Yes. A fence follows a hill in one of two ways. Racked panels tilt so the rails run parallel to the ground. Stepped panels stay level and drop at each post like a staircase. Racked fences leave the smallest space underneath.
Racked or stepped: which is better?
- Racked: rails follow the grade and pickets stay upright. Right for gentle and medium slopes, and the better choice with dogs.
- Stepped: every panel is level and the next one sits lower. Used on steep ground and with panels that cannot tilt. It leaves a wedge-shaped opening under each panel.
- Built in place: we cut each board to the ground line. This gives the tightest fit with wood.
I have a dog that digs and a yard that drops. How do I avoid gaps?
Choose a racked or built-in-place fence so the bottom tracks the ground, then block the dig path. A treated board along the bottom, wire mesh buried along the line, or a strip of gravel or pavers under the fence all work. On stepped panels, the wedge under each one has to be filled.
My yard is steep and rocky and two companies turned the job down. Who does this?
We look at these before saying no. Steep, stony lots are normal in the Avenues, on the east bench, in Olympus Cove, in Cottonwood Heights and on the Bountiful bench. The benches are old lake shoreline, so the soil is packed with rounded cobble that stops an auger. Holes get finished with a digging bar, and footings on the downhill side go deeper. It costs more and takes longer than flat ground, and some crews will not take it.
Do installers dig by hand or with a machine?
Both, depending on the spot. A power auger is quick in open, soft ground. We dig by hand close to a foundation, inside the 24 inch zone on either side of a Blue Stakes mark, around tree roots, in cobble and in narrow side yards where a machine will not fit.
The only way to get a real price for your yard is a free on-site estimate. Call (385) 402-8455 or text us a photo of the fence line.