? on a project of putting in a privacy fence that is on sloped ground
I'm going to put in a 6ft privacy fence between me neighbors unslightly yard and mine soon. There is a slope that I will be going downhill that will overall drop approx a foot from one end to the other which will be a total of around 70 ft. Is there a formula to use to account for the drop of each panel and since we do have fairly good winds from time to time should the posts be set in concrete?
1 answer
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One foot of drop in 70 feet is considered "flat" land here in the Rockies. In my yard I have upwards of 15 feet of drop in 20 feet or so. I would start with setting your posts in concrete (cedar posts) about every 5 feet. Then install three horizontal rails using 12' cedar 2 x 4's. These longer boards will allow for any minor spacing in the posts. The fence will be a bit stronger If you can stagger the joints of these rails. When It comes time to install the pickets you can use a bit of masons line stretched tight between the end posts. You can work a set height off the line or install some temporary risers to the end post With some of your off cut 12'ers and set all of the pickets to this line. I did a repair to a fence that blew down last month for a client. The old fence posts rotted at the upper soil level. This top soil level is the area where most rot occurs, due to the soil being wet there (often deeper down it is dryer...at least here in the arid west) I like to contour the concrete into a slight dome shape at the top, this allows water to drain away from the post. When the posts are being set I use the rails to build "tripod" type supports to keep it all plumb while the concrete sets. ( these are the rails that will be installed later, so there is no additional lumber needed)
KMS Woodworks
on Aug 10, 2013
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