Freeman Fence

Freeman Fence did a wonderful job! We purchased our fence in December, hoping to beat the bad weather — unfortunately that didn’t happen. We did get in contact with them once the nicer weather came around & they were able to fit us on their schedule within a week. We are VERY impressed with the quality job & the wood /​black metal fence look AWESOME! We will definitely recommend!

Got a quote and had the fence installed within a week– fantastic! Then the fence was done within a day! The wood is beautiful, very high quality material – Even better!
Until we looked over the craftsmanship. We spent a lot of money on this fence, and expected a quality job.
The owner was fantastic. We were very confident that we made a good choice. After seeing the end result, though, I am a little disappointed. They installed the wrong latch on the gate. They were made aware before they left, so they fixed it but they gave me a hard time about removing the old latch because it was difficult. I called the next day and asked that it be removed because it looked tacky from the outside and I really didn’t like it (and it was their mistake!) The guy that came to remove it took off a tiny metal fitting (left the rest of the latch!!!) and then proceeded to tack up even more of their little metal placards on my fence… So I had to call again and although I didn’t necessarily ask for it, was promised a new gate within 48 hours. Great!
Well the guy just showed up, pulled off the tacky gate latch and patched the hole with a wooden peg. It only took a few hours for him to show up, but come on. Why do I have to make such a stink just to get what I asked for in the first place? We will deal with the gate as it is at this point, but I am annoyed with the whole thing.
They may have gotten it done quickly, but they did a sloppy job and the conflict resolution is lacking. It seems like the owner’s head is in the right place but his crew doesn’t take pride in their work. I would rather they take their time and do it right. I just paid $ 4,000 for an uneven fence and a gate with patched holes in it.

A horrible disaster.
They started out by installing the fence in the wrong place — almost a foot inside the property line — ripping up our patio in the process.
The crew was completely unsupervised and left dozens of empty soda cans all over.
The fence posts are neither straight nor secure. They can be wiggled without any
effort. When the gate closes, the whole fence shakes. When I asked for this to be fixed, they just poured cement around the top, which didn’t help.
The decorative spindles were neither straight nor evenly spaced.
The front gate post was about 2 – 3 inches out of alignment from top to bottom.
We paid to have the fence painted by hand, but the fence was sprayed instead. Many spots were missed, and they sprayed fence paint on the house. Paint is already wearing off the back gate.
The oversized (and expensive) posts on the back gate developed very large and growing
vertical cracks on two sides.
We showed them pictures of exactly the decorative caps and footings that we wanted. The post caps we got were absurdly small, and the footing pieces were just screwed randomly on the post.
The surfaces and caps were uneven, with visible space between the posts and caps. T
Post caps were not secured or missing completely.
We had to pay our contractor thousands of dollars for repairs. So upsetting.
Here are the photos

We hired Freeman Fence about 2 months ago to install a 6′ wood privacy fence in our backyard, which included 2 gates. From the very beginning, they were a pleasure to work with. They returned my calls promptly, came over when scheduled to do the price quote, they showed up on time and did the job exactly as expected. We even changed the style of fence at the last minute and added more work to the job and that was not a problem they just got it all done when they said they would. We really like that the wood they use is knot free, it looks much nicer. We are very pleased with the fence (and so are my neighbors), it looks beautiful and it’s very solid. Highly recommended.

We scheduled someone to come out and discuss our project/​provide a quote. After 30 minutes of waiting for the representative, we called customer service who assured us they would contact him and be in touch. No one ever showed, and no one ever called back. I would not trust this company with a large project when they can’t even show for/​follow-​up on a scheduled consult.

Freeman Fence just installed almost 2,000 feet of fence for our townhome association. We sought bids from three different fence companies. Two of the companies sent estimators out to provide bids. Roger Freeman, the owner of Freeman Fence came out personally to meet with us and, more importantly, to educate us regarding the different types of fences and hardware that were available. While his was not the cheapest bid, we decided to accept it because of his attentiveness and his willingness to work with individual unit owners at solving their particular problems.
We were not disappointed! Roger personally made several site visits during construction. The quality of materials was excellent (knot-​free cedar, 4″ steel posts around gates, unique two-​way horseshoe latches). He and his crew were eager to accommodate the most demanding needs of our unit owners. Most important, our unit owners seem very pleased with the new fence, and we have received many compliments on the work performed.

I called Freeman Fence to replace a section of fence that was removed by a neighbor. Freeman Fence responded quickly with a fair price and were abke to schedule the chain link fence install within four days. The crew performing the install were very nice and worked four hours in the summer heat to get the job done. They did a great job and even offered to adjust a creeky gate. I will call them again if i need any fence installation.

