The day I stopped eyeballing post hole depth

For years, I'd just dig until the post felt solid, maybe checking with a tape measure once in a while. Then, on a big cedar fence job in the spring rains last year, I had three posts start to lean within a month. My boss was not happy, and I had to go back and fix them all on my own time. That was the kick I needed. Now, I use a marked digging bar as a depth gauge for every single hole, and I keep a cheap laser level in the truck to double-check before I pour the concrete. It adds maybe five minutes per post, but I haven't had a callback for a leaning fence since. Has anyone else found a simple tool or check that totally fixed a repeat problem like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

tara_palmer2mo ago

Just a heads up, concrete can actually make wooden posts rot faster if it traps moisture against them.

juliawalker2mo ago

But how much faster are we talking? I've seen plenty of old fences with posts set in concrete that held up for decades. It seems like one of those things that's technically true but maybe not a big deal in real life. If the wood is pressure treated and the concrete is above grade so water can drain, the risk seems pretty low. Sometimes these warnings make a small problem sound like a sure thing.

harper_murphy1mo ago

Oh wait, are you saying you've actually seen those old fences hold up fine? Because I've had the total opposite experience lol. I built a fence with my dad like 10 years ago using concrete and pressure treated posts, and maybe 4 of them were already starting to rot at the base by year 6. Meanwhile, the neighbor who set his posts in gravel and tamped soil is still going strong. I gotta agree with @tara_palmer on this one, concrete really does seem to trap moisture no matter how careful you are with drainage. It's like the concrete creates this perfect little swamp right where the post meets the ground, and that rot creeps up way faster than you'd expect.