How to build a cedar fence or any wood fence (part 3)

In this post we will talk about how to layout and set the posts. 

If you are replacing an existing fence in one way it might be easier to figure out the location of the posts, but you have to deal with an old concrete that is very hard to dig out. In this case I usually dig holes for the new posts right next to the old concrete shifting every post to the right or left of the existing post. 

If you are starting from scratch and you got the property line all marked all you need to do is figure out your corner posts and tie a string line from one corner to another to make sure all your holes line up and then mark the location of all the posts according to the post spacing that you desire (read part 1 about spacing of the posts). For marking I usually use spray paint, yellow and red works really good you can see this colors on grass and dirt really well.

Digging.

You want your hole to be about a 1' wide and a 1' to 18" deep. The  depth depends on the hardness of the ground, the softer it is the dipper the holes have to be. When digging try and keep the bottom of the hole strait and same size as the top. I even try to make the bottom wider than the top, that way the concrete gets locked in and the post is stronger. 

 

When all the holes are done, first I set and brace the corner posts, then tie a string line to each corner post and line the posts in between to the string line. It is very hard to dig every hole perfect, so it pays off to have the bottoms of the holes flat. You can move your post to be in line with the string line and level. 

Thing to consider it is a lot less frustrating to have a helper when setting and bracing the posts.

Now time to pore some concrete. When poring concrete I recommend using shovel to put concrete in the hole, because if you pore strait from will barrel it is very easy to nock the post off a little bit. If you use the shovel it takes a little bit longer, but you will have yourself a strait fence.

Now that the concrete is all pored leave it alone until next day...

Remember always be careful when working on construction projects especially when using power tools...
Good luck


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