A job in Portland made me rethink how I set posts on slopes

We were putting up a cedar fence on a steep backyard off Burnside, and my usual method just wasn't holding... the whole line started to lean after a heavy rain. An older contractor on the next lot saw me struggling and walked over. He showed me how to step and notch the posts into the hill, using a 4-foot level and a trick with a plumb bob I'd never seen. Anyone have a different way they handle grades over 15 degrees?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_lopez3012d agoMost Upvoted

Sounds like your fence wanted to join a downhill ski team.

drew_mitchell12d ago

Ever try using a deadman anchor on the real steep parts? I had to do that on a slope in the West Hills and it saved the whole fence line. Basically buried a concrete block uphill and tied the post to it with cable.

murray.cora12d ago

Actually that's a tension anchor, not a deadman. A deadman is a log or block buried in the ground to hold back soil. What you did is a solid fix for a pull-out force though.