As a kid, I was immune or naive as to what my parents went through to maintain the house we lived in. I was in my own little world, living life, having fun, and no cares in the world because I knew my parents had things covered.

As a father, husband, and home owner for 25 years, I never realized how much went into maintaining the home. Getting the AC/heat looked at, water heater replaced, etc. I wish I had paid a little more attention to what my parents went through so that all of this wouldn’t have been so shocking.

One of the other “joys” in owning a home is the fence surrounding our small backyard. We live in a 3 story townhouse. We bought it 25 years ago from my sister-in-law. The house itself is about 30 years old and so is the fence.

The fence has been slowly getting worse and worse condition. I knew it was ultimately going to have to get replaced but I applied “band aids” to it to keep it upright. Well it finally got to a point where I need to replace it.

One of those “joys” is finding a company to replace it and hopefully replace our deck as well. So far I have contacted two companies and it hasn’t worked out. The first company charged a ridiculous amount of money to replace the deck and the fence. Then they said the couldn’t replace the fence without tearing down the deck. Yeah right. Sounds like a scheme to me.

The second company came out for a free estimate two weeks ago and I haven’t heard anything from them since. When I try contacting them, their phone numbers are disconnected and the only way I’ve been able to reach them is through a contact form. It’s been nothing but crickets since.

I’m now looking for a third company that will hopefully replace my fence. I never thought it would be this difficult. I guess that’s what all homeowners go through at some point right?