Wood Fencing
Shadowbox Wood Fence Installation in Raleigh, NC
Project Overview
This Raleigh backyard backs up to a stand of mature hardwoods, and the homeowner wanted a fence that would hold that line without feeling like a wall dropped onto the property. Index Fence installed a pressure-treated shadowbox wood fence with Alta dog-ear pickets along the rear and side property lines, tying into the house with a single gate finished in black hardware.
The lot isn’t flat — it slopes gently toward the tree line — and the fence needed to follow that grade cleanly rather than stair-stepping down it in obvious jumps. The finished run does exactly that, giving the yard a defined edge that still reads as part of the wooded setting around it.
Project Snapshot
| Project Details | |
|---|---|
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Fence Type(s) | 6-ft pressure-treated shadowbox wood fence with Alta dog-ear pickets |
| Property Type | Residential |
| Gates Installed | Yes — one single gate with black hardware |
| Special Features | Alta dog-ear pickets on pressure-treated framing; 3-rail panel construction; fence line follows the natural grade along a sloped, wooded rear yard |
| Primary Goal | Mark the rear property line and add backyard privacy without walling off the wooded backdrop |
| Project Status | Completed |
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Why This Design Worked
A solid privacy panel would have squared off a yard that’s naturally irregular, and it would have fought the slope instead of working with it. The shadowbox layout — dog-ear pickets set with consistent reveal on a 3-rail frame — gives the property a defined boundary while keeping the fence line from feeling like a hard stop against the woods.
Pressure-treated lumber was the right call for a yard this close to tree cover. Between fallen leaves, shade, and ground moisture at the base of the slope, standard untreated pine wouldn’t hold up nearly as long. Framing every panel with Alta pickets adds a second layer of protection against the rot and splitting that shaded, damp yards like this one tend to accelerate.
Standout Features
Alta Dog-Ear Pickets
Alta pickets carry a 10-year manufacturer warranty against rot, splitting, and warping — a meaningful upgrade over standard pressure-treated boards, especially on a lot with this much shade and ground moisture.
Grade-Following Fence Line
Rather than breaking the fence into stepped panels, the run was set to follow the yard’s natural slope continuously, keeping the picket line even and the bottom rail consistent with the ground the whole way down.
Matching Single Gate
The gate uses the same dog-ear pickets and rail spacing as the rest of the fence, finished with black strap hinges and hardware so it reads as part of the fence line rather than an add-on.
The Finished Result
The backyard now has a clean, defined edge where the lawn meets the woods, without losing the wooded backdrop that drew the homeowner to the lot in the first place. The dog-ear picket line stays level and consistent down the slope, the gate opens and closes cleanly against its black hardware, and the pressure-treated frame is built to handle the shade and moisture this particular yard sees year-round.
What the Homeowner Had to Say
No written review has been collected for this project yet. For feedback from other Index Fence clients across Raleigh and the Triangle, see the Index Fence website or their Google reviews.
Get in touch
Interested in a Similar Fence?
Index Fence builds pressure-treated shadowbox and dog-ear wood fences for homeowners across Raleigh and the Triangle, backed by Select #1 A-Grade lumber, Alta pickets, and a workmanship warranty. Call (919) 900-7225 or request a free consultation to get a written quote for your yard.
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