Wood and Board Fencing

<p>Two things, and they pull in opposite directions. Wet clay swells. Dry clay shrinks and cracks away from whatever it is packed against. Through a Piedmont year a post lives through both, repeatedly, and that cycling is what walks a post loose over time. The other issue is drainage. A post hole dug in clay and filled with concrete makes a bucket with no bottom. Water collects around the base of the post and stays there, and wood sitting in permanently wet ground rots from the ground line up — which is exactly where you find failure on nearly every old fence in this area.</p> <p>Depth, a drainage layer or crown at the bottom of the hole, concrete that sheds water away from the post rather than cupping it, and pressure-treated material rated for ground contact are what buy years.</p>

<p>Two options on slope: racking, where the pickets stay plumb and the rails follow the ground, or stepping, where each panel stays level and drops at the post. Racking suits a gradual grade and keeps the bottom gap even. Stepping suits a steep or uneven run but leaves triangular gaps that matter if you own a small dog. Wooded lots bring roots. A run through the drip line of a mature willow oak may need post positions shifted rather than cutting a structural root, and that gets decided at layout, not mid-dig.</p>

<p>Utility locates, first and always. Property line and setback confirmation, since a fence built a foot over is a genuinely expensive mistake to undo. HOA approval where it applies — many Wake County subdivisions restrict fence height, style, material and which side the finished face points. Gate swings get planned around slope and around where you actually walk with a mower or a trash bin.</p>