Planning ahead for fence post replacement
I’m in the process of putting up a privacy fence in my yard using cedar lattice and cedar 4×4 posts. I’m trying to plan ahead to make things as easy as possible to repair given that the cedar will ultimately decay and I will have to do some repairs. One thing that I’m not excited about is the possibility of having to dig up a significant amount of concrete if I ever need to replace a post.
One alternative that I came across is the Simpson line of moment post bases which seemingly would allow me to cast them in concrete and unscrew the post if I need to replace it. However, they’re expensive (on the order of $1k for the 9 posts that I’m putting in and perhaps overkil. Does this seem worth considering or am I overthinking what should be a very simple task?
https://www.fastenersplus.com/Simpson-MPB44Z-4×4-Moment-Post-Base-Zmax-Finish
Replies
Fill around them with coarse gravel and tamp it dow, Easy to install and fairly easy to remove.
Eric,
This is how I do it.
Tar or seal the bottom end of post.
Drop a pc of concrete block in bottom of hole for post to sit on.
Set and plumb post.
Fill and tamp coarse stone around.
Hope that the cedar posts last longer than 15 yrs.
Definitely sounds like a much more appealing approach than dealing with concrete anyway. Tamped gravel gives adequate resistance to overturning?
Don’t get fancy round stones nor huge rocks and dig it deep enough for lateral.loads and you should be fine.
The taller the fence as well as prevailing wind or a Great Dane, the deeper you go per soil conditions.
Hey Eric,
Let this old dog teach you a new trick.
A little background first.
I sold Christmas trees for 15 years. I had 5-6 lots, and each one required at least 30-40 16' - 4" x 4"'s for perimeter, and interior lighting.
Using a post hole digger, we would get about 16" deep, set, and plumb the pole while filling it with concrete. Very tedious, and back breaking labor. And then there's the matter of removing them when the season's over.
Then one day, I had an Epiphany. Instead of concrete, we used "play sand" found at any home improvement store. It is a very fine granulated sand used in sand boxes.
It worked just as well as concrete with a little tamping. When it was time to remove the poles, we simply pulled them up, and they came out just as slick as can be.
It was a real game changer. Way less time, hard labor, and cheaper to boot.
Try it. You'll be amazed. After a couple of rains, or soaking with a hose, they get even stronger. You might have to top them off occasionally, but it's well worth it. Good Luck!
I had a similar concern and went with 2.5" and 3" steel posts (11 gauge for the line posts and 3/16" for the gate posts). Attached a cedar 2x4s to the faces, and then my fencing on to that. The steel worked out to about $50 a post (T&S Distribution here in Chicago), so not too much more than Cedar posts.
Not sure steel would last longer than cedar. Rust is a fast worker.