Yes. On a slope the fence is either racked, with each panel angled to follow the ground, or stepped, with level panels that drop in stages. Racked fences leave the smallest gap at the bottom.
Racked or stepped: which is better?
- Racked: rails follow the slope and pickets stay vertical. Suits gentle to moderate grades and is the better choice for dogs.
- Stepped: panels stay level and each one sits lower than the last. Used on steeper grades and with rigid panels. It leaves a triangle of open space under each step.
- Custom cut: boards are trimmed on site to follow the ground. This gives the cleanest line with wood.
I have a dog that digs and a yard that drops. How do I avoid gaps?
Choose a racked or custom-cut fence so the bottom stays close to the ground, then block the bottom edge. A pressure-treated kick board at the soil, pickets cut to the grade, or wire mesh buried along the line will stop most diggers.
My yard is steep and rocky and two companies turned the job down. Who does this?
Call us and we will look at it before giving an answer. Most of Queens is flat, but a ridge left by the glaciers crosses the borough through Forest Hills, Jamaica Estates and Bayside, and the north shore around Whitestone drops toward the water. The soil there holds boulders. When a post hole meets one, we move the rock, shift the post slightly or drill into the stone and anchor the post. If a retaining wall is involved, tell us, because that changes how the height is measured.
Do installers dig by hand or with a machine?
Both. A power auger is used where it can get in and the ground is open. Hand digging is the rule in row house yards with no side access, next to foundations and party walls, near marked utility lines and around tree roots. In a concrete yard there is no digging at all. The slab is core drilled, or the posts are fixed to plates on top of it.
We have to see the yard to give you a real number. The estimate is free and comes in writing. Call (718) 550-3411 or text us a photo of the fence line.