“I was tired of that circle of demise,” he said. “I had a construction background and decided to start a fence company.”
The overview
In 2007 he opened CenTex Fencing, and seven years later he added the words "Outdoor Living" to his business name.
“Because we did good work, people were always asking me if I could make them a pergola or this or that,” he said. “I realized I was leaving money on the table, so I hunted down good crews and jumped into this sector.”
A closer look
When meeting with clients to discuss their fencing needs, Hamilton discusses their end goal, measures the fence area and shows them photos of previous projects.
He said although cedar is his top-selling fence material, they also work with other substances such as iron.
“We do everything from basic fences all the way up to something nicer like a board on board, capped out, trimmed, stained cedar fence,” he said.
The discovery phase is more involved for his outdoor living space customers. Ideas such as extending concrete patios, adding a composition roof to the patio, building a pergola, outdoor kitchen and/or a fire pit and much more are discussed.
What’s trending
He said design trends have mostly remained the same.
“Generally, people want the traditional pergola,” Hamilton said. “The majority of what we do has a little bit of a rustic look. The stained cedar is a nice contrast that blends with any type of brick, existing siding, anything.”
What they’re saying
Hamilton said he is proud of the great reviews he’s received for his crews.
“You’re only as good as your hired help,” he said. “For the most part they’ve been with me since the beginning. I take care of them, they take care of me.”
Hamilton said he is grateful he chose this career path.
“I talk to God plenty of times thanking him for giving me something I can take pride in ... and not have to be in the corporate world,” he said. “I’m not getting rich, but I’m making people happy, and I’m able to make a decent living in the process.”
