Wood Shadow Box Fence Installation in Flagler Beach
This Flagler Beach yard came with two things a fence line has to solve for. A mature tree right on the run and a real elevation change across the property. Wood shadow box handled both.
How do you build a fence around a mature tree without killing the tree?
The first project photo shows the fence line taking a controlled jog around a mature tree that sits right on the property line. You cannot dig a fence post inside the root zone of a mature tree without setting the tree back years, and in some cases killing it. The answer on this Flagler Beach install was to plan the fence around the tree from the estimate walk. We measured the drip line, decided how far off the trunk the closest post could safely land without cutting through structural roots, and then built the fence line to arc around the tree so the trunk sits inside its own small alcove. That way the tree keeps its root zone and canopy, the fence still closes the property line, and the finished result reads as intentional rather than as a workaround. Wood is the right material for this because it can be trimmed to fit around the tree on site.
How does a wood fence handle a real elevation change?
The second photo on this project shows the fence line running down a slope where the ground drops off across the run. There are two ways to handle elevation change on a fence line. Stepping and racking. Stepping means each panel sits level and the next panel drops down a step from the previous one, giving the fence a stair step top line. Racking means each panel angles with the slope so the top of the fence follows the grade in a continuous line. On this install we racked the panels because the slope was gradual and the racked line reads cleaner from the yard than a stepped line would have. Every post still went 3 feet deep in concrete, measured from the finished grade at that post location so the fence heights stayed uniform even as the ground fell away.
What does the finished shadow box fence look like around the whole property?
The four project photos show the arc around the mature tree, the racked run over the elevation change, the outside corner where the fence turns, and the inside corner where the fence tucks back toward the home. Shadow box construction alternates pickets on opposite sides of the horizontal rails so the fence looks the same from both sides of the property line. That mattered here because the Flagler Beach coastal neighborhoods have a lot of exterior visibility, whether from the street, from a neighboring lot, or from the road heading toward the beach. The finished install closes the property line, respects the tree, follows the grade, and reads clean from every angle. For more see our shadow box fence page, our wood fence page for material specs, and our Flagler Beach fence installation page.
A closer look at this project.
Do you have a tree, a slope, or another obstacle in your fence line?
We plan around the site on the estimate walk. Call the shop for a free measurement and we will show you how it will look.