Another silly fence post question

Nov 02, 2006 4 Replies

What do you think of this idea. Dig hole 2'3" deep. In the hole goes:


3" gravel
4x4 wood post, sitting on 3" of gravel, bottom of post is 2' deep.
6" gravel
6" concrete
6" gravel
6" concrete

The only difference from a standard post in concrete is that instead of dumping a few inches of gravel and filling hole with concrete, you have a layer of concrete, a layer of gravel, and a top layer of concrete. I'm not sure what this accomplishes, unless gravel is cheaper then concrete and you save a few bucks. I haven't priced gravel or concrete yet. I want gravel for drainage, keeps wet dirt away from post.


Not worth the effort. You probably meant pressure treated wood, right? If you're a belt and suspenders type of person, put a couple of coats of roofing tar on the buried part of the post before you insert it in the hole. Pour in a bag or two of dry concrete mix, brace the post in position, wet down the concrete and let it set. It takes a few weeks for the concrete to come up to its full design strength. If you're in a hurry get fast setting concrete mix.

R

Roofing tar. Huh. Never thought of that. Sticks well to wood? Maybe thin it a bit so it absorbs better into the wood? I like that better then driveway sealer. And it's cheaper, easier to find. Actually, I was just going to mix the cement with water in my wheel barrow and pour it into the hole. Might as well do it right. I was going to dig postholes this weekend (borrowing a friends tractor with 9" auger), but alas, 100% chance of rain. Doing cats and dogs all weekend :(

I usually just fill the holes with sacrete and walk away. It'll wet and harden on it's own.

I keep hearing about people that do exactly that. Has anyone done that and

*not* had it work good?

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