a necessity with two dogs. His price was very reasonable, and he was great to work with. He removed and hauled away the old fence, and cleaned up the area. My husband is a structural engineer and was very pleased with the quality workmanship.

2001

Matthew Whalley, whose name we got from this list, did a good job on our white picket fence for a reasonable price (925-366-6199). He painted the fence a bit unwillingly and the paint job was poor, but the fence structure and gate were fine.

I highly recommend Frank Ciccarelli (382-9179). He put in a fence for us 12 years ago which is still in great shape. He's dependable and honest, and helpful with suggestions. We've had him do some other basic carpentry work around our house this past year. You can tell him I recommended him. -Stacey

I recommend my brother-in-law Brian Zirkelbach. In addition to building fences, he has experience in a variety of construction/remodeling projects including stucco, framing, bath and kitchen remodels. He did the drywall for the ceilings and walls in our 1928 Oakland home. Last month, he replaced four single-pane windows in our home with new-construction, vinyl, double-paned, low-e windows. His most recent project was a lovely, elevated playhouse for a Lafayette family. You'll find his rates reasonable and his attitude exemplary. Contact Brian directly at bmzirk at hotmail.com. Stella

We just had a new fence built by Roger MacGreggor, (510) 562-2095. Roger does truly fine work. We have had any number of people stop and admire our fence and the neighbors love it. The design was largely my wife's (she's a woodworker too) and so the two of them got into the gorey details. Some of his design suggestions proved to be perfect, complimenting the style of our house.

Two snags: He's not super cheap (but waaay cheaper than some other bids we got!), and he can be a little hard to get moving. His passion appears to be building fences, not business. Having seen several examples of his work around North Berkeley, we were confident all along that the fence would be great and that it would get finished. I happen to know that business is slow for him right now (like the rest of us) so now would be a good time to talk. He has pictures of our fence in his portfolio, but if you'd like to see it in the flesh, as it were, drop me an email message (johnt at acm.org) and I'll give you the address.

Regarding permits: We did NOT need a permit. AFAIK, only fences taller than six feet need a permit. Beware of arbors or pagodas or the like: Berkeley (for weird historical reasons) discourages them, imposing a stiff permit fee. The folks at the one-stop permit office are very helpful, so best to check the facts with them. They are very good about cutting through red tape and will give you straight answers on the spot. Good luck! --John

I was very happy with Peter Keenan (865-1100) who built a fence for our dog a couple of years ago. His workmanship was good, he was showed up when planned and carried out the job efficiently, and he even composed a beautiful poem about our yard and dog as a parting gift. I'd recommend him highly.

Soundproof fence?

July 2005

We are in need of a fence to be put up ASAP. Any suggestions? We got one quote for a straight line of fence 45 feet long for $5,500. I just can't believe that is the going rate, I mean, it was a quote for a fence 6 feet high with an additional trellis on top, but can it really be so expensive? We need it to block out sound of unattended children in neighboring daycare and the director of said day care who is violent and verbally abusive. Having baby in August-Help! good fence, good neighbor

You mentioned the primary goal of the fence is to block out sound from voices next door. A wooden fence will attenuate, but not eliminate the sound of voices. Cinder block would be somewhat more effective, but neither is likley to render the voices inaudible. I'm a sound engineer, and I suggest you contact an acoustician for advice--you could easily spend the $5,000 and still have to listen to the folks nextdoor. rudy

Editor Note: JB Fence has asked not to be reviewed on the Berkeley Parents Network, so previous reviews have been removed and we cannot accept new requests for reviews. More info here.

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