Outdoors
Wood Fencing
Required Items
- Pressure-treated posts
- Pressure-treated boards
- Outdoor wood screws
- Earth Auger, 40V Electric or Gas
- Temporary 3ft Stakes
- Twine
- Concrete/Gravel, estimate 3 60-lbs bags per hole
Quick Reference
- All wood should be Pressure Treated to last exposed to the elements
- Verify utility lines before you dig
- Fence posts are generally 4x4'
- Fence posts should not be further apart than 8'
- Fence posts need to be buried
- The hole must be as deep as 30-50% of the post's above-ground height
- Deeper burials provide better rigidity in structure
- The hole's diameter must be 3x wide as the post used - ex: a 4x4' post is 3.5" wide, requiring a hole diameter of 10.5"
- The post should sit flat and level in the hole, and be arrested with collars while concrete or gravel is poured in
- Fill the hole almost entirely, leaving 4" to be filled with soil
- Do not attach fencing to posts until concrete is cured
Installing Posts
- Dig holes for the end posts of the fence
- Install temporary stakes in the same line as the planned fence
- Run a length of twine between the steaks, overlapping the dug holes.
This serves to ensure that the installed end posts maintain the same facing as one another - Flatten the earth at the bottom of the holes, and drop posts within
- Install Post Collars around the posts
- Bring the posts level while maintaining facing
- Pour concrete/gravel around the posts, while performing fine-tuning leveling adjustment
-
Do not lift the posts once concrete/gravel has been added, as the material will slip under the post's base, reducing its depth
- Wait for concrete to set
Post Collars
- Collar should be constructed with 2x4's
- Two boards should run for at least 2'
- Two other boards should be cut to the width of the post used +3/16" for tolerance
- The end result will be a bracket with a hole in its center the same size as the used post
- It aid in the post holding its position while leveling adjustments are made, and cement/gravel is poured
- Reference photo:
