# Story Fence Co

**Trade:** Fencing · **Address:** 6 Old Essex Rd, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA · **Phone:** (978) 412-8100 · **Website:** http://storyfence.com/ · **Languages:** English

**Rating: 2.9/5** (medium confidence) — from 5 reviews across 4 sources.
60% of sentiment-scored reviews read net-positive. Last 6 months: 0 reviews, 0 negative.

## The honest read

Story Fence is a one-man Ipswich shop; owner Mike Story has been building custom cedar fencing on the North Shore for what the company says is 30-plus years, specializing in higher-end privacy, picket, rail, and lattice work plus gates and arbors.

Its five written reviews all date to 2023 and split cleanly in half. On one side, three five-star reviews describe a personalized, hands-on process — Mike and his wife Amy working through a design that fit an awkward yard, a crew that showed up daily and cleaned up after itself, and a helpful, patient office contact. On the other, two one-star reviews from the same year describe the opposite experience: one customer says a requested 6-by-6-foot enclosure came out roughly a foot short on each side, that Mike blamed the mix-up on them, and then wanted an extra charge to fix it; a second, shorter review calls him a scam artist without giving specifics.

Google shows two separate rating profiles for the business — one at 1 star from a single rating, another at 3.4 stars from seven — which don't reconcile into one clean picture and are worth being aware of. There's been no written review since 2023, though the business does turn up in North Shore Reddit discussion in 2025 and 2026, which at least suggests it's still active and known locally.

Given the split, older record, get a clear, written spec for exact dimensions before work starts, and ask for recent references directly — the last few years of public feedback don't say much either way.

**Strengths:**
- Personalized design — owner adapted the design to fit an awkward yard (2023)
- On-time, clean crews — a 2023 review said workers showed up daily and cleaned up

**Concerns:**
- Dimension dispute — a 2023 review said an enclosure came out a foot short per side
- Blame on customer — same review said the owner wanted extra pay to fix his own error

**Where sources disagree:**
- Google shows two separate rating profiles for the business — one at 1★ from a single rating, another at 3.4★ from seven — that don't reconcile into a single figure

## Claims & citations

Every claim below is backed by real evidence rows — uncited claims are dropped in code before publication.

- The business says it has operated on the North Shore for over 30 years _(confidence: medium)_
  - [Official Website](http://storyfence.com) — “Company history (self-reported): Site states the business has been building quality fences in the North Shore area for over 34 years (per si…”
  - [Better Business Bureau](https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/ipswich/profile/fence-contractors/story-fence-0021-102055) — “BBB profile for Story Fence (Ipswich, MA) shows an A+ BBB rating but the business is NOT BBB Accredited; it's a sole proprietorship run by M…”
- A 2023 review described a personalized design process that adapted to an awkward yard _(confidence: medium)_
  - [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m8!14m7!1m6!2m5!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSUQ1LW9XOG93RRAB!2m1!1s0x0:0x519f25ec6d4f9b3e!3m1!1s2@1:CIHM0ogKEICAgID5-oW8owE%7C%7C?hl=en) — “5★ Story Fence is hands down one of the best companies I have ever done business with. I fell in love with one of the photos on their websit…”
- A 2023 review praised prompt, clean daily work through completion _(confidence: medium)_
  - [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m8!14m7!1m6!2m5!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSUQ1LW9XOG93RRAB!2m1!1s0x0:0x519f25ec6d4f9b3e!3m1!1s2@1:CIHM0ogKEICAgID5-oW8owE%7C%7C?hl=en) — “5★ Story Fence is hands down one of the best companies I have ever done business with. I fell in love with one of the photos on their websit…”
- A 2023 review said a requested 6x6 enclosure came out roughly a foot short per side, with the owner blaming the customer and requesting an extra charge to fix it _(confidence: medium)_
  - [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m8!14m7!1m6!2m5!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSUNwNC03OHd3RRAB!2m1!1s0x0:0x519f25ec6d4f9b3e!3m1!1s2@1:CIHM0ogKEICAgICp4-78wwE%7C%7C?hl=en) — “1★ This company is a scam. Poor quality, unprofessional, liars. Mike will be overpriced, and try to squeeze your for every dollar he can. We…”
- A separate 2023 review called the owner a scam artist without giving specifics _(confidence: low)_
  - [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m8!14m7!1m6!2m5!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSURwN09DaW9RRRAB!2m1!1s0x0:0xc02a69a9558ec987!3m1!1s2@1:CIHM0ogKEICAgIDp7OCioQE%7C%7C?hl=en) — “1★ Absolutely trash. This company is awful. Mike the owner is a scam artist and will do his best to cheat you out of more money. They are li…”
- Custom cedar fencing, including privacy, picket, rail, and lattice styles, plus gates and arbors _(confidence: high)_
  - [Official Website](http://storyfence.com) — “Story Fence Co is a North Shore Massachusetts contractor specializing in custom high-end cedar fencing (privacy, picket, rail, radius, decor…”
- Specializes in Fencing _(confidence: high)_
  - [Official Website](http://storyfence.com) — “Story Fence Co is a North Shore Massachusetts contractor specializing in custom high-end cedar fencing (privacy, picket, rail, radius, decor…”
  - [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m8!14m7!1m6!2m5!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSUQ1LW9XOG93RRAB!2m1!1s0x0:0x519f25ec6d4f9b3e!3m1!1s2@1:CIHM0ogKEICAgID5-oW8owE%7C%7C?hl=en) — “5★ Story Fence is hands down one of the best companies I have ever done business with. I fell in love with one of the photos on their websit…”

