Our customers have come to us for years with their fencing needs. We supply thousands of options for fencing materials from the best manufacturers in the country. The fencing needs of our customers range, but we frequently receive questions concerning building a fence on a slope, which can often seem like a complicated and daunting task. Do not fret and do not let a slope in your landscape prevent you from building your dream fence. We have outlined below the variety of ways that you can build a fence on a slope and exactly how to do it. You will have your dream fence in no time with our guide to how to build a fence on a slope. The guide will allow you to choose what fencing option is right for your landscape and the slopes that you are concerned about, and make adjustments accordingly. 

Before Building a Fence on a Slope

The first step to building any kind of fence is scoping out the space. Firstly, you will want to check with your local authorities to ensure that there are no restrictions for fence construction in your area. Before building your fence, you will also want to check for buried cables and pipes and mark the area with spray paint, so that nothing is damaged during the fence construction process. You will also want to check for setbacks, so that you can build right up to your property line. Further, you will want to figure out where your property lines actually are, and pound stakes along those lines. This will be useful in the beginnings of the fence construction. 

Slope Fence Stepping

The basic version of slopeside fencing is to use fence stepping. Instead of a fence being contoured to the shape of the land, the fence panels are placed an even amount downward next to each other, and end up in staircase fashion. The fences go down in a series of steps.  While most fences have 6-foot sections on level ground, the hillside portion of your fence will have closer to 4-foot panels. 

Here are the steps to constructing a fence on a slope using stepping: 

1. The first major step is staking out the position for your new fence. Pound a stake in at both the bottom and top of the slope, Connect a mason's line between the stakes.  If you have stakes or posts along where your property line is, you will want your fence to be parallel to those stakes and around 6 inches away from them. Keeping your fence aligned with these posts will ensure that your fence is built straight. It is also helpful to use a line level to make sure your mason’s line is vertically straight. The stake at the bottom of the slope will need to be taller to ensure the line is horizontal. 
2. Measure the distance between the mason’s line and the ground at the bottom of the slope to find out how much the slope drops. 
3. Mark the locations with tape along the mason’s line for where you want your posts. Make sure that these markings are an equal distance from one another. 
4. Find the drop per section by counting the sections you will need and dividing that number by the overall drop of the slope.
5. Mark on the ground where you will want the posts, either with chalk or spray paint. Dig holes at those points. 
6. Install the posts in the holes. Make sure that the posts are taller than what the fence will be. 
7. Mark where you will cut the uppermost post. On that post, measure down the drop per section from the top, and tie a line at that point. Tie the other end of that line on the next post, ensuring that the line is straight. The top of the second post will be where the line is tied around it. Repeat this step with the other posts. 
8. Cut off the tops of the posts where the line is attached.
9. Measure up the same distance on the posts from the ground to install the bottom rail. Measure up the same distance on the posts from the bottom post to install the top rail. 
10. Cut the rails to fit between the posts and fasten them with 2.5 inch deck screws. 

Slope Contour Fencing 

Unlike the step-like qualities of the fence stepping, contour fencing rails follow the slope of the ground. 

Here are the steps to constructing contour fencing: 

1. The first step is to drive a 2-foot stake into both the top and the bottom of the slope. 
2. Run a mason’s line between the two stakes. Then, you will mark on the line where you will want your posts to be with a marker or tape. 
3. You will then want to transfer these marks to the ground with some kind of paint or chalk, so that you know where to drive the posts into. 
4. Once the spots are marked on the ground, dig a hole for where the posts will go in. Install the posts. 
5. Measure up the same distance on the posts from the ground to install the bottom rail. Measure up the same distance on the posts from the bottom post to install the top rail. 
6. Cut the rails to fit between the posts and fasten them with 2.5 inch deck screws. 

Getting Your Materials 

Fencing Direct carries more than 2000 fencing-related items from the finest manufacturers in the United States. Our staff members have decades of experience helping customers with their fencing material needs. For building a fence on a slope, there are a few materials that you will need. These include 2.5 inch deck screws, ground contact treated lumber, garden stakes, and a variety of tools including a screwdriver, mason lines, a tape measure, and chalk. 

We are eager to assist you with your fencing needs and to help you make your dream fence a reality, even if your landscape does contain slopes. Do not let a slope stop you from building a fence. If you have any questions about how to build a fence on a slope or what materials you might need for the project, please reach out!