Building fence in rain?

[Ook]

Is there any reason not to build a fence in wet soil? I'm going to set the wood posts in concrete, but the way things are going it's likely to be 2 months before I can work on it. Around here (Oregon, mid Willamette Valley), it rains every day in November and the soil gets pretty wet. My property is well drained, but the soil is still going to be wet. Is there any reason I can't set the posts in wet soil? Or should I try to do it before it starts to rain or wait until ground dries out next year?

[Tom Kendrick]

[Ook]

The soil drains very well, so it's not mud, but it is wet all the way through when it really gets to raining - which is all fall, winter and spring lol. The water table at the end of spring was 9 feet down, and during a particularly heavy 3+ day rain it rose high enough for my basement to take on water. I can dig the hole just fine, just wasn't sure if I should pour the concrete in a very wet hole or if it doesn't really matter.

[<aemeijers]

Don&#39;t forget to dig the hole an extra 4-6 inches deep, and throw gravel in the hole for the bottom of the post to rest on. I was always taught to use tamped gravel for the bottom third of the backfill as well. Having the bottom of the post completely surrounded by concrete, especially in a wet environment like yours, means the bottom of post is always wet. That leads to them rotting out quickly, even using treated wood. Use a pretty dry mix for the concrete, and driven stakes and stiff-legs to hold the post vertical, till the concrete sets, at least a couple of days.

aem sends....

[Nick Hull]

The rain won&#39;t hurt the fence and concrete will set underwater, but the concrete is going to accelerate fencepost rot/rust. Probably better to pack the posts in gravel or even plain dirt.

[digitalmaster]

we set posts with dry concrete mix.Pour a little in the bottom,set the post in then pour dry mix around the post.The dry mix will hold the post in place by itself.The mix will absorb water from the surrounding soil and set up hard in a day or 2.It sets up strong as I have broken post off trying to remove them.

[Sev]

Rain, mud, cement dust, digging- some people just know how to have fun.

[Ook]

So you are saying to fill the hole 1/3 with gravel, and then pour concrete on top of that, instead of burying the post entirely in concrete? Around here the soil is always wet except for 2-3 months of summer. If I set it in dirt, it&#39;s still always wet, and during the rainy season (which lasts about

9 months) it rains just about every day. I figured I&#39;d use concrete for the corners and gate posts, and set the rest in gravel/dirt. I&#39;m giving serious thought to the one poster that suggested setting them in pea gravel, and am still wondering if the corners and gate post really needs to be set in concrete.

[Father Haskell]

Only that you&#39;re going to have to reseed where you treaded the wet lawn along the fence line, but the cement will set just fine. Actually, it&#39;s easier to set posts in wet soil, since you won&#39;t have to tote water. Just pour in the dry readymix and stir with a pipe.

[buffalobill]

[Goedjn]

YOU will be more comfortable not doing it in the wet, and you&#39;ll want to clean, dry, and oil your tools when you&#39;re done, but it won&#39;t make any difference to the fence.

The ground will probably recede a little bit if it ever dries, so if there&#39;s some component that&#39;s suppposed to be below grade, put it a little deep.

--Goedjn

[Goedjn]

If he was worried about the posts rotting, he wouldn&#39;t be setting wooden posts in concrete, he&#39;d be using concrete posts.

--Goedjn.

nb. Charring the ends of the posts will slow down the rot, if you&#39;re not applying any other preservative. This is, however, not a good idea if you&#39;re using pressure-treated posts.

[Goedjn]

Bracing them will do more good than concrete will.