Saw a fence crew using string lines on a slope in Austin and it made me rethink my whole approach

I was driving through Austin last weekend and stopped to watch a crew working a big hill near Lake Travis. They had string lines stretched up and down that slope like 50 feet long and they kept checking them with a level every few posts. I usually just eyeball it on hills and hope for the best but these guys had it dialed in perfect. The foreman told me he spends 20 extra minutes per run on string lines and saves hours fixing wobbly rails later. Made me realize I've been cutting corners on layout just to save a little time. Has anyone else switched to using string lines on sloped ground and seen a big difference in final quality?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.stella1d ago

Same thing happened to me last spring on a job in Round Rock. I was doing a 40 foot run down a steep backyard and my rails came out looking like a roller coaster. Had to tear out every other post and start over. That wasted way more than 20 minutes.

robinmason21h ago

Honestly, I'd rather waste 20 minutes on prep than tear out and redo posts later.