## License

Status: **not_found** — verified against the official MA state registry, never self-reported.
Re-check at the official registry: https://contractorhub.mass.gov/s/hic-contractor-search

## Sources

- [Google](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Story%20Fence%20Co&query_place_id=ChIJTUICP3ki44kRPptPbewln1E): 3.4★ from 7 ratings
- [Google](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Story%20Fence%20Co&query_place_id=ChIJTUICP3ki44kRPptPbewln1E): 1.0★ from 1 ratings
- [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Story%20Fence%20Co&query_place_id=ChIJTUICP3ki44kRPptPbewln1E): Listed on this source
- [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Story%20Fence%20Co&query_place_id=ChIJTUICP3ki44kRPptPbewln1E): Listed on this source
- [Better Business Bureau](https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/ipswich/profile/fence-contractors/story-fence-0021-102055): Listed on this source
- [Official Website](http://storyfence.com): 34 yrs in business · Self-reported profile and service details
- [Official Website](http://storyfence.com): 34 yrs in business · Self-reported profile and service details

## Mentions

Unverified third-party mentions found on the open web — relay with attribution ("a Reddit commenter said…"), never as Tavlee's own finding.

- “Story fence” — u/hdiggyh in r/northshore (2026-04-24) — https://www.reddit.com/r/northshore/comments/1sudx0w/fence_work/oi04elw/
- “Story Fence” — u/Due_Village_9845 in r/northshore (2025-06-25) — https://www.reddit.com/r/northshore/comments/1lk4me2/looking_for_a_reasonable_fence_company_in_north/mzro81i/

## Recent reviews

- **5/5 · Google Reviews · Sara Schreiner · 2023-10-23**: Story Fence is hands down one of the best companies I have ever done business with. I fell in love with one of the photos on their website, but my yard wasn't quite right for that fence. Mike and Amy worked with us to give us the personalized service my family and I needed to achieve the best aesthe…
- **5/5 · Google Reviews · Samuel Young · 2023-10-21**: Best quality I’ve probably ever seen. Installation was quick and easy and it was very reasonably priced. Lady on the phone was very helpful, patient, and informative.
- **1/5 · Google Reviews · Al Lemieux · 2023-08-17**: Absolutely trash. This company is awful. Mike the owner is a scam artist and will do his best to cheat you out of more money. They are liars and dirtbags. Avoid this company at all costs.
- **1/5 · Google Reviews · Al Lemieux · 2023-08-09**: This company is a scam. Poor quality, unprofessional, liars. Mike will be overpriced, and try to squeeze your for every dollar he can. We specifically requested a 6x6 area for my Shed/storage. What we got was 5'-6" square that it clearly wouldn't fit into. When I asked them about it Mike, danced aro…
- **5/5 · Google Reviews · Johanna Aggelakis · 2023-05-12**: Quality product, great service and efficient installation.  I highly recommend this company.

---

Data freshness: last scanned 2026-07-08T17:53:25.134Z.
Cite as: Story Fence Co — Tavlee (https://tavlee.com/contractor/story-fence-co-ipswich)
Source: https://tavlee.com/contractor/story-fence-co-ipswich