Fence Haven has published a project walkthrough documenting how its crew built a board-on-board wood privacy fence across a steeply graded yard, a job the family-owned Knox County company finished in August. The footage covers a decision most homeowners on a hillside lot never hear explained before they sign a contract.
A fence on a hillside can be handled two ways. It can be stepped, where each section stays level and drops down at the post like a staircase, which leaves a wedge-shaped opening under the fence line. It can also be racked, where the rails tilt to follow the ground and every picket is measured and cut on site, so the bottom edge stays close to the dirt the whole way. Racking takes longer and costs more in labor, and it is the method shown in the walkthrough.
The distinction carries weight for most of this company's customers. Roughly 80% of Fence Haven's projects come from homes with dogs, and containment is the reason most of those homeowners call. A few inches of clearance at the low end of a stepped section is enough for a small dog to get under. Other graded-lot installations the crew has finished are posted on Google, where the fence line can be seen running against the slope.
"Most people shopping a fence on a hill are comparing two numbers and do not realize they are comparing two different fences," said Logan Tharp, owner of Fence Haven. "The cheaper bid is almost always the stepped one, and the gap it leaves under each section is where a dog gets out six months later. We would rather lose the bid than hand somebody that."
Below the panels, the walkthrough covers footing work. Knox County sits on silty clay loam, a soil that holds water through spring and hardens through summer, cycling wide enough to work a post out of plumb within a few years when the hole is dug straight-walled. The frost line here runs roughly 12 inches, shallow next to northern markets, so post movement in this area comes from moisture rather than freezing. The crew widens the base of each hole and sets posts in high-PSI concrete, a denser mix that cures harder than a standard bag.
The masonry columns along the run were built on site rather than ordered prefabricated.
The fence itself is board-on-board, a wood pattern that overlaps vertical boards so the gaps left by natural shrinkage stay closed. Wood was the material the homeowner wanted, and on a racked run it carries a practical advantage over panel systems, since individual boards can be cut to the grade where a pre-assembled panel cannot.
Fence Haven was founded in June 2025 by Logan Tharp, who spent six years with an established local fencing company first. His father, Jayme Tharp, has decades in fence design, sales and customer service. The company is licensed and insured, has completed hundreds of residential and commercial fence installations across the region, holds a 5.0-star rating across 250 Google reviews, and backs every installation with a two-year workmanship guarantee.
The walkthrough is posted on the company's YouTube channel, filmed on site at the finished project. Homeowners weighing a fence on a graded lot can request an estimate from Fence Haven or reach the office at (865) 300-0574.
About Fence Haven
https://youtube.com/shorts/73Go1eLvlqs?si=MPX4K9JdrDOgiFNv
Fence Haven is a family-owned, licensed and insured fencing contractor based at 1500 Cline St NW, Knoxville, TN 37921. Founded in June 2025 by Logan Tharp, the company installs vinyl, ornamental aluminum, wood and ranch rail fencing, along with gates, fence repair and commercial enclosures, for residential and commercial customers throughout Knoxville, Farragut, Maryville and the surrounding areas. Fence Haven holds a 5.0-star rating on Google and backs every installation with a two-year workmanship guarantee. More information is available at www.fencehaven.com.
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For more information about Fence Haven, contact the company here:
Fence Haven
Logan Tharp
(865) 300-0574
office@fencehaven.com
1500 Cline St NW, Knoxville, TN 37921
