c/fence-erectors

A guy in Boise told me my post caps looked like cheap plastic toys...

He was right, they were the basic ones from the big box store and they did look pretty bad after one winter. I switched to solid aluminum caps from a local supplier, even though they cost about twice as much. Has anyone found a good middle ground for caps that hold up but don't break the bank on a big job?

A client's complaint about my post hole spacing made me rethink my whole process

I put up a cedar fence in Boulder last fall, and the owner called me back a week later. He said, 'Your posts are too far apart, the whole middle section is already bowing.' I had them at 8 feet, which was standard for me. I went back, measured the sag, and he was right. Now I never go over 7 feet for a 6-foot cedar panel, no matter what. Has anyone else had a client point out a basic spacing flaw you just got used to?

An old timer in Boise told me to always set the corner posts first, even if the client wants to see the whole line. He said 'The fence will tell you where it wants to go.'

Spent $400 on a post hole digger attachment and it was a total game changer

I got a hydraulic auger that fits on my skid steer for a big job with over 80 posts. It cut my digging time in half on that rocky soil. I was worried it was a lot of money up front, but it paid for itself in two jobs. Anyone else have a tool that seemed pricey but was totally worth it?

My old boss insisted on using a hand auger for every post hole back in the day.

We were putting up a split rail fence on a half acre property, maybe 80 holes total. He said the gas auger was a waste of money and would tear up the ground. It took our three-man crew four full days just to dig. I did the math later, and paying us for that extra labor cost him over $2,000 compared to renting a proper machine for a day. We were all exhausted and the job ran a week behind. Anyone else have an old-school method that just doesn't make sense anymore?

Serious question, I saw a fence in Denver that made me think about using pressure treated posts for everything.

I was working near a new build in the Highlands last week and saw a crew setting all their cedar fence posts in concrete sleeves, no pressure treatment at all. They said it was for a cleaner look and that the concrete would keep water away. I've always been taught that in our climate, you need that treated wood in the ground, sleeves or not, or you're asking for rot in a few years. Am I just being old school, or is skipping the treatment on ground-contact posts a real mistake?

Why does nobody talk about how bad those plastic post caps are for pressure treated wood?

I was replacing a whole line of fence in a wet part of town and saw every single post was rotting from the top down under those caps. They trap moisture against the wood. I've switched to just sealing the post top with a brush-on sealant instead. Anyone else find a better fix for this?

Heard a homeowner in Springfield say 'a fence is just a fence, how different can the posts be?' and it got me thinking.

Shoutout to the guy at the supply yard who saved me from a bad batch of cedar pickets

Picked up a load for a privacy fence job in Bellingham last Thursday. Started setting the posts and everything was fine. Went to hang the first section of pickets and the third one just split clean down the middle when I drove a nail. Not a knot or anything, just bad wood. Checked a few more and they were all super dry and brittle. Drove back, kinda annoyed, and the guy at the counter took one look, felt the grain, and said 'Yeah, that's from the lot that sat in the sun all summer, we pulled it.' He swapped the whole pallet for me, no charge. I would've been replacing boards for a week. How often do you guys run into lumber that looks good but is just cooked from bad storage?

Just realized I've been setting posts wrong for three years after a job in Springfield

Last week in Springfield, I had to redo a whole 50-foot section of privacy fence because the posts were leaning after a single winter. My old boss always said to just tamp the dirt real hard, but the ground there is pure clay. A local guy watching me work finally said, 'You gotta gravel pack that hole, son, or it'll heave every time.' I've been doing this since 2021 and never heard that. Anyone in a clay-heavy area have a go-to gravel mix they use?

Overheard a landscaper say he uses a 3-foot level for posts, not a 4-footer

He argued the shorter level is easier to handle solo and just as accurate if you check two adjacent sides. I tried it on a cedar picket job yesterday and it did speed things up a bit. Anyone else use a smaller level for setting posts?

Appreciation post: a customer's old fence taught me something

Three years ago I was replacing a cedar fence in Portland that had been up for over 40 years. The posts were set in plain dirt, no concrete, but they were still solid as a rock. The guy who built it had dug the holes crazy deep, like four feet down. It made me rethink how I was doing things. Anyone else run into an old job that made you change your methods?

Showerthought: everyone says you need a full auger for a 4-foot post hole in clay

I tried using a 2-inch pilot hole first with a spud bar in Kansas City clay last month, saved my back and the hole was cleaner. Anyone else skip the big auger for tough soil?

