Fencing in Figtree on Sloping Blocks
Very few fence lines in Figtree are flat. The suburb climbs from the Princes Highway up towards Mount Keira and Mount Kembla, and a lot of the blocks drop a long way from the back boundary to the street. A fence on that kind of fall has to be designed, not just put up, and the choices made at the start decide how it looks for the next twenty years.
The ground is mostly clay, which holds water in winter and shrinks in a dry summer. On a slope that movement pushes downhill, so a post that would be fine on a flat block can lean within a few years here unless it goes deep enough and sheds water at the base.
Marcio is Wollongong based and Figtree is a short run from the city. Fencing, gates, steps and the steel handrails where a fence meets a set of stairs are all our own work, so one crew sets the whole line out and builds it.
Fencing Work We Do in Figtree
Stepped Colorbond Down a Slope
Colorbond panels stay level and the fence steps down the hill, which keeps the top line neat even on a steep Figtree block. Each step leaves a gap underneath, so we close them with a plinth or a bottom rail set into the ground where you need the yard sealed. The posts go deeper on the downhill side, where the load is greatest.
Raked Timber Fencing in Figtree
On a gentler fall a raked paling fence follows the ground with no gaps, and it often looks better than steps. The rails run on the angle and the palings stay plumb. It takes more care to set out than a stepped fence, and any gate in it still has to be built square so it closes properly.
Fences on Bush Fire Prone Land
Higher up the hill, some Figtree properties are mapped as bush fire prone. On that land, a fence built as exempt development must be non-combustible or hardwood, so treated pine is out. We check the planning certificate before quoting, so the fence is specified in the right material from the start instead of being changed later.
Steps and Handrails at the Fence Line
On a sloping block the fence often meets a set of steps at the side path or the back gate. We build the steps, the gate and the steel handrail together, in our own shop, so they line up instead of three trades meeting at one awkward corner. A handrail at that point is worth having on a wet Figtree morning.
Fences and Gates Around the Illawarra
Steel posts and beams being set out for an outdoor structure on a sloping block.
What the Slope Does to a Figtree Fence
On a sloping block you have two honest options, and they look completely different when they are finished. A stepped fence keeps every panel level and drops down the hill in steps. It is clean and square and it suits Colorbond, but it leaves a triangle of open space under each step. A raked fence follows the ground, with the rails on the angle and the palings vertical, so there is no gap underneath, but it needs timber or a system built to rake. On steep Figtree blocks we often step it and close the gaps with a plinth set into the ground.
Clay on a slope is the second issue. Posts here need more depth than the same fence on flat ground, because the soil moves with the seasons and the slope adds a steady push downhill. We dig for the height of the fence and the ground we find, and we shape the concrete so water runs away from the timber rather than pooling against it.
Where two neighbours sit at different levels, the fence often ends up holding soil it was never built for. Palings with dirt piled against them rot fast and the posts get pushed out of line. If the levels differ by more than a little, a proper low retaining wall under the fence is the fix, not a thicker board.
The upper parts of Figtree sit against the escarpment bush. Where land is mapped as bush fire prone, a fence built as exempt development has to be non-combustible or hardwood, which rules out treated pine. The planning certificate for the property tells you whether it is mapped, and we check before we specify anything. That matters more than it sounds, because hardwood and steel change the look and the lead time of the job, and it is far better to know which one you are choosing from before the quote than after the posts are in. Hardwood posts are usually the simplest way to keep the look of timber.
More on fencing, retaining walls, Colorbond fencing and gates and handrails.
Why Do Fences Lean on Figtree Hillsides?
Because the posts were not deep enough for clay on a slope. Figtree clay swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries, and on a hillside every one of those cycles nudges a post a little further downhill. A post set to the depth that works on a flat block will start to lean here within a few years, and once one goes the panels pull the next one with it.
The fix is depth and drainage, not heavier timber. We dig deeper on the downhill side, where the load is greatest, and shape the concrete so water runs off rather than collecting around the post. Where the ground stays wet, a galvanised stirrup keeps the timber out of the concrete altogether. If the lean is caused by soil piled against the fence from the yard above, a low retaining wall is the real answer, and we will tell you that rather than just replacing the fence.
Need a fence line looked at in Figtree?
Send through photos of the fence line and the rough length, and you will get a straight answer on what it involves and what it costs.
Contracts, Deposits and What NSW Asks For
Renovation work in NSW comes with consumer protections worth knowing before you sign anything. A written contract is required once the contract price is over $5,000 including GST. Work between $5,000 and $20,000 can run under a small works contract; above $20,000 it needs a full home building contract, and home building compensation cover with the certificate that goes with it. The maximum deposit anyone can ask for is 10 per cent, on a small job or a large one. Variations should be agreed in writing before the varied work happens, not reconciled at the end. None of that is unique to us, and you should expect it from whoever you use.
Quoting a Figtree Fence
Every job gets quoted on what it actually needs. We look at the access, the condition of what is already there, the materials you want and how much of the existing work can be kept, then give you a figure before anything starts. Two jobs that look identical in photos can be very different once someone is standing in the room, so we do not publish a rate card. You get a price for your job, and it does not move once we have agreed it.
Figtree sits between Mount Keira, Mount Kembla and Unanderra, a short run from Wollongong, so a site measure here is easy to fit in and fencing jobs nearby are grouped where the timing allows. A first visit means walking the line from top to bottom, looking at the fall, testing the ground where we can and checking how materials get down a steep side path. There is no charge for that visit or the written quote.
Plumbing and electrical work is carried out by licensed partners, not in-house.
Figtree Fencing Questions
Is a stepped or raked fence better on a Figtree block?+
It depends on how steep the fall is and what the fence is for. Stepped suits steep blocks and Colorbond, and looks square and tidy, but it leaves gaps under each step that need closing if you have a dog. Raked follows the ground with no gaps and usually looks better on a gentle grade, but it needs timber or a system made to rake. We walk the line with you and show you where each step would fall before you choose.
What happens if my Figtree neighbour's yard is higher than mine?+
Then the fence may be holding back soil, and a fence is not built to do that. Palings with dirt against them rot quickly and the posts get pushed over. Where the levels differ, we usually recommend a low retaining wall along the boundary with the fence on top or just behind it. Who pays for the retaining is a separate question from the fence itself, so it is worth raising with your neighbour early.
How do I get a fencing quote in Figtree?+
Tell us the length of the run, how steep the block is and what is there now, with a few photos if you can. We then come and walk the line, because on a Figtree slope the fall, the access and whether the fence is holding soil change the job more than the metres do. You get a written, itemised quote with the exclusions listed, such as rock breaking or retaining, before anything starts. We do not publish rates. Call 0413 147 335. If you know of any rock or old footings along the line, mention it.
Can one crew do the fence, the retaining and the steps?+
Yes, and on a Figtree block that is usually the sensible way to do it. Fencing, retaining walls, steps, gates and steel handrails are all our own work, so the levels get set once and the fence, the wall and the stairs line up. If drainage needs to go behind the wall or a downpipe needs moving, we organise a licensed plumber as part of the same job, and electrical work such as a path light goes through our licensed partners too. It also means one person to call if anything needs adjusting later.
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“Turned a weekend-long headache into a one-visit fix. Absolute legend.”