Though you may not have ever given much thought to it before, yards are rarely simple flat squares. They have curves and contours, slopes and hills that contribute to their natural beauty.
Unfortunately, curves and contours can present some real challenges when it comes to installing a fence. While a small hill or slope in your yard isn’t much of a problem for the fence itself, it does pose a challenge when it comes to installing a gate.
Ideally you’re going to want to find the flattest part of your yard to install your gate, staying far away from hillsides. A gate on a slope or a hillside can become very difficult to open or close. In addition, a gate on a hillside can often look a little lopsided and unattractive, which is not what you want in your brand new fence.
Of course, there will be times when you simply won’t have a choice. The flattest portion of your yard may be too inconvenient for a gate, or you simply may not have a portion of your yard that is flat enough to avoid problems altogether.
One solution would be to dig out the slope, creating a gap. That’s fine if you’re using the fence for privacy purposes or to keep kids safe, but it does present problems if you’re keeping pets in your yard, since a gap provides a perfect opportunity for a pet to escape.
While we’ve provided some tips in the past to help you keep your dog inside of your fence they won’t necessarily help if you provide such a tempting target!
If creating a gap isn’t going to be an option then it may just be time to call a qualified fence company. A fence contractor will have methods that they can fall back on and expertise to draw on that can make your fence gate work for you, even if you’re dealing with a very curvy yard. It can be a real pain to install a gate on a hill, and professional help might just be your best bet.
We’ve helped customers from Mequon to Glendale handle challenges just like this, and we’re ready to help you too. Call (252) 251-6766 to get a free estimate!