Just watched a crew in my neighborhood set posts without checking for utilities first

They were digging for a vinyl fence and I saw their auger get within maybe 6 inches of the marked gas line, which is way too close for comfort. I mean, one wrong move and you're calling 911, not to mention the fines. Do you guys always call 811 even for what seems like a simple residential job?

Serious question, had to choose between a 4-foot frost depth and a 6-foot for a big cedar job in Minneapolis last month.

Honestly, the ground was still pretty hard and the client wanted to save cash, so I went with the 4-foot posts. Ngl, we had a major lean after that last big freeze and now I'm redoing half the line. What's the absolute minimum depth you all use for a northern winter like that?

Heard a landscaper in Springfield talk about marking his post holes with baking flour

I was grabbing coffee yesterday and the guy in line behind me was telling his buddy about a fence job. He said he marks his dig spots with plain white baking flour instead of spray paint. His point was it washes away with the first rain, no mess, and the bright white is super clear against grass. I tried it this morning on a small residential job, just a box of store brand stuff, and it worked like a charm. Has anyone else tried something like this, or is there a downside I'm not seeing yet?

Warning: I thought a 4-foot frost line was overkill for a residential fence in Cincinnati

Hit solid, frozen clay at 3 feet on a job last January and had to rent a proper breaker for the last foot. Anyone else run into frost heave issues they didn't plan for?

Hit a rock shelf on a simple post hole job yesterday

Was putting in a basic cedar fence for a neighbor, figured six holes, maybe two hours. The third one hit solid rock about a foot down. Ended up renting a demo hammer from the store, which took another hour round trip. The whole thing took from 8 AM until almost 4 PM. What's your go-to move when you hit something you can't dig through?

Showerthought: I used to think a 3-foot post hole was deep enough for a 6-foot privacy fence in my area.

Had a big wind storm last month in Tulsa and a whole 40-foot section of a cedar fence I put up last fall leaned over about 15 degrees because the posts weren't set deep enough to beat the frost line. What's the minimum depth you all go for a solid 6-foot panel in a place with real winter?

Back in '08 I had to choose between cedar and pressure-treated pine for a big backyard job

I mean, the client wanted a classic six-foot privacy fence for their place in Spokane, and the budget was tight. The cedar was beautiful, smelled amazing, and I knew it would age to that nice silver-gray, but it was almost double the cost of the pressure-treated. I went with the pine to save them money, and honestly, I regretted it after about three years. The pine needed way more upkeep than I'd said, and it started warping in a few spots where the sun hit it all day. I felt bad because the cedar would have just weathered naturally. Now, if a client asks, I lay out the long-term care difference super clearly, even if the upfront price makes them wince. Has anyone else had a job where the 'budget' pick came back to bite you later?

Had a week where every job site was pure mud

We had three vinyl fence installs scheduled back to back in my town after heavy rain, and each yard was a swamp. The worst was a corner lot where our post hole digger got stuck twice, costing us half a day. What's your best trick for keeping a schedule when the ground just won't cooperate?

Shoutout to the guy who told me to try a different post driver

I used to fight with a 30 pound manual driver for every job, taking forever and killing my back. A few weeks ago, an old timer on a site in Bend said to try a gas powered model. I rented one for a day to test it. We set 40 posts in under two hours, which would have taken us all morning before. The speed change is crazy, and my crew is way less tired at the end of the day. Anyone else made a switch like that and been surprised by the time you got back?

My post driver's handle snapped clean off on a job in Springfield last Friday

I was setting a 4x4 for a cedar fence, gave it a good solid whack, and the whole wooden handle just split in two. Had to run to the hardware store and buy a replacement handle for about 25 bucks, which set me back an hour. I've had that driver for maybe five years, so I guess it was just worn out. What's the best way to check your tools for this kind of wear before it happens on site?

Hot take: I thought those plastic post levelers were a total gimmick for years.

Honestly, I always set posts by eye and string line, thinking those little plastic brackets were a waste of cash. Then I did a big vinyl job in Gresham last month with over 80 posts, and my helper brought a pack. We tried them on the first five posts, and every single one was dead plumb in half the time. I was shocked. Ngl, I'm a convert now. Has anyone else had a tool they swore was useless that actually saved their butt on a job?

Pro tip: Don't use a standard concrete mix for fence posts in heavy clay

I had a job in a new development outside of Charlotte where the soil was pure, dense clay. I used my usual bagged concrete mix for the line posts, thinking it would be fine. After a hard rain a week later, three posts had shifted because the water pooled around the concrete and couldn't drain, basically making a slippery mud bowl. I learned that in clay, you need to use a gravel base for drainage and maybe even a specific fast-setting mix that cures before the water messes it up. Has anyone else run into this and found a better method for wet clay areas?