Installing fencing around your yard gives you more privacy and security, and it’s also useful for defining property lines. You can also use your new fencing to add a new dimension of design to your property.
Fence installation is well worth your time, but the layout of your property may make that project more difficult. To be more specific, the presence of a slope or hill in your yard could complicate the project.
Don’t worry if you’re dealing with that kind of obstacle. The tips we’ve included in this article should help you install fencing properly even if you’re working on hilly terrain.
Step 1: Gather the Required Materials
Before you can start building a fence on a slope, you must first collect the materials required for that project.
For this project, you’ll need some stakes, string, a shovel, a hammer, a saw, a tape measure, a line level, some chalk and your chosen fencing. We’ll be using stepped fencing here.
Step 2: Set the First Stakes
Now that you have the required materials, you can start installing your new fence. To do that, you must first set the stakes.
Go up to the top of the hill and drive a stake into the spot where you want your fence to start. After that, move to the base of the hill and set another stake where you want the fence to end.
Make sure that both stakes are level.
Step 3: Determine the Drop Height Along the Hill and the Post Positions
Next, grab the string and tie it to the top stake. After confirming that the string is level with the base of the top stake, draw it out until it lines up with the stake at the bottom.
Get your measuring tape now and use that to figure out how far the string drops down to the bottom stake.
At this point, you should also measure equal points along the length of the string to determine where the posts should go.
Pinpoint how many posts you will need to complete the fence. With that out of the way, you can now divide the overall drop by the number of posts you’ll need. The answer to that equation is the drop height you’ll have to follow for each post.
Step 4: Install the Posts
Install the first post where the top stake is. Next, tie the string to the top post at the point indicated by the average drop height.
You can now install the next post down from the uppermost post. With the next post in the ground, you can position the string next to it until its level. Hammer the post into the ground after you get it level.
Note where the string hits the second post using the chalk. Now, move the string down from there according to the average drop height and then install the next post.
Keep that going until you are able to install the last post at the bottom.
Step 5: Trim the Posts
You can now start sawing off the tops of the posts that are installed along the hill. Sawing them off allows your fence to flow better.
Step 6: Add the Panels
All that’s left to do now is to install the fence panels. Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturers so you can install those panels without any problems.
Installing a fence along a hill is harder than installing one on flat ground. That said, you should still be able to complete that project as long as you follow the steps we detailed above.