After a garage break-​in my wife and I decided that our open plan backyard was passé. Time for a fence. Driving around the alleys I looked at a lotta different fences. Chainlink, vinyl, painted wood, fancy and plain. The cedar ones were the most interesting and, in a word, peaceful. Then I began looking at the little placards the fence builders tacked on those cedar fences. I called 5 different fencing outfits… Got visited by 4 kids and Ross Papke of Freeman Fence in Brookfield.
You may be asking why I mention Ross by name… Keep readin
Everyone had glossy brochures, multiple nice reviews here on Unilocal and dandy websites. All responded quickly to my invitation to send someone out to chat. I listened to all 5 people (actually 4 kids and one adult it seemed). Ross wasn’t trying to sell me ANYTHING. He was educating me and my wife. FOr almost 890 minutes. Answered questions with detailed explanations and alternatives to my naïve thinking. Only one of the others bothered to foilow up with a call or email after the visit.
Several high points on my decision to use Freeman:
Freeman uses STAINLESS STEEL hardware. No ugly black stains anticipated.
Freeman sources its knot free, sustainable cedar where it’s cut and buys by the truckload, cheaper for everyone and much higher quality. Knot free just looks nicer to me.
They’ve been around many, many years and I believe if there were a problem they’d set it right without a fight. Crossing my fingers here.
To wrap this up let me say that I spent hours getting the 5 quotes. The $$$ range spanned an $ 800 difference. That was eye-​opening to say the least, (almost shocking since my wife had said she’d pay more for Freeman without having seen any of the quotes after meeting Ross) Freeman’s was the cheapest by $ 100s.
Having had the fence installed now, I’m 100% convinced that their work would match any of the other companies. I had the fence a week after signing their straight forward contract and it looks terrific. Their crew actually came a day early taking advantage of one of this June’s few sunny days, they were on time, ready to go and left everything shipshape when they left. I’ve had people stop and leave notes on how nice the fence looks… That’s a testimonial in itself.
Ross called after the installation to make sure things were okay too.
Couldn’t be more pleased.

Freeman Fence does great work. I highly recommend them. They are prompt, pleasant, clean, and excellent craftsmen.
The quote they gave me was right on target. Their workmanship and the quality of the fence they installed, is hard to find these days. They hand build the fence you want board by board.
Just as important is the friendly and courteous way I was treated. Everyone in this company went out of their way to see I got exactly what I wanted and that I was happy with every aspect of the job. Love my fence!

I just had Freeman Fence repair my red cedar fence. I was tired of dealing with the company that originally installed the fence. A neighbor recommended Freeman and we called and Roger Freeman the owner came out, inspected the fence, gave us a fair quote. Roger is a great guy, very personable and knowledgeable, we hired him on the spot. They expedited the repair which we appreciated, because the damaged portion of the fence posed a danger to the young children next door. They used top grade cedar, tied everything back in. The crew was polite, professional and did expert work. They restored the damaged area to it’s original beautiful red cedar color and it’s sturdy again. We offer Roger and Freeman Fence based in Brookfield Illinois our highest recommendation!

These guys are great! I got about 3 quotes, Freeman was a little higher than everyone else, but after talking with them i realized they were the most qualified. The fence looks awesome and many people [including other contractors] have commented on the workmanship. Even after it was installed they went the extra mile and helped with a few things that were outside of the project. Now my dog can roam free and safe in the yard… Thanks guys! Id recommend freeman to anyone!

This review is long overdue. I had 3 estimates for my fence and Freeman was the most expensive out of the bunch but I chose them b/​c of the quality workmanship. They custom build the fence along with the lattice and also the gates. They also use knotless fence planks.
The quality of the fence is great. After they were done, I didn’t like that the gates opened out from the yard and also the handles they used. I called Andy and he had his guys out within a couple of days to fix.
A promotional giftcard that was offered at the time when I got my fence was lost in the mail. Instead of tempting fate a second time, Andy went out of his way to drop it off at my house.
I would recommend them for sure. Everyone — friends, neighbors and people in the trade (I have a fixer house) comment on what a nice fence it is.

