If your still unsure about anything regarding the depth of a fence post hole, let me know in the comments section below. You will easily be paying 75% more than you do for a wooden post, also repairs are more expensive too. For example, if you are building a fence that's 6 feet tall, you will need a hole that is at least 2 feet deep. Ever wondered what those little brown and black spots are in the corners of your room? Our Company was founded on the principle thatspecialty landscaping services can come hand-in-hand with the best customer service available. Pro Tip: Although concrete is extremely sturdy it lacks the drainage qualities of gravel. You may be thinking to yourself, “There’s no shortage of ways to dig your holes” and you’d be right. Step-By-Step Instructions: 1. Frost will heave the concrete toward the sky, making room for soil and water to rest beneath the footing and causing your fence to lean and eventually fall over. But what about the depth you ask? For example, if you have a 3 inch wide post that you need to sit over 1.83m (6ft) in height above the ground, we recommend the hole size should be: 230mm [wide] (9”) x 600mm [depth]. Lay three of the 2-by-4s equally spaced down the length of the 1-by-4 form. Now that you’ve determined the size of the hole you’ll need, you can use the chart below to determine how many 50-pound bags of concrete you’ll need. Before we explore post holes, the frost line, the ground conditions and so on, we need to establish the best way to actually dig the perfect post hole. Dig the post hole, making it three times the width of the post and at a depth equal to 1/3 to 1⁄2 of the above-ground length of the post, plus 6" (right). Also, if you can look for wood labeled air dried (quite rare) then you know that the preservatives they’ve added have gone really deep into the timber. Add some aggregate (optional) to the postcrete and you have an extremely strong repair which will be set in just 10 minutes! The most common species of wood grown in the UK are Larch, Douglas fir, Pine and Spruce (a white wood). In some instances upto 3 foot would be absolutely perfect. However, we suggest using the right tools for the job. Hopefully your not pulling your hair out anymore when it comes to finding how deep should fence posts be in the ground? When it comes to building a fence the depth of the post will depend on the size of the fence you are building. Wooden fence posts should have the correct hole size and depth, stones placed at the bottom of the hole for drainage and a slopped concrete edge troweled around the base of the fence post. Fence panel installed between concrete fence posts. Installing concrete fence posts • Concrete fence posts must be fixed into the ground in the traditional way: by digging a hole. ... you may want to pick a project that makes you a little more excited for the future of your fence. Customer Support. Whether you’re building a fence, setting a mailbox or even a basketball goal, the best way to ensure your posts will stay sturdy and true for years is to set them in concrete. The best mix for concrete when installing fence posts is a mixture of 1 part cement, 2 parts sand and 3 parts aggregate (stone). Mixing concrete in a cement mixer ensures all the cement,sand and aggregate mix evenly together. Ensure that the soil at the bottom is adequately compacted to ensure adequate weight bearing support and that the top soil layer is not included in your footing depth. Continue digging the hole until you reach a depth equal to ⅓ of the post’s above-ground height plus 6 inches (15 cm). Many builders use 8-foot posts and bury them about 2 feet deep in concrete, leaving a small margin for trimming the tops of the posts to the finished height after the posts and/or the fence panels are installed. How To Move Gravel Without a Wheelbarrow – A Simple Method. How deep you dig your post holes depends on a variety of factors – fence height, frost line, local building codes and more. Especially here in Canada, you will also need to ensure that the posts are set beneath the frost line to prevent heaving. This will ensure you have factored in the frost line and provide a sturdy base for the security of the fence. A typical 4x4 fence post requires a concrete sleeve about 12 inches (30cm) across. The best tools are hole auger or post hole digger (known as a clamshell). There are times where the height may not exceed 6ft. When the ground freezes, the ground squeezes the concrete footer like a tube of toothpaste and will 'heave' the post if you fill the concrete clear to the top of the hole. This means that unless you are building a 2-foot fence, which is unlikely in any garden, a 1-foot hole will not be deep enough to support your post. The beauty of your space is that you can customize it however you like. Other materials such as gravel may be suitable when the ground is predominantly dense, heavy clay, but is looser soil, concrete is the way to go. Ensure that your post is one-third below the ground and two-thirds above. 3 … In our exmaple pictured we are using nice strong concrete gravel boards at 150mm deep. Plan to bury ⅓ of the post, then allow a few inches (several cm) for the base beneath it. It’s recommended that you dig your hole with the correct tools so that your wood post sits snug within that space. Concrete fence posts are indeed better than wood for last ability, and they easily pay for themselves over time. What Does Spider Poop Look Like? Most use concrete to create leverage. (taken from Greenspec.co.uk). That also means that you'd need to use an 8-foot post. It’s not to prevent rot. If the fence post is not properly set, your fence will not hold. Refer to our simple calculator to work out how much concrete product you will need. How To Maintain Your House – The Spring Home Maintenance Checklist With spring around the corner it makes perfect sense to check what maintenance your house may need for the season and the coming months ahead. If you think this post could help someone you know, please share. The reason the holes have to be deeper for concrete, is because of the sheer weight of the posts. Concrete can trap water that get in between the post and the concrete, and the wood can get compressed over time rendering the post wobbly in the concrete. As a result, the fence post is only two feet in the ground on a six-foot in height wood fence. Concrete for fence posts typically comes in 18 and 27 kg (40 and 60 lb) bags. Having the concrete set in the dome formation will ensure that less moisture will be retained. Explore how Home Services can help you with your next project. Subscribe to Home Depot emails and get $10 off your next in-store purchase of $100 or more. As mentioned before, the depth you must dig for your fence post should always depend on the size of the fence you are building. Wooden posts vary, from 5 years to 20 years, But it all boils down to how they were installed and maintained. We’ve established that spacing is extremely important, but what about the depth of your post holes. How To Maintain Your House – The Spring Home Maintenance Checklist. So you’re ready to build a fence. As a general rule of thumb one-third of your post should be underground, the other two-thirds above. Is It Better To Water Plants In The Morning Or At Night? For post holes that are 80 cm (32 inches) deep to 90 cm (36 inche)s deep, use a 27 kg (60 lb) bag of … Objective: By mastering this lesson, you will be able to set chain link fence posts so that the fence is both pleasing to the eye and functional. Concrete is the most secure material when it comes to setting fence posts, especially if you have sandy soil. Anything less than 24 inches will put your fence at risk of blowing over in adverse weather conditions. A common question we receive is “Is 2 ft (24 Inches) deep enough for posts”. Mark Holmes (owner of Sherlock Maintenance) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, 2019 Copyright Sherlock Maintenance Design & Developed by VW Themes. One important point to note is that to ensure as long a life as possible for you fence posts and fence run as a whole, it will require a little running maintenance. Two 50-pound bags of fast-setting concrete will set a 4-inch-by-4-inch (or a 4-inch diameter) post in a 10-inch diameter hole 2 feet deep. Don’t cheat by cutting the post shorter. But if it’s a small job, hand mixing in a wheel barrow will be more than adequate. 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