Slopes can be tricky places to install aluminium fences. To create a seamless look with the smallest possible gaps underneath, you’ll need to figure out which fence product will best suit your project, based on its length, and whether it can be angled.
In this article, we provide an overview of how to install an aluminium fence on a slope, based on two common fence types: rigid fencing, and fencing that can be angled.
Installing rigid fence panels
If you’re planning on purchasing fence panels that are rigid and cannot be angled downwards or upwards, you’ll need to use a method called “stepping.” This type of installation is where each fence panel sits at a different height to the one beside it, creating a step-like effect as shown in the image below.
Image from Austex
In this method, the width of your panels must suit the gradient of your slope. For example, if you have a really steep gradient and long panels, you’ll have big gaps underneath each of them (again, as shown in the image above).
1. Figure out your ideal fence panel width
To determine the ideal width for your aluminium panels, locate the section of your slope that seems to be the steepest, ask someone to hold the measuring tape at the high-end, and then pull the tape towards the low-end in a straight line until you reach a point where the gap between the tape and ground becomes unacceptably large. The size of this gap really depends on your personal preference, and whether you have pets or children. You may be ok with a gap that is 50mm tall, but not 100mm.
When you’ve found your gap size preference, note down the distance that the tape measure is showing. This length is the ideal width of your aluminium panels, and you should try to buy panels that are as close as possible to this width—the standard length is roughly 2.4 metres.
2. Install your fencing
Install your fencing one panel at a time. If you need help with how to do this, check out our articles on fence installation tips, or how to install aluminium pool fencing.
Installing angled fence panels
Aluminium fence panels can be made to angle upwards or downward, which allows them to be installed on slopes in a uniform way without any gaps underneath. This installation method is called “raking,” and is shown below.
Image from Fence Depot
As with rigid fence panels, this type of fencing must also suit the gradient of your slope. But this time, you’ll need to find a fence panel that can be angled enough to suit your land.
Identifying the angle of your slope requires a few tools. Check out this video on how to do so.
Once you have your angle, you can chat to FenceCorp about which aluminium fencing product will suit your slope’s gradient.
Struggling? Let us help you
Installing fencing on a slope can be tricky, but at FenceCorp, we’ve supplied hundreds of aluminum fences on sloping land, and know exactly how to make them sturdy, beautiful, and with the smallest possible gaps underneath.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation quote for your fencing project – 07 3715 5055.