Not a farmer don’t know anything about sheep and goats.
One thing I can tell you is never hire friends or neighbors.
I did make this mistake and learned something about the type of person that I had trusted.
Gave him the key to the door and was awakened one morning before 6 am he was helping himself to about six sheets of green sheet rock from the hallway downstairs and loading them into his truck.
I don’t talk to him about the situation he has created between us. One of his sons approached me a few months ago asking me to hire him to help with the renovation of my current house. I didn’t refuse outright but told him that I would be in touch.
Maybe when hell freezes over.
Do not hire friends if you want them to be friends in the future.
Do not hire just anyone who offers help like this guy you are talking about.
If you want a good fence go find someone who specializes in fence building, there’s some other red flags you should look for.
If they are ready to start in less then a week don’t hire them! Pro’s are busy and they will add you to a schedule,
If they want 50 percent of the costs up front do not hire them!
In your experience this neighbor said he wanted 50 percent plus labor and then you didn’t hear from him until you asked if he was going to start working.
Your first mistake was the large deposit. If he’s a professional you’re only taking up his time. 10 - 20 percent from you would be reasonable.
The payments would be based on milestones reached on your project.
If for any reason he doesn’t respond or argues for more money up front then you should fire him on the spot. You can check on the person who you are hiring and you should at least get some information about your decision to hire someone.
You have to be more cautious about who you want working for you and the efforts to find out what their motives are ahead of time will help you complete your project and maybe help you from getting burned.
