Yes. On a slope a fence is either racked, so the rails run parallel to the ground, or stepped, so each panel is level and lower than the last. Akron is a hilly city, and we build one or the other on a large share of our jobs, from the streets above the Little Cuyahoga to the lots that back onto Sand Run.
Racked or stepped: which is better?
- Racked: rails slope with the yard and pickets stay plumb. The bottom stays close to the ground, so it is the choice for pets and for moderate grades.
- Stepped: level panels that drop in stages. It suits steep ground and rigid panels such as SimTek, and it leaves a wedge of space under each panel.
- Cut on site: a wood fence with every board trimmed to the grade. It takes more labor and fits the ground best.
I have a dog that digs and a yard that drops. How do I avoid gaps?
Choose a racked or site-cut fence so there is no wedge to start with. Then close the base with a pressure-treated board at ground level, mesh buried a little way out from the fence, or a bottom rail or tension wire on chain link. Regrading a few low spots along the line is sometimes the simplest fix of all.
My yard is steep and rocky and two companies turned the job down. Who does this?
Call us and we will walk it. Around Akron, hard digging usually means glacial cobbles and boulders in the clay, tree roots on wooded ravine lots, or sandstone near the surface along the valley edges. Holes in that ground are dug by hand and bar, or broken out, and now and then a post is shifted a short way to miss a boulder. It is slow, and it can only be priced on site.
Do installers dig by hand or with a machine?
Both. A power auger is quick where the ground is open and fairly level. We dig by hand on steep banks where a machine is unsafe, close to marked utilities, beside foundations and retaining walls, and around roots.
A measured, written quote is the only number you can rely on, and ours is free. Call (330) 521-3641 or text a photo of the yard.