FAQ

 
 
"A Hole,
A Post that has succumbed to a Hole,
A Hole that is in need of a Post."
Was it Gertrude Stein who said this?
Or possibly Prowell


Email: support@prowellwoodworks.com

Post Holes

  Fence posts, in themselves, can represent a considerable investment. A 6' high fenceline of 500 running feet can translate into thousands of dollars in post costs. To protect this investment and  enable the longest life from the posts, we have provided a simple sketch regarding the prefered method for setting posts.  This method is the result of 28 years, setting over 10,000 fence posts. 
6x6 Post Stock

Clear Cedar

 Excellent rot resistence. Clear, vertical-grain cedar is certainly the most visibly pleasing among all choices. Approx. $20/ft for 6x6. Depending on your local lumber yard, clear cedar posts can sometimes require a 4-6 week special order. Seldom a wise choice for an tire fence-line and used, primarily, for for Gate posts and a few featured flanking panels..

Knotty Cedar
(STK)

 Excellent rot resistence.  Cedar knotty grade (STK) is approx 1/3rd the cost of clear and normally with an Architectural Grade of only a few select knots..
Con-heart surfaced redwood Excellent rot resistence. Tight knots. Because the wood is 'green', painted posts should be primed twice with a stain-blocking primer to prevent tanin bleeding, before top coating, Approx. $10/ft on the west coast.
Clear surfaced redwood Excellent rot resistence.  No knots. Not adviseable for lighter stains for reasons stated above. Approx. $20/ft as green. Kiln-dried clear redwood, at approx. $30/ft, is a waste of good trees.
Synthetic
(Trek, etc)		 Fiber, or Synthetic Composite posts are not as structuraly rigid as wood, therefore 4x4 fiber posts should not be used for fences over 4-ft ht. Fiber posts can be finished with solid-body stains or painted.
For those patrons east of the Rockies. 
Eastern Red Cedar Good rot resistence.  Aromatic.  Available as 6x6.  Approximately $4-$6 a foot. 
Southern Cypress Good rot resistence.  Higher density and more durable than cedar or redwood.  Sustainably harvested only in the SE United States.
Pressure-treated fir or southern pine Pressure-treated lumber  is a last resort.  It does not bio-degrade and regardless of what you've read or what your lumber salesmen tells you, the toxic poisons cured into the wood are not friendly to the touch (Many California codes now outlaw the use of toxic-treated lumber in public parks and schools for above-grade exposure)
Please insure your installer understands the preferred methods for setting fence posts.  By setting your posts in 3/8" pea gravel, you not only eliminate the need for toxic sealants and preservatives, you extend the life of your post by 30 years! 
Fence height
 Hole depth
7-ft
42"
6-ft
36"
5-ft
32"
4-ft
24"
3-ft
18"


 
 
  The logic is simple:  In the winters, the post shrinks and a small crack appears between the post and concrete.  With posts set in fulkl concrete, water finds its way down into the crack and begins to fester immediatelyin an environment wiithout lightor air.  Here the water drains through the 8" 'cap' of concrete and into the pea gravel where it carries on the length of the post and into the bed of 3" pea gravel, AWAY from the bottom pof the post.  For this reason, there is no point is poisoning the ground with toxic preservatives.
**For Gate hinge posts, we'll use the fulkl post-hole set in concrete, as this is a load-bearing post.  But not forgetting the 3" bed of pea gravel at the bottom.  Water drains down the length of the post between the shrinking post and the concrete and carries on a little further to finally drain away from the exposed and vulnerable end-grain. 
**For areas of deep freezing, it's always best to set your concrete cap a little deeper into the grade, as the frozen grade tends to contract and squeeze the concrete toward the surface--sometimes several inches.


POST SETTING--The difference between a post life of 8 years and 30 years.

Fenceline posts are set on a bed of 3-inches of gravel to allow better drainage beyond the vulnerable bottom-cut. Filling the posthole with pea gravel to two-thirds its depth allows further improved drainage while eliminating the need for post stakes. (The pea gravel essentially stabilizes the post while allowing for final adjustments in plumbing) The final 6-8 inch capping of concrete acts as a washer to create stability. A slightly tapered cap is not necessary and in fact the concrete should be about one inch below grade, feathered over with soil.

For those areas with dramatc freeze-lines, it is suggested that you place the concrete ring approximately 8" below grade, filling above and below the concrete with pea gravel.  This, because freeze-line soil can often push, or work, the concrete and post upward as the soil expands to the temperature.

Gate Hinge Posts:  With the extra load of a hinged gate and the stress of flanking fencelines, hinge posts should sit on a bed of gravel
and the entire posthole filled with concrete. No preservative is needed.  As the post shrinks in the summer and the gap between the post and concrete allows for water entry, the water will drain the length of the post and AWAY from the bottom of the post, which is protected from the dirt grade by 3" of pea gravel. 

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