Yes. On sloping ground a fence is either racked or stepped. A racked fence has rails that run parallel to the ground while the boards or pickets stay plumb. A stepped fence keeps each panel level and drops it at the post. Racked fences leave less space underneath.
Racked or stepped: which is better?
- Racked: the top of the fence runs in a line with the ground. Good for mild and medium slopes, and the better pick if you have a dog.
- Stepped: every panel is level and the fence goes down in stairs. Used on steep grades and with rigid panels. It leaves a wedge of open space below each panel.
- Built in place: boards go up one by one and are cut to match the ground. This gives a wood fence the tightest fit on bumpy terrain.
I have a dog that digs and a yard that drops. How do I avoid gaps?
Go with a racked fence or one built in place, and then guard the bottom edge. We can fasten a treated kick board along the base, trim each board to the soil, or bury wire mesh on the yard side. Look again in late summer. Valley clay shrinks as it dries and can open a gap that was not there in spring.
My yard is steep and rocky and two companies turned the job down. Who does this?
Call us and we will walk it before we answer. Sacramento itself is level, but the east side of the region is not. Folsom climbs toward the lake, Fair Oaks has bluffs above the American River, and Rocklin sits on granite. Those jobs are slower. We carry material in, dig by hand and set the downhill posts deeper. Where a hole hits rock or river cobble, we core through it or anchor the post to it. Let us know if a retaining wall is involved, because walls often need a permit and can limit the fence height above them.
What is hardpan, and does it affect my fence?
Hardpan is a layer of soil cemented almost like soft rock, and it lies under large parts of Sacramento County, often one to three feet down. It matters in two ways. Digging through it takes a bar or a powered breaker, which adds time. And water does not drain through it, so a post hole that stops on top of hardpan can hold water like a cup. Where we can, we break through the layer so the hole drains.
Do installers dig by hand or with a machine?
We do both. A powered auger is quickest on an open level lot. Hand tools come out in narrow side yards, beside foundations and pool decks, around marked utilities and tree roots, and on slopes. In Sacramento's older neighborhoods, big tree roots along the fence line are the most common reason to dig by hand.
A real price needs a tape measure on your fence line. The visit costs nothing and the quote comes in writing. Call (916) 890-2911 or text us a photo of the fence.