Setting your fence posts when building
a fence is the most important part of a
fence project. They must be set level
so that the fence will have a
professional, cohesive appearance
when complete. You will also need
about 1 to 1 1/2 bags of concrete for
each post you set. The tools you will
need are:
- Post hole digger. If a lot of
post need to be dug, you will need to
rent a 1 or 2 person auger at the local
supply shop.
- Mason Line. To keep your
posts in a completely straight line,
thus, giving you a completely straight
fence.
- Concrete. I recommend fast set bags. You just add water to the dry mix in the holes. You will need 1 to 1 1/2 bags per hole.
- Level. Preferably a 4 foot level; however, any level will do.
- Stakes. 2 foot and 4 foot for mason's line.
- Small Sledgehammer. About the same size as regular hammer.
- 4x4 Posts, 8 foot. Either Pressure Treated or Cedar.
- Crushed Gravel. For drainage.
Procedure. Locate and place stakes on fence outline measurements. Hammer stakes about 1/3 their length into the ground. Attach mason's line to measured fence corner post locations. Dig your corners first. Dig 24 inches to 30 inches deep for 8 foot wooden post holes. The hole width should be at 8 inches.
After digging holes, throw about 2 inches of crushed gravel into the holes for drainage. Insert a post into the hole. Then, fill holes with the dry concrete mix. Fill the holes up all the way to the top, leaving 4 inches. Take your level and check the levelness of the post on 2 flat sides of the post. Make sure the posts you inserted into the holes are level. Finally, add water to this dry mix. Check for levelness again.
Cover the surrounding cement with dirt excavated from the holes. Tamp with a garden rake and slope this dirt away from the post.
Next, repeat the steps above for line posts (posts in between the corner posts), closely following your mason's line you strung from each corner post. Continue on until you finish. You may need to place a post 6 feet from the next one due to impossible conditions of penetration deep enough into the soil. This usually happens when there are rocks or tree roots. Make sure you wear gardener's leather gloves when digging with a post hole digger; or else you will have blisters!
a fence is the most important part of a
fence project. They must be set level
so that the fence will have a
professional, cohesive appearance
when complete. You will also need
about 1 to 1 1/2 bags of concrete for
each post you set. The tools you will
need are:
- Post hole digger. If a lot of
post need to be dug, you will need to
rent a 1 or 2 person auger at the local
supply shop.
- Mason Line. To keep your
posts in a completely straight line,
thus, giving you a completely straight
fence.
- Concrete. I recommend fast set bags. You just add water to the dry mix in the holes. You will need 1 to 1 1/2 bags per hole.
- Level. Preferably a 4 foot level; however, any level will do.
- Stakes. 2 foot and 4 foot for mason's line.
- Small Sledgehammer. About the same size as regular hammer.
- 4x4 Posts, 8 foot. Either Pressure Treated or Cedar.
- Crushed Gravel. For drainage.
Procedure. Locate and place stakes on fence outline measurements. Hammer stakes about 1/3 their length into the ground. Attach mason's line to measured fence corner post locations. Dig your corners first. Dig 24 inches to 30 inches deep for 8 foot wooden post holes. The hole width should be at 8 inches.
After digging holes, throw about 2 inches of crushed gravel into the holes for drainage. Insert a post into the hole. Then, fill holes with the dry concrete mix. Fill the holes up all the way to the top, leaving 4 inches. Take your level and check the levelness of the post on 2 flat sides of the post. Make sure the posts you inserted into the holes are level. Finally, add water to this dry mix. Check for levelness again.
Cover the surrounding cement with dirt excavated from the holes. Tamp with a garden rake and slope this dirt away from the post.
Next, repeat the steps above for line posts (posts in between the corner posts), closely following your mason's line you strung from each corner post. Continue on until you finish. You may need to place a post 6 feet from the next one due to impossible conditions of penetration deep enough into the soil. This usually happens when there are rocks or tree roots. Make sure you wear gardener's leather gloves when digging with a post hole digger; or else you will have blisters!
Setting Wood Fence Posts
In A Hour.com
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