Expert Insight
Anchorage Soil & Terrain
Not all Anchorage soil is the same. After 30+ years of digging post holes across the city, we know exactly what's underground in each area:
- Hillside — rocky glacial till, requires specialized auger equipment; excellent drainage means less frost heave but harder to dig
- Muldoon & East Anchorage — higher water table, saturated soil in spring; requires extra drainage consideration around post footings
- Midtown & Spenard — glacial silt over gravel; standard conditions with moderate frost heave potential
- Sand Lake — sandy soil with good drainage; posts set easily but may require wider concrete footings for stability
- Turnagain & Bayshore — unstable Bootlegger Cove clay in some areas (same formation that caused damage in the 1964 earthquake); requires careful post engineering
- South Anchorage — mixed glacial deposits; varies significantly lot-to-lot; site survey essential
This local soil knowledge allows us to recommend the right post depth, concrete volume, and installation technique for your specific lot — something a contractor from out of town simply can't provide.
Wildlife
Moose, Bears & Your Fence
Anchorage is home to an estimated 1,500 moose — and they regularly walk through residential neighborhoods. Understanding wildlife behavior is part of our fencing expertise:
- Moose can't see solid fences — they walk through cedar fences they don't perceive as barriers, causing significant damage. Chain link and ornamental fences are visible to moose, so they walk around them
- Calves get tangled — baby moose can get their legs caught in chain link mesh with openings larger than 2 inches; we recommend smaller-gauge fabric in high-moose areas
- Bears test fences — black bears occasionally test fence strength to access garbage cans or gardens; heavy-gauge materials resist bear damage
- Height matters — adult moose stand 6-7 feet at the shoulder; they can step over 4-foot fences and lean over 5-foot fences to browse vegetation
In moose-heavy neighborhoods like Hillside, Rogers Park, and Abbott Loop, we help you choose materials and heights that balance aesthetics with wildlife coexistence.
