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Finally got a client to understand why a 6-inch gap under a fence is a bad idea.
This was for a backyard in Tacoma with a serious slope. They wanted the gap for drainage, but I had to explain how it basically invites every dog, raccoon, and possum in the neighborhood right into their yard. Showed them pictures from a job last fall where we had to patch a dozen gaps after the fact because the homeowner's small dog kept getting out. Convinced them to go with a gravel trench and a tighter bottom rail instead. What's your go-to method for handling drainage on a sloped install without creating a critter highway?
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white.ryan2mo ago
Oh man, you're totally right about the critter issue. But honestly, my bigger fear with that gap is always the little kids. A neighbor's toddler tried to army crawl under a fence like that last summer to get his ball back. Saw the whole thing. It's not just animals, it's a huge liability. A gravel trench is way safer. You stop the water without making a perfect little tunnel for a kid to get stuck in or wander off.
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oliver_anderson2mo ago
It's wild how many safety issues we just accept as normal until something bad happens.
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the_robert2mo ago
That was last summer? I saw a news story just last month about a three-year-old who got halfway under a chain link fence and got his jacket caught on a loose wire. The timeline on these things always gets me.
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