Grade and drainage come first
Cabarrus County's clay soil and rolling lots mean post depth, drainage slope, and grading do more for a fence's lifespan than the panel style does.
Build a complete scope
- The boundary confirmed by survey rather than by the neighbor's fence
- Recorded drainage and utility easements along the rear and side lines
- Subdivision covenants governing height, material and style
- Post depth and setting method for clay that heaves as it dries
- How the run is stepped across a slope, gate hardware, and warranty
Concord context
Fence work is where Concord's rapid growth shows up most directly, because the boundary question comes before the fence. On the extensive new construction around the city, lot lines are recently platted and generally well documented, but drainage and utility easements frequently run along exactly the rear and side edges where a fence would go -- and a fence within an easement can be required to come out. Subdivisions here also commonly carry recorded covenants governing height, material and style, which reach further than city rules do. In the older mill-and-rail neighborhoods the opposite problem applies: boundaries are long-established but rarely marked, and a survey is the cheap step. Physically, Piedmont clay and rolling lots decide post life -- clay holds water against a post and heaves it, and a fence crossing a slope has to be stepped or racked rather than simply followed.