c/fence-erectors

Overheard a guy at the hardware store say he never uses a level for post tops

I was picking up some 6-foot cedar pickets in Tacoma when this older contractor told his helper, 'Just eyeball the tops, a level slows you down.' His helper looked unsure. It got me thinking, is speed really worth the risk of a wavy fence line? I've always used a 4-foot level on every single post. What's the general take here, do you trust your eye or stick with the tool?

A 40-foot section of vinyl fence I put up last fall just buckled in the heat

It was a big job for a new build in the suburbs, about 150 feet total. I used the standard posts and panels from the usual supplier. Went out for a warranty check yesterday and the middle section on the south side is bowed out like a sail. The homeowner said it started about two weeks ago when we hit those 95-degree days. I think the expansion gaps weren't big enough, or maybe the posts weren't set deep enough in that spot. Has anyone else had vinyl fail like this in a sudden heat wave, and what was your fix?

PSA: My buddy said to skip the post hole digger for rocky ground, and I should have listened.

He told me this last spring when I was starting a job up in the hills near Boulder. The ground looked tough, but I figured my auger on the skid steer could power through anything. I mean, it always had before. So I went for it, and within the first hour I hit a seam of sandstone and completely wrecked two teeth on the bit. That was a $300 fix right there, not counting the half day I lost. He just shook his head when I told him and said he uses a demo hammer with a spade bit for that stuff, breaks it up first. I tried it on the next section and it was way slower, but I didn't break anything else. Has anyone found a better middle ground for that kind of work, or is it just a slow, careful process?

Rant: The time a 4-foot frost heave almost took out a whole cedar section

I was setting posts for a privacy fence in Grand Rapids last February, thinking the ground was plenty frozen. I set a 6x6 cedar post in what I thought was solid earth, only to have a massive frost heave push it up a full 4 inches overnight after a sudden warm spell. I had to pull the whole section, dig down past the frost line, and reset it with extra gravel for drainage. Has anyone else in a cold climate had to deal with a surprise heave that bad?

My boss in Denver swore by using a 3-foot level for posts, but I thought my 4-footer was fine.

After a 50-foot run on a slope last month, his method gave me a perfect line and saved an hour of fiddling. Anyone else have a 'silly' trick that actually works great?

Just read a city report that fence posts fail way more often from rot than wind

I was looking at the building code updates for my area, Phoenix, and found a study from last year. It said over 60% of residential fence failures they checked were from wood rot at the base, not from storms. They said most people don't seal the part underground or use a gravel base for drainage. I've been telling clients to worry about high winds for years, but this changes my pitch. How many of you guys actually treat the below-ground section on every wood post job?

Hot take: that 100-foot vinyl job in the rain last Tuesday taught me more than a year of easy days.

We had to rig a tarp system with 2x4s and bungees just to keep the panels dry while setting posts, and the client's neighbor brought us hot coffee halfway through, saying 'you folks are nuts, but I admire the hustle.'

Just read that the first chain link fence patent was from 1844... in France

I was looking up some old fence types for a client's historic property and found this on a museum website. The patent was by a guy named Charles Barnard, and it was for a 'wire fence' made in a chain link style. It just seems so early, like before the Civil War early. I always figured chain link was a 1900s thing, maybe from some big factory here. Makes you wonder how they even made the wire back then. Has anyone else run into a really old fence style that made you stop and think?

A chat with a retired guy at the hardware store changed my mind about post holes

I was picking up some brackets in Springfield last week and got talking to this older fella in line. He said he used to run a crew back in the 80s. He asked what I was working on, and when I mentioned I was using a power auger for a cedar fence, he just shook his head and said, 'You know, sometimes the old spade is faster than fighting that machine in rocky soil.' I've been using the auger for everything for years, but his point about wasted time resetting it in tough spots hit different. How do you all decide when to go manual versus machine for your holes?

Shoutout to the crew that showed me how to set a post with a level versus just eyeballing it

After seeing a 40-foot vinyl section I put in last month start to lean, I finally understood why they take the extra two minutes per post to check it from two sides.

A dog changed how I set post depth on a job in Portland

I was putting up a cedar fence for a client in the Irvington area last fall. The ground was soft from rain and I was going by the old rule of thumb, one third of the post in the hole. Then their big golden retriever, Buddy, came barreling out and slammed his full weight against a section I'd just set. The whole thing wobbled like crazy. The owner laughed and said, 'He does that every time. Tests the new fences.' I realized my usual depth wasn't enough for an active area. Now, if I see a dog toy in the yard, I add an extra six inches of depth and pack the gravel base way tighter. It takes more time and concrete, but the fence doesn't budge. Anyone else adjust their methods for pet-heavy homes?

Always thought a 4x4 corner post was overkill for a basic privacy fence

I did a job in Springfield last week where the soil was pure clay, and my usual 4x4s started leaning after a single heavy rain. Switched to 6x6 posts for the corners and gates, set them a full 36 inches deep with extra gravel. The difference in stability was huge, no wiggle at all. Anyone else run into soil that forced a bigger post than you planned?

