Putting Up A Fence Post: 3 Tips
If you need a new fence in your yard, you
might not realize that one of the most difficult parts of installing it is
going to be digging in the fence posts. They need to be dug to a certain depth,
for example, and they need to be the right size for the job. Since they are so
integral to the look, finish, and sturdiness of the finished fence, it is
crucial to get the fence posts right before moving on to the rest of the
installation. Here are some tips on how to do it.
Choose The Right Size
Unless you want your fence to fall over or be
unstable at the very least, choosing the right size of fence post is vital.
Don’t just buy whatever is in the local hardware store and hope for the best;
you can buy fence post supports and bases online so you will
always have all the choice you need, and you will be able to buy the right
size.
It is important to know that one-third of your
fence post should be dug into the ground. Therefore, once you know what height
you want your fence to be, you need to add another third on top of that height
when you buy the posts. For example, if you want a six-foot fence, you will
need to buy eight-foot posts, since two feet of the post will need to be
underground.
Prepare For Installing
As much as you might want to, you cannot
simply bang the posts into the ground and start putting your fence up. If you
do, the fence won’t last very long, and you will be making the job much harder
for yourself in the long term anyway.
Start by checking for the location of cables
and pipes that might be under the ground where you are thinking of putting your
fence. You can do this yourself with specialist detection tools, or you can
call in utility suppliers to check for you – it will all depend on how
confident you feel in this task. It is also important to knowt he boundaries of your land so as
not to accidentally put the fence on your neighbor’s property.
Once the ground is known to be safe, you can
mark out the fence line using string or spray paint and only then should you
begin digging for the fence post-installation.
Digging
Remembering the rule that one-third of each
post needs to be underground, you can start digging holes to accommodate those
posts. Add around six inches of gravel to the hole (meaning you may have to dig
it even deeper) as this will help to keep the posts stable. You should also
pour in fresh concrete, but only
when your post is in exactly the spot you want it to be in – trying to
reposition it afterward is a very difficult job.
Leave the concrete to harden before you start
to add the fencing to the posts so that you don’t accidentally nudge the posts
out of position.