Yes. A fence on a slope is either racked, with rails that tilt to match the ground, or stepped, with level panels that drop one after another. Much of Cleveland is flat, but yards along the Cuyahoga valley, the ravines of the east side and the edge of the Heights need one or the other.
Racked or stepped: which is better?
- Racked: the rails follow the slope and the pickets stay vertical. The gap underneath is smallest, which makes it right for dogs and gentle grades.
- Stepped: each panel is level and the next one sits lower. It handles steeper ground and stiff panels, but leaves a triangle of open space below each one.
- Built on site: every board is cut to the ground line. It costs more in labor and gives the closest fit in wood.
I have a dog that digs and a yard that drops. How do I avoid gaps?
Ask for a racked or site-built fence so the bottom tracks the ground, then seal the base. That can be a treated kick board, pickets cut to the grade, or wire mesh buried along the line. With chain link, a bottom rail or a tension wire stops the mesh from being pushed out.
My yard is steep and rocky and two companies turned the job down. Who does this?
Call us. We walk the line before we answer. Hard digging in Cleveland is mostly stiff clay, tree roots, or brick, cinders and concrete left under the yard by an old garage or drive. In some places, mainly on slopes and near stream banks, shale lies close to the surface. Those holes are broken out or the post is moved slightly along the line. It is slower work and it needs a site visit to price.
Do installers dig by hand or with a machine?
Both. A powered auger is fast in open ground. We dig by hand near marked utility lines, next to a house or garage wall, around roots, and in the narrow strip beside a shared driveway where a machine has no room.
The only real price is one measured in your yard. The estimate is free and comes in writing. Call (216) 238-3677 or text us a photo of the fence line.