Warning about that new pressure-treated pine from the big box stores

I put up a 50-foot run of it for a client in Springfield about 8 months ago. It looked fine going in, but I drove past the job last week and the bottom rails are already warping and pulling away from the posts. The wood feels soft, like it never fully took the treatment. My supplier said they changed to a faster drying process to meet demand. Anyone else seeing this with recent batches?

Question about a stubborn old cedar post

I was replacing a section of fence in an older part of town and hit a concrete footer from a post set maybe 40 years ago. It took me and my helper the better part of a Tuesday, about 7 hours, to finally break it up and pull it out with a truck. What's the longest you've ever spent dealing with a single old post?

That week in May where every single gate latch was a different brand and none of them fit.

I spent three hours on a Thursday just grinding and filing to make a basic latch work on a cedar fence in Springfield, because the homeowner insisted on using these antique hardware store finds his grandfather left him.

My uncle swore by using a 6-foot level for every post, I tried it on a job in Phoenix.

He said it was the only way to get a perfect line over long runs. On a 200-foot vinyl fence job last month, I used his method for the first two posts. It took forever, like 15 minutes per post just to level. My helper finally said to try a 4-foot level and a string line. We switched and finished the whole run in half the time. The line was just as straight. Has anyone else found a faster way that still gets good results?

A client in Boise told me my post holes looked like a toddler dug them

I was putting up a cedar fence for him last fall, using my old two-man auger with the bent handle. He came out, watched for a minute, and just said 'Those holes are all over the place, depth is a guess. You're making more work for yourself.' He was right. I was fighting to get posts plumb because the holes were so rough. I went and bought a new gas-powered auger with a laser guide the next week. It was about $900, but now my holes are clean and consistent, 36 inches deep every time. Setting posts is twice as fast now. Has anyone else had a piece of gear that seemed fine until a client pointed out a flaw?

Had a client call me out on my post hole digging method

I was putting up a cedar fence for a guy in Oak Park last month, and he watched me dig a few holes with my auger. He said, 'You know, you're going way too deep for the frost line here, it's only 36 inches.' I've been digging 48 inches deep for years, thinking it was the safe bet for our whole state. I checked the local code after he said that, and sure enough, Oak Park has a different frost depth than the next town over. I was wasting time and concrete on every job. Now I look up the exact code for each town before I even load the truck. It seems simple, but it saved me about two bags of mix per hole on that last job. How do you guys handle code changes between towns, just keep a list or check each time?

Pro tip: I was setting my post hole digger handles way too far apart for years

That one rock ledge in my own backyard nearly beat me

I know a lot of guys swear by just digging out any rock you hit, but I ran into a solid limestone ledge on a simple backyard privacy job last month that changed my mind. It was only for a 40-foot section, and I figured I'd just chip it out. After two full days with a digging bar, a rented demo hammer, and a lot of sweat, I'd moved maybe three feet. The rock just kept going deeper and wider. I finally called a buddy with a small excavator, which felt like giving up, but he had the holes dug in under an hour. What I thought was a one-day dig turned into almost a full week of fighting it myself. Sometimes the old school way just costs you time and money. Has anyone else had a rock problem that made them switch up their usual plan?

Update on my old way of setting posts in clay soil

I used to just tamp by hand and hope for the best, but after a whole line leaned in a storm last spring, I started using a rented power tamper for the first foot of backfill. Anyone have a different method for keeping things plumb in wet ground?

Hot take: I think I just found the worst soil in the county on a job in Westgate

We were setting a 6-foot cedar fence line last Thursday and my auger hit what felt like solid rock, but it was actually this crazy dense, wet clay that just welded itself to the bit. Had to stop the whole dig, spend an hour chiseling it out by hand, and reset three posts that got thrown out of plumb. What's your go-to method for pulling auger gumbo in clay like that?

Shoutout to the guy who suggested a chalk line for long runs of pickets

I was setting a 150-foot section of privacy fence in Dallas last week and it kept bowing. Tried his trick and got it perfectly straight on the first pull. What's your go-to trick for keeping long sections true?

Pro tip: A homeowner in Austin showed me why my post hole depth was wrong

I was putting up a cedar fence last spring, using my trusty 24-inch auger and going about 30 inches down like I always do for a 6-foot panel. The homeowner, an older guy who used to work construction, came out and said, 'Son, you're digging to frost line for up north. Our ground here shifts with the heat, not the freeze. You need width, not just depth.' He was right. I was wasting time and effort. Now for most residential jobs in this area, I go 24 inches down but I make the hole a solid 12 inches wide, packing the concrete around the post to create a bigger 'foot.' It uses more concrete mix, maybe an extra bag every five posts, but the stability is way better. Has anyone else had to totally change their digging method when they moved to a new region?

Old timer in Boise swore by using a 4-foot level for posts, not an 8-foot

He said the longer level picks up ground slope and you end up chasing your tail. I tried it on a 200-foot cedar job last spring and it cut my post-setting time by about a third. The line came out way cleaner. Anyone else have a weird little trick that actually works?