3 Ways To Install A Fence On Unlevel Ground
There are a few options in fence design when it comes to installing a fence on uneven ground. Which you choose depends on how the ground is uneven as well your preferences.
1. Level Top
The level top installation method is best suited to a fence line that is at relatively the same elevation but has undulating dips and rises across the surface. The top of the fence will provide the installation guide for each post and panel, as the top will always be perfectly flat and level once the fence is installed.
This type of installation does mean there will be gaps beneath the fence in areas where the ground dips. If this is a problem, there are a couple of solutions. You can fill in the dips with soil until they are leveled out. You may also opt to use gravel to fill in dips. If you can't fill them in because they are used for drainage, then you can seal them off with a grate.
2. Sloped
A sloped fence is just as it sounds — it follows the slope of the land. The posts are all installed so that they protrude above the ground at the same height, typically 6 feet for a standard backyard fence. Once the panels are installed they will follow the slope of the ground so that the same fence height is maintained at any given point along the fence.
The main challenge with a sloped fence is cutting pickets or panels so that they join up to the next fence post on a vertical axis, as opposed to at an angle. This requires a custom installation as each picket must be custom-cut so that it follows the slope while still lining up with the posts correctly.
3. Stepped
Stepped fencing is typically only done with prefabricated fence panels. It is used on gradual slopes much the same as sloped fencing, but it isn't custom designed to follow the slope. Instead, each panel steps up at a set rate from the panel beneath it.
The main issue with a stepped fence is similar to that of level top fencing — there will be gaps under one end of each panel. You can solve this issue using the same techniques used for level top fencing, or you can have a concrete threshold installed that also steps up with the fence and fills the gap.
Contact a residential fencing service, like Northwest Fencing, if you need more assistance with an installation on unlevel ground.