During the long, long winter of 2014 I had plenty of time to dream about the new wood fence I had wanted for years. I obtained three estimates and Freeman was 1) the most reasonable (especially considering the type of wood I eventually chose), and 2) the most responsive to my unique design request (I wanted horizontal slats, not vertical). The company owner, Roger Freeman, came out himself to inspect my yard because I was requesting an unusual design and he wanted to be sure to underdstand my project. He gave me a quote on the spot based on the linear length of fencing I needed, how many gates etc, and a choice of cedar (base price) or redwood (upcharge). He left me with a 6 ft sample of both woods to consider. He gave me multiple references which I called and everyone raved. He was more than willing to play with the spacing of the slats to achieve the look I wanted. He had built a fence like it but most people are happy with a boring vertical «privacy fence» which I didn’t want. It was still late winter when I called him so I got in before the spring/​summer rush that makes fencing guys and landscapers so busy.
He showed up on-​time for the project, with a crew of nice, polite guys. He made sure that his workers knew exactly what to do (since this was an atypical design), stayed for a few hours, and them left them to finish the work. They finished the job in 2 days, cleaned up including the debris that came in to neighbors’ yards, and gave me extra wood for staining samples in the future. Most of all they made a BEAUTIFUL redwood fence that is strong, sturdy, and uniquely mine. I cannot say enough about how pleased I am with this project. I admit that my design was a pain for them to execute and they did it willingly, quickly, and WELL. 200% satisfied customer!

They installed four 6′ chain link gates for our community garden in 2012. Competitive price and the gates have held up well in the years since.
Only thing I’ve learned since then is that I should have asked them to weld the hinges on. In the part of town I live in, people will actually knock the hinges off and steal the gates for scrap metal.

I am writing this review nearly two years after Freeman installed a fence and two gates for us and here’s why. Freeman did a pretty good job with the initial installation. Freeman installed a fence with gate along our alley next to our garage and a gate next to our home in the gangway. Their price was better than or as good as other estimates that we received. The sales person was personable and polite. The fence is a heavy metal fence with wood inserts between the metal rails. After the initial installation there were a few minor problems. Some of the wood inserts needed replaced because they had paint on them and the locks would not catch when the gates closed because the gate and the adjacent post were slightly too far apart. Freeman replaced the wood panels and also added a small metal latch plate which allowed the lock to catch when the gate closed. Then, last winter, the cold caused the metal to on the gangway gate to stop catching when the gate closed. So, we had to use a piece of rope to hold the gate closed. This was sort of a pain. I put off calling Freeman about the problem and when summer came the problem corrected itself. But, then this winter the same thing began to happen again. Then this week – after being annoyed by this problem for a second winter – I finally sent Freeman an email with a video showing the problem, acknowledging my long delay in raising this problem and asking if they would come out and fix the problem. I did not mention any Unilocal review or Angie’s List review or anything of the sort. I just asked if Freeman would fix the problem. That same evening, I received an email response from Roger Freeman telling me that he would have someone out the next day to take care of the problem. Sure enough, the next day someone showed up and fixed the problem. Unlike some contractors who will do things if you promise a good Unilocal review or Angie’s List review, Roger made no such request. He just said, «We’ll take care of it.» To me, that is great customer service. While I was pleased with this company before, I am now thrilled. I would hire Freeman again in a heartbeat knowing that they stand by their work for a long time.

I’m giving them 1 star for bad customer service. Called multiple times for a quote and left VM’s and a message with an employee. They said they would call me back to schedule the estimate. I was never able to get them to call me back though. I finally gave up and went with another company.

Was a loyal customer for over 2 years and $ 1000 on fence repair, but after 3 calls for an estimate due to the storm on Monday I was told in a very rude way that «…we just had a storm and we can’t worry about 1 existing customer…» Great way to keep a customer. Bad customer service, okay work and very unreliable. Hope all your new work makes you plenty of money.

Freeman Fence installed a beautiful cedar fence last week. They were timely, professional, and really went above and beyond. They use top quality wood (no knots) and assemble the fence on site. Such custom quality comes at a really reasonable price.
On top of scheduling Julie for us, they also took care of arranging for the permit with our city, which we REALLY appreciated. Plus, it was at no charge to us.
This company really takes pride in their work and I would HIGHLY recommend them!

I contacted them after reading great things about their company online. Since our 20+ year old fence is literally falling down, I submitted a request for an estimate. I was hoping to hear back within a day or two, but here we are 10 days later and I still haven’t heard a peep from anyone in the company. We ultimately decided to go with another company we received a quote from (coincidentally, that company called me the very same day I submitted a request for an estimate).
Freeman Fence may do great work, I’ll just never know because I couldn’t even get them to call me back.

The sun is rising over my beautiful new Freemen Fence which was installed yesterday. I could not be happier. It’s been a long time since I have dealt with such a reliable, efficient, top quality company. The owner arrived right on time to give me an estimate. They beat other estimates by several hundred dollars. He also gave me a 3-​page list of references in my town alone.
Within days of mailing in my deposit, they had scheduled «JULIE,» and scheduled our installation. The installer showed up first thing in the morning. He was very polite and friendly and did a magnificent job. The wood they use is top grade (no knots).
I should also mention I found them here on Unilocal :)
HIGHLY recommend!