A Bauxite Woman Paid a Landscaping Company More Than $3,000 for a Backyard Fence, and Within Three Months the Boards Were Buckling

A fence was supposed to let Naomi Bullard’s family step into the backyard without worrying. Bullard, of Bauxite, Arkansas, says she paid Flowers and Son Landscaping $2,900 up front, and more than $3,000 in all, and that within three months the wood was buckling. Parts of the fence were uneven or missing, and some sections stood shorter than the rest, she told the consumer team at KATV, which reported the story on Nov. 10.

The contractor, Anthony Flowers, blamed summer heat for the warped boards and told the station he planned to return and make repairs. After the station got involved, he sent photos and video of what he described as a finished fence.

Why the Yard Needed a Fence

Bullard said she wanted the family to be safe, and to feel safe, whenever they went outside. She also cares for her 89-year-old mother, she told KATV, and the fence was meant to give everyone more freedom in the yard.

Instead, she said, the work looked unfinished soon after it went in. She told the station she was very upset. The boards had buckled, some panels were missing and the heights did not match from one section to the next.

Another $700 and No Return Visit

When Bullard asked the company to complete the job, she said the contractor asked for more money. According to KATV, he first asked for $1,400, and she paid $700. She said he collected it and never came back.

About a week after the contractor said he would return, Bullard sent the station a cellphone video showing the repairs were still not done. The photos and video from Flowers arrived on the Monday night before the story ran. KATV’s report does not say whether Bullard accepted the work as finished or whether the dispute is settled, and it does not say whether the company holds a state contractor license.

What Arkansas Says About Licenses at $2,000

The size of the job matters under Arkansas rules. The state attorney general’s home improvement guidance says a contractor on a job “costing more than $2,000” is required to be bonded and licensed. By that measure, a fence project priced above $3,000 falls on the licensed side of the line.

The Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, part of the state labor department, was created in 1939 and sets minimum standards for contractors’ experience, business skills and financial stability. Its page lists 501-372-4661 as a contact number, and the attorney general’s guidance points homeowners to the same number to confirm a contractor’s license. A call before the deposit changes hands takes a few minutes.

Paperwork to Have Before the First Post Goes In

The attorney general’s office tells homeowners to have a written and signed contract before any work begins on the home or property. The contract, it says, should require the owner’s written approval before prices go up or the scope of work grows, and it should spell out payment terms. The office also advises homeowners to beware of anyone demanding full payment before the work is finished.

The Arkansas Better Business Bureau advice KATV passed along covers similar ground. It suggests checking a contractor’s reviews, complaint history, license and insurance, and getting the work, materials, cost, payment schedule, dates and handling of changes in writing. It also suggests keeping a paper trail, avoiding cash when possible and trying to settle a dispute directly before filing a complaint.

For a yard project, the written scope can be plain: the fence height, the type of boards, the number of sections and where the gate goes. Specifics like those give a homeowner something to measure against if panels come in short.

When a Contractor Stops Answering

When a dispute cannot be settled with the contractor, the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division says its staff may help by contacting a business and mediating a resolution. The toll-free line is 800-482-8982.

Complaints can be filed through the office’s online complaint form or on a paper form by mail. The form asks whether there was a written contract, how the homeowner paid and how much, and what outcome the homeowner wants. If a complaint goes to mediation, the business is asked to respond in writing within 30 days, and updates may take 30 to 40 days after mediation begins. Homeowners should send copies of contracts, receipts, canceled checks and correspondence, not originals.

The office says it does not act as a private attorney for individuals, cannot mediate anonymous complaints and cannot mediate once a private attorney has been hired or the matter is in court. For smaller claims, it notes that small claims court is an option when the amount is under $5,000.

Bullard’s story is one of several on this site where a fence became the center of a yard dispute. In another case, a homeowner said a neighbor’s new fence post holes were dug through her shrubs’ root system, and a different gardener described a shared fence painted white without asking while climbing vines suffered.

For now, the photos Flowers sent are the last word in KATV’s report. Whether the boards stay flat through the winter and into next summer, the season he blamed, will show how the fence holds up.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Roman Eisele – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons