Fence post holes and post mix...

[andyoxon]

Another fence question.  My 3m close board fence section kit (2post, 30 featheredEB, gravel B, capping, nails and post mix) arrives today.  I'm planning to used 1.5 bags of post mix/post (recommended by the company).  How big do I need the hole?  So I know how to set the hole depth - according to the total height of the GB, FEboards, and I'll put some broken concrete in the base, but how do I know what size of hole will take the correct amount of post mix (if that's not a silly question?)

Any last minute tips...

[Treewheeler]

If the ground is solid enough then make as small a hole as possible, you don't have to make a big hole at all.
You can buy a tool for post hole digging.
 You don't have to use all the mix and if you have a hole too large then add large pieces of clean stone/brick etc.

[andyoxon]

OK, thanks.  Just found this as well, for Postcrete: http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:PKXUPh-UUm8J:bmf.tlblearningpoint.com/dbdocs/postcrete.pdf+ready-to-use+postcrete+instructions&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=uk
I don't normally bother with instructions...  

[Zoidburg]

2 bags per post if its a big panel, 1.5 isnt enough

I sell this stuff for a living BTW

[Paul]

How's it going, andyo?

Would it be easier to build a raised patio to attach the fence to?

sound of coat being hastily fetched.

[andyoxon]

2 bags per post if its a big panel, 1.5 isnt enough

I sell this stuff for a living BTW

40kg of postcrete/post      It's 3m of boards etc, but the posts look like 4"x4"...

The wood arrived yesterday - guess what..?  The FE boards are covered in blue speckles.  They're exchanging them in the next next day or two - looks as though they failed to treat them properly with 'anti-blue' fungal potion...

[andyoxon]

How's it going, andyo?

Would it be easier to build a raised patio to attach the fence to?

sound of coat being hastily fetched.

  F-day is Saturday all being well...

[rogerzilla]

The only other time in my life that I had Emma Freuds was after a weekend of fencing.  It's not putting in new stuff that's heavy work, it's getting out the old lumps of concrete. 

Best advice, if replacing an old fence, is to put the first whole panel at the opposite end (assuming your garden isn't a whole number of panels long/wide), then the new posts are offset compared to the old ones, and the problem is delayed for another 15 years, by which time you can hopefully pay someone else to do it 

I can't recommend concrete posts highly enough, although they're heavy work if you DIY.  Unless vandalised, fences invariably fail when wooden posts rot through at ground level.  With concrete posts and closeboard fencing, the fence might outlive you.

[andyoxon]

Thanks rz - the fence is to fill the gap left by a big lilac bush, very close to the house.  The rest of the boundary is wire fence, dating back 60 yrs - hidden by shrubs, bushes etc...  I was considering standing the posts in wood preserver overnight friday to help with any in-soil rot...  Apparently one is supposed to slope the top face of the concrete away from the post under the soil - but don't know if this is possible with postcrete...

[rogerzilla]

It is possible, although Postcrete is pretty crumbly compared to normal concrete.  The rot will still get it, but it may help.

[Treewheeler]

The idea of postcrete being softer than normal is so that you can dig out the mass after the posts have rotted away over time.
 I do alot of posts without concrete, just stones compacted well.
That's how it always was done not so long ago and still is for farmers, nature wardens etc.

[Really Ancien]

I second Tuggo on not using concrete. The problem is that most people can't dig a small enough hole to the require depth. Ideally you should dig a hole 300mm x 300mm to a minimum depth of 600mm and back fill in layers 100mm which you then compact using a rail typically of 40x90mm 3,600mm long as a tamper, this is assuming 100x100mm posts. If you live in Lancashire these are the people to buy your materials from. Derek Fox Timber & Son Ltd - Fencing & Timber Products (Specialists in Timber Treatment) - fencing timber, building timber, landscaping timber, tanalised timber, public area timber, gardening timber, environmentally friendly treated wood and yes they are FSC certified. Price list here. http://www.derekfoxtimber.co.uk/price_list/price_list_2007.pdf

Damon.

[rogerzilla]

And on that subject, there are special thin spades available for hole-digging.

[andyoxon]

And on that subject, there are special thin spades available for hole-digging.

Jobs done.    I had borrowed one of those spades from a neighbour - dug 2 holes ~ 25cm x65cm.  1.5 bags of postcrete was just right.  I put a layer of flint/pebbles in the holes to help get exactly the right post height and allow for postcrete to seal under the post (4x5").  Before putting the posts in I had painted the base 60cm with wood preserver.  I also managed to slope the postcrete away from the posts.  Started postcreting at 2pm and finished the fence ~6pm ish - the holes were the most difficult part.  Fence feels nice and solid...well at the moment...

[peter carter 2]

Good  to hear that, I am currently replacing a fence

The previous owner used Met Posts which , as they are set into   Epping Clay,  are now rock solid. However, I discovered yesterday that he got the spacing  wrong by 4 inches . So I  now have to nail the panels to the front of the posts , rather than in between the posts attached to brackets. I t will work , but this may account for why the old fence leaned inwards.

I did think of repositioning the post  holes  , very, very briefly.

[andyoxon]

Here's some pics...

[Martin]

You can buy a tool for post hole digging.

forget that idea unless you are Hercules and/or the soil is very soft; I tried hiring one for the same job; the clay I was going into was like solid sandstone (apparently the same stuff caused many problems and an awful lot of dynamite when they dug the nearby Sharpthorne railway tunnel)

[Paul]

Nice work

[andyoxon]

Nice work

Cheers Paul. 

Anyone know the best way to 'wire up' the fence for a climbing plant (recommendations?)

andy