I contacted Matt to get a quote on a full privacy cedar plank fence on my residential property. The main purpose of the fence would be to stop leaves from blowing into my yard from my neighbors (unfinished) lot, so I wanted the fence to be as close to the ground as possible. In some areas of my lot, water would collect after a rain, so I wanted to make sure the wood was sealed with stain to prevent the wood from rotting. All of this was discussed with Matt on his initial visit. I received the quote and paid 50% down as required. Installation was delayed because of a late snow storm, but when trying to get the schedule back on track, it was rare to hear back from Matt when I left voice mail or sent e-mails. When I finally heard back, I inquired about the color of stain they were going to use, as I wanted it to match my tool shed. He informed me the quote did not include staining. If I hadn't checked back, they would've installed the fence unfinished and I would have had to stain it myself, which would've been nearly impossible to seal the bottom of the planks as most of them were tight against the dirt and more than half the fence was placed tight against cedar shrubs with no way to reach it for staining. The original quote was for $3650 for ~160ft of fence or ~$23/foot; the additional cost for stain was $1300, more than a 35% increase. I was not happy. The quote for stain that he sent me was $1800 for solid color which required 2 coats and $1300 for semi-transparent but only needed one coat. He couldn't determine the color as they sub-contracted the staining to another painting co. I contacted the painters directly, and they said the solid stain would be like paint, with no wood grain showing. The shed was done in semi-transparent stain, so we decided on the one coat semi-transparent solution for $1300. After the fence was installed, I received the final invoice and staining was $1800. I notified Matt and I explained that I went with the one-coat semi-transparent stain for $1300. He told me they had to use two coats of semi-transparent stain, so the price was now $1800. No one contacted me to OK the price increase and no one notified me of the change. At no time was 2 coats of semi-transparent mentioned as an option or that it would necessary. I contacted the painter directly again, and the price he charged to No. Fence for 2 coats of semi-transparent stain was $1300 and Northern marked it up $500 or 38.5% for "handling charge". Extremely unorganized and very poor business practices IMO. Beware. read more

I would rate 0 stars if possible. They were hired to repair a fence that had fallen during a storm. No one showed up the day installation was supposed to start and then it was impossible to get a hold of anyone in the company to reschedule a date of installation. When the fence was finally installed, they did a half ass job and left gaps in the fence. What good is a privacy fence with large gaps you can look through? Overall, terrible company and would not recommend. read more