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i have a 20m fence which is about to blow over. My landlord is happy to chuck me a free months rent (perfect timing as i've just lost my job) if I do the labour element of it.
I'm thinking dig hole with post hole digger, post mix the post in, place bottom panel in, wood panel on top then put next post on the end.
Run a line from A to B to keep them in check.
Is it feasbile to do this on my own?
I did a smaller run last weekend. It was very handy having the father in law to hand doing things like holding the posts vertical while I was poring the water/postcrete into the post holes. The mix does go off in a few minutes though, so you could probably just about get by on your own if you’re quick making sure things are straight once they are mixed and setting.
so you could probably just about get by on your own if you’re quick making sure things are straight once they are mixed and setting
I was thinking about making some sort of wooden brace I can slide over the post and hammer into the soil to hold post whilst post mix sets.
It's perfectly possible on your own. I've done one concrete fence post and two panels today, replacing one rotted wooden post and the various bits of wood used to strap all of the old rubbish together.
But it took me 3 hours to dig the new hole for the new post. The old one was in the wrong place and had been fitted with a lump of concrete 2' square. I had to drill and chip away the old concrete to create a new hole. It was bloody hard work.
If you are digging fresh holes then it's just hard work, if you're having to remove the old posts and fit new posts in the same place then I'd be paying someone else to do it.
EDIT: There seems to be a shortage of concrete fence posts, gravel boards and fence panels ATM. Also postcrete is out of stock everywhere.
I decided at nearly 40Kg per post I couldn't do it alone, instead I went with plastic posts / lower boards with wooden panels. You can choose colour / texture of posts and secured with postcrete like normal. Still looks good 10 years on.
EDIT: There seems to be a shortage of concrete fence posts, gravel boards and fence panels ATM. Also postcrete is out of stock everywhere.
two places near me have all of it for delivery 7-10 days, I think the big rush is slowing down.
The existing fence has 2.5m spacings as it's entirely wood, so hoping the holes into fresh soil may be a little easier!
Concrete Fencing – how hard can it be?
between 3 an 7 MOHs
A few years ago in a previous property I erected 12 bays of fencing in a day, concrete posts 6ft panels, I did have an Belle mixer for the concrete.
I do have building experience and was a beast on the shovel, if you are methodical and organised it should be no problem.
The concrete corner posts are a two man lift.
If digging out old posts hire a breaker (I actually bought a cheap second hand one on gumtree).
Forgot to mention it also included concrete gravel boards.
Yes fencing del and materials is a ballache atm.
Yes, it's perfectly possible to do yourself. I did a run of 16 wooden panels myself. However, mine was wooden panels, gravel boards and panels!
Key pieces of advice are - run a string to keep everything in line, use stakes and batons to keep everything straight and in line, make sure every post is straight (otherwise everything becomes a misery quickly.
Hopefully you're doing it in soil, otherwise I'd hire a breaker and trench spade.
Digging the holes is hard work. Try and keep the holes as thin as possible and use the gravel boards to ensure the posts are exactly where they should be.
Digging the holes is hard work.
This! Especially if there were old fence posts in there. You'll have concrete to dig through.
When I was younger and fitter and had a bigger garden (ah, them were the days) I did our whole fence and not only was there concrete holding the posts I had to remove, but there had been another fence there years before, with a parallel bunch of concrete footings. I had to hire a mini-pneumatic drill to get it all out. The rest is a piece of piss!
How long is the fence and how straight does it need to be? Despite on face value these things being 'relatively simple', a few minor inaccuracies over a 10 metre length can add up to a fence looking like its on the lash.
I've just done 2 x 10 m runs with 1.80 m high panels. However, because I was doing it solo I used lightweight steel posts (duraposts) and timber gravel boards.
Some previous posts were hard to remove but most were easy being only 4-foot tall timber posts in shallow concrete.
I had to break through some concrete and old footings in places, plus some massive roots which was backbreaking however.
It was my first time doing it and although it looks ok I should have paid more attention to heights because the ground was a little uneven. It's all fairly level and straight through.
Top Tip - Don't concrete anything in when windy!
It was my first time doing it and although it looks ok I should have paid more attention to heights because the ground was a little uneven. It’s all fairly level and straight through.
Good tip from doing it - mark 6 foot plus an inch down from the top of the post, and that's where the gravel board will need to be in order for the panels to be level.
Always start from the highest point of the run and then you won't end up having to bury the gravel board too deeply!
If you're working on your own then run a string line top and bottom, on the opposite side youre working from. Also use a fairly stiff concrete mix not postcrete as this will give you something to bed your gravel boards on and stop them sinking into the soil.