Choose the contractor who measures your yard on site and writes the picket grade, post depth, tear-out and warranty into the quote. Johnson Fence does exactly that, with over 100 crews behind your start date.
Here is what you are up against: a fence that fails too soon, a quote that leaves out the grade, a crew that never comes back. Each one starts with a piece of paper that said less than it should.
Pick the contractor who measures your yard and writes the specs on the quote
Three things decide a fence job in Keller or Southlake: quality of construction, a contractor who knows the local city requirements, and a strong written warranty. Get three written estimates, and do not pick the cheapest one by default.
Quality of construction shows up on paper as the picket grade, the post depth and whether tear-out is in the price. A quote can only be as good as the visit behind it. Every quote of ours is measured on site with a tape, and the materials are counted and loaded before the truck leaves. The salesperson confirms fence type and picket grade with you at the fence line.
A company that skips that visit leaves gaps, and the gaps show up in reviews. A 2-star Google review of Fence Pros of Texas from March 18, 2026 reads: “They called me at 9:30pm the night before they were supposed to come out, to tell me they would be there in the morning. Who calls that late, the night before? I asked them to put in the new fence exactly where the old one used to be and they said no problem. …”
A verbal yes is not a spec. If the location, the grade and the date are not on the page, you have a promise and nothing else. Our estimate is free and there is nothing to sign.
What should you ask a fence contractor before you sign?
Ask ten questions before you sign, starting with post depth and ending with a written workmanship warranty. Tarrant County soil makes depth a real question: HGS Engineering (2026) ranks its soils in high and very high shrink-swell classes, where very high means a linear extensibility of 9% or more and high means 6 to under 9.
Here are the ten:
- Are the posts steel or wood?
- How deep do the posts go?
- What grade and type of cedar or pine is the picket?
- How far apart are the posts?
- Are the posts set in concrete?
- Does the crew use screws or nails?
- Are old fence removal and disposal included?
- Who handles permits and inspections?
- Can you give three recent local references?
- Is the workmanship warranty in writing?
The soil figures explain why the second question matters. BasementSoil (2026) models Tarrant County linear extensibility, the shrink-swell measure, at 12.9%, which it rates very high. Clay that swells and shrinks that much pushes on a shallow post every season.
One Austex Fence & Deck customer described what a shallow post costs. In a 1-star Google review from May 26, 2026, the reviewer wrote: “The post should be 2 feet underground but they only did 1 feet. I cannot imagine a fence professional company could do something like that. Now my fence is in bad condition and it is leaning because of that and they are not willing to come back to fix it.”
Ask each question out loud, then ask for the answer on the quote. A contractor who is sure of the work has no trouble writing it down.
How do you check a Texas fence contractor’s license and insurance?
Texas has no statewide fence-contractor license, so a claim of being licensed settles nothing. Ask to see current general liability and workers’ compensation coverage, then check references, workmanship and any city registration that applies to your address.
A license claim does not replace any of those checks. Insurance protects you if a crew member is hurt on your property or a crew damages your home. References and finished fences tell you whether the work holds up. Your city tells you what it requires for registration.
The Better Business Bureau is one more check you can run in a minute. A 1-star Google review of Southland Fence & Supply posted September 25, 2026 says: “They stole my money. Paid them a deposit and I never heard back from them. They asked that I pay with a check and not a credit card. Now I see why. Do not do business with them. I just saw that they lost their BBB accreditation.”
That reviewer looked up the BBB after paying. Look before you pay. Johnson Fence holds an A+ BBB rating and has been accredited since March 2003.
How do you compare three written fence estimates?
For a 6-foot privacy fence, put the same lines in all three estimates: the picket grade and thickness, board-on-board or side-by-side, post material and size, post depth and spacing, gate framing and hardware, and tear-out and haul-away. Get the payment schedule and the estimated completion date in writing, and treat any missing line as a cost still to come.
Add the smaller lines too: steel post gauge and dimensions, top cap and trim, staining or sealing, the warranty, and the total installed price. Lay the three estimates side by side. A line that one estimate names and another leaves blank is where the lower price came from.
The completion date matters as much as the price. A 2-star Google review of Alamo Fence Company of San Antonio from March 25, 2026 reads: “Slow turnaround, uncompetitive pricing, lack of follow-through on follow-ups and revisions”. A date on paper gives you something to hold the crew to.
Our quote names the picket grade, #1 through #3. We price per linear foot, set by the footage measured on site and the grade you choose, and tear-out and haul-off are in the price. Replacing the whole fence at once costs less than buying the same fence in pieces.
