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Outdoor - Putting up Fence Posts
Required Tools: String, Tape Measure, Spirit Level, Digging Spade, Nails
- First select suitable fencing for your intended purpose. Make sure the top of the post is slanted or rounded to stop water resting here and rotting the wood. Also treat about the bottom third of the post with wood preserver as this will be underground and could rot.
- Set the position for the two corner or end posts. Run a line between these two points to ensure the fence is straight.
- Measure out the distance between your posts about 6-8 feet apart. You can use a length of timber roughly this size to measure the distance quickly. Mark each point measured along the line between the two corner posts.
- Dig a hole at each marked spot with either a post-hole borer or narrow spade. Dig the hole deep enough to take one third the length of the post plus an extra 6 inches. Make sure the hole is straight and just a little wider than the post. Before inserting the post, put a couple of shovels of gravel, hardcore (broken up pieces of brick and stone available from builder’s merchants) or a stone at the bottom of the hole to assist drainage. Make sure to pack down gravel and hardcore.
- Insert the post and pack lightly with soil or hardcore to keep the post upright. When there are two posts in the ground nest to each other. Lay a length of wood across the top of both posts, and measure with a level to check if they are level with each other. Use the level to measure if the post is vertical and pack with soil or hardcore. Erect a brace for the post by driving a nail into the post and lodging a length of timber under it.
- Fill in the first post with layers of hardcore and mixed gravel and soil. Pack each layer down firmly being careful not to move the post from its vertical position. You may wish to substitute soil and gravel with concrete for a firmer set.
- The last layer of fill should be slightly mounded up around the post to avoid water accumulation and rotting. Smooth this layer and expel any air pockets from concrete that could act as water pockets.
- Leave the post to stand for a couple of days before adding any fencing, then simply remove the support post.
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