Santos and Sons Property Maintenance

Ninety-one Google ratings, an average of 5 stars, and not a single complaint anywhere in them — Santos and Sons is a Dracut fence outfit whose review pile is unusually one-directional for a small contractor. BBB has the business as a sole proprietorship started in November 2010, owner Derek Santos, and rates it A+ without accreditation. It is also listed as a Dracut Chamber of Commerce member. BBB files it under landscape contractors, and the work customers describe runs wider than fencing alone: patios, granite steps, retaining walls and grading, dumpster rentals. Fencing is clearly the through-line. Recent customers describe estimates within a few days of calling, chain-link replaced in under a day after a car took it out, and a granite mailbox post reset after snowstorm damage. The detail that recurs most is not craftsmanship talk but discipline around money and mess: one homeowner this spring noted the quoted price held even when the job turned out bigger than expected, and the site was left clean. Another says the crew worked around a tight, busy site and absorbed last-minute changes. Derek's name appears in nearly every review, which is what you would expect from a one-person business that runs its own crews. Eleven of these reviews landed in the last six months, all positive, so the current picture matches the longer one rather than coasting on old goodwill. What to know: this is a very small operation — BBB lists one employee — so schedule depends heavily on one person's calendar. Massachusetts does not require home improvement contractor registration for fencing-only work, so there is no state badge to check here; if your job grows into patio, wall or grading work, ask what registration and insurance he carries for that scope. Good call for fence installation and replacement around Dracut and the Merrimack Valley, and for the small hardscape jobs that come with it. Get the scope and price in writing, confirm the start window, and ask for insurance documentation if the project extends beyond fencing.