Feather edge fencing over undulating ground

Discussion in 'Landscaping and Outdoors' started by blackteaonesugar, Mar 12, 2017.

  1. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Ay oop.
    I'm building a fence for a friend around her front drive/boundary.

    The ground starts fairly flat at one end, then seems to mound up a bit, and then gradually drop towards the road.

    It's feather edge board so I'm going for a nice straight line from the start to the finish of the run which is strung out.
    My question is, not having done this sort of stuff before, what to do with the gravel boards and arris rail?

    Do you effectively scribe the gravel boards to the ground so they follow a continuous line? This makes them fairly minimal in the central mound section.

    Should you step them, keeping them level but following the ground contour?

    Then the arris rails. Do you do them in a straight line parallel to the fence top, or step them too keeping them level? In a straight line, they would look neat following through but the gaps between them and the gravel boards and the fence top would change, plus where they meet the posts would not be 90 degrees.. I can't decide what looks 'right'....

    At the moment, I've stepped everything, keeping it level and with spacing consistent. However, the fence top, sloping gradually looks a little off above the level posts....

    What do the pros do?
     
  2. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select

    I tend to follow the ground but each situation is different, I have in the past dug the ground out a bit when it's been particularly poor to build on but that's me. I'm not big a fan of level and stepped fences especially if the gradient is gradual as it looks a bit 'in your face' (technical term). Any pics of the area you're doing? What does your friend think of your efforts so far?

    If she's happy I wouldn't worry about overcomplicating things, if it was a western red cedar fence on show to the world on a main road then I may think a bit more about it..... :)

    Top shed by the way too mate, if you can make that you don't need anyone's advice on a bit of featheredge.......;)
     
  3. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Ha, thanks :)

    But I tend to make things up as I go along, such as the shed. With the fence being in public, I'd like to do it right, or in other words, would like not to have people say I've done it wrong....;)

    The ground really doesn't undulate dramatically, but it does enough to make it something to think about.
    The run is probably about twelve metres or so.

    At the moment I've scribed the gravel boards slightly so they sit level above the concrete/gravel border. I've then set the arris rails level and parallel with the gravel boards.

    This makes the arris rails different heights to their neighbours, but then the fence top is continuous and sloping one end to the other. I can't decide if this is right or not.
     
  4. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select


    Put a couple of pictures up when you can and let's have a look..... :)
     
  5. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select

    You are governed by the posts, assuming you are using mortised posts and not those God awful arris rail brackets.

    If the ground is only undulating a little then i would be levelling the ground out, not messing about scribing the gravel boards.

    You can't step feather edge fencing it runs with the ground, unless you are using those God awful arris rail brackets (you can tell I don't like them)
     
  6. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Ummm.... o_O
     
  7. chippie244

    chippie244 Super Member

    I would use the arris rail brackets, it will make your life much easier.
     
  8. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select


    Yes and no as is the case for the OP, personally i think they make the fence look like it was put up by someone who really shouldn't have been anywhere near it, they are awful looking and all wrong, hence why mortised posts exist.

    The only time arris rail brackets might be used is to repair a broken rail and its not on show.
     
  9. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Just to be clear, I've used the brackets. :)
    Made sense to me in terms of ease and future repair etc.
    I don't mind the look but can see why some wouldn't.
     
  10. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Couple of pics showing the stepping I'm unsure about.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select


    Really, I'd never of guessed :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
     
  12. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select

    Looks ok.:):)
    Though it would have been easy enough to have followed the ground level and not have any steps in the fence.
     
  13. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Yeah but the ground is bent you see....
    I wanted the top line to be nice and straight so thought I'd end up scribing too much out of the central section.
     
  14. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select

    That's fair enough, extra work but if it give the look your after then it's worth it.

    A little tip/trick, every 5 or 6 feather edge boards nail a 50mm galvanized nail into the top of the gravel board leaving 25mm out, so you pinch it between featheredges this will help in stopping the gravel board moving away from the feather edges.
     
  15. Looks pretty good from the pics.

    With 75x75mm posts I think the rail brackets are ok, stops having to chop out too much wood from the posts. Different on 100 x 100 or other big posts.

    Looks neat and not out of place how you have arranged them.
     
  16. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Cheers all. Glad to hear I'm not making too many rookie errors! :)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Getting there....
     
  17. Phil the Paver

    Phil the Paver Screwfix Select


    Looking good, 2 rookie errors.

    1, posts should be flush on feather edge.

    2. Normally runs into posts and not over them, if you run over them you could have just used pent rails nailed on to the face of the posts and not bothered with arris rails and brackets.

    But all in all a nice job for a first timer. :):)
     
  18. masterdiy

    masterdiy Screwfix Select

    Dont forget to put some top hats on them there posts.
     
  19. blackteaonesugar

    blackteaonesugar New Member

    Yeah I'll be putting hats on the posts, also a capping over the tops of the feather edge, grooved over it so that'll bring up the level a little to the post tops.
     
  20. masterdiy

    masterdiy Screwfix Select

    Wow.
    Don't forget the finished picture.
    We love pictures here.
     

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