Yes. A fence on a slope is either racked, meaning each section leans with the ground, or stepped, meaning level sections drop in stages. Racked fence keeps the bottom close to the grade.
Racked or stepped: which is better?
- Racked: rails follow the slope and pickets stay plumb. It suits the gentle to moderate grades found in most Charlotte yards and is the better option for pets.
- Stepped: each section is level and set lower than the last. It is used on sharper drops and with panels that cannot rack. Triangular gaps are left under each section.
- Stick-built: the fence is framed on site and every picket is cut to the ground. A wood privacy fence built this way gives the cleanest result on uneven ground.
I have a dog that digs and a yard that drops. How do I avoid gaps?
Choose a racked or stick-built fence so the bottom follows the ground, then protect the bottom edge. A treated board along the base, pickets cut to the grade, or wire mesh buried along the line will stop most diggers. Hard red clay helps a little in summer, but it softens after rain.
My yard is steep and rocky and two companies turned the job down. Who does this?
Call us. We will walk the line and tell you honestly whether we can build it. The Piedmont is rolling ground, and yards that fall toward a creek, a lake or a storm water pond are common. Such jobs take longer because materials are carried in and holes are dug by hand. Where rock is close to the surface, the hole is broken out with a bar or a drill, or the post is anchored to the rock. If the fence would sit on or next to a retaining wall, say so, because the wall may need a look of its own.
Do installers dig by hand or with a machine?
Both. A powered auger is fast in open, level ground. Hand digging is used on slopes, near marked utility lines, between large tree roots, next to foundations and in tight side yards where a machine will not fit.
The only way to get a real price for your yard is a site visit, and ours is free. Call (980) 291-4187 or text us a photo of the fence line.