c/fence-erectors

Vent: That Tuesday in July where we hit solid rock for 20 straight post holes with a 2-man auger.

We had to switch to a rock bar and a demo hammer for the whole 150-foot cedar run, which added 8 hours and a ton of cussing to the job, so has anyone else had a stretch of ground that bad and how did you price it after the fact?

A homeowner in Bakersfield said my fence posts looked 'too perfect'

I was finishing a cedar privacy fence last week and the guy came out to look. He pointed at my posts and said, 'They look too perfect, like they were dropped in by a machine.' He meant the ground around them was too clean, with no backfill showing. It hit different because he was right, I was so focused on a clean line I wasn't packing the dirt tight enough for our dry, shifting soil. Has anyone else had a client point out a basic thing you were missing?

PSA: Don't trust a string line on a windy day

I was setting posts for a vinyl fence in Lincoln last spring, and a gust caught my line just as I was checking the last post. It looked perfect, but after the concrete set, the whole 40-foot section was off by almost an inch and a half. I had to pull two posts, which wasted a full bag of mix and half a day. Now I double-check with a laser level on anything over a breeze. What's your go-to for keeping things straight when the weather turns?

Appreciation post: I used to set all my posts in concrete without a gravel base...

Watched a 20 year old cedar fence I built in Boise start to lean after just 3 winters, and the inspector pointed straight at the soggy clay under the footings. Anyone else in a wet climate skip the gravel and regret it later?

Why does nobody talk about cedar posts splitting after a single season in dry climates?

I mean, I had a whole line of them in a Phoenix job last fall start cracking by spring, so now I'm switching to pressure-treated pine for anything out there and wondering if anyone else has a better fix.

Serious question, has anyone else given up on the 'one man post driver' for anything over 4x4 posts?

I used to think those manual drivers were fine for small jobs, but a project in Austin with 6x6 cedar posts changed my mind. After three posts, my shoulder felt like I'd been in a fight. Rented a gas powered driver for the next day and finished the whole line before lunch. What do you guys use for the big stuff?

Saw a fence in Savannah that made me stop my car

I was driving through the old district there last week and saw this beautiful, curved picket fence around a corner lot. It must have been about 80 feet long, following the bend of the sidewalk perfectly. The pickets were cut on a curve at the top, not just straight, and the whole thing looked original to the house (which was built in 1890, according to the plaque). It got me thinking about the skill it took to build that before modern tools. Has anyone here ever had to replicate a historic fence like that, and how did you figure out the curves?

My dad told me to always use a string line for a straight run, but on a 200 foot job in Austin I tried eyeballing it and had to pull out 30 posts.

My uncle told me to always dig the first post hole by hand, not with the auger. Thought he was nuts. Did it on a slope job in Spokane last Tuesday. Found a buried gas line marker 8 inches down.

A client in Boise called my post hole spacing 'lazy' and he was right.

I used to space posts at 8 feet for every wooden privacy fence. Thought it was the standard, saved on posts and concrete. Did a job for a guy last fall, he watched me set the first few and just said 'That looks lazy. Wind here will push that whole section over in five years.' He was talking about the strong gusts that come down from the hills. I argued at first, said my way was fine. But he insisted on 6 foot centers for his whole run. I did it, charged more for the extra materials. We got a nasty wind storm this past spring. His fence didn't budge. My old 8-foot spacing jobs? Had three calls for repairs on similar runs in the same area. Now I always ask about local wind patterns first. For high wind zones, I go 6 feet no question. What other local conditions make you change your standard spacing?

Pro tip: double check your post hole digger rental agreement

I got charged an extra $75 for a late return because the yard closed early on a holiday. The clock started when they closed, not when I actually brought it back. Anyone else run into weird rental rules like that?

I thought those new composite fence posts were just a gimmick, but a job in Phoenix changed my mind

We had a client last month who insisted on composite posts for a long run of privacy fence. I figured they'd be flimsy and warp in the heat, just another overpriced trend. The supplier gave us a sample and said to try driving one with the post pounder. It went in like butter and felt solid as a rock. We did the whole 150-foot line with them, and after seeing how straight they set and knowing they won't rot, I'm a convert. Has anyone else made the switch, or are you still sticking with pressure-treated wood?

A comment from an old guy in Topeka made me rethink post holes.

I was setting a line of cedar posts for a ranch fence, using my power auger and going about 30 inches deep. This retired farmer, Mr. Jenkins, watched for a minute and said, 'You're digging them too neat. The sides are like glass.' He told me to rough up the sides of the hole with my shovel after augering, so the concrete can grip better and stop frost heave. I started doing that on every job north of I-70 and haven't had a single post shift since. Anyone else pick up a simple trick like that from an old timer?

Had to pick between cedar and composite for a big job in Boise

The client wanted a fence that looked good but needed almost no care. I was stuck between real cedar and a composite board I had not used before. I went with the composite because the price was close and the warranty was 25 years. It went up fast, but the hidden clips were a pain to line up on the first section. Anyone have a trick for keeping those composite rail clips straight before you screw them in?

A client in Austin made me rethink how I mark for post holes

For years, I just used a string line and a tape measure, maybe a can of spray paint if I was feeling fancy. It worked, but I'd always end up adjusting a post or two by hand because something was a hair off. Then, about three months ago, I was putting in a cedar fence for a guy who used to survey land. He watched me set up for a minute and said, 'You know, a plumb bob and some stakes would save you that back-and-forth walk.' I felt kind of dumb for not thinking of it. Now I drive a stake at each corner, run my string, and use a plumb bob to drop my mark straight down from the string intersection. It adds maybe five minutes to the setup, but I haven't had to tweak a single post position since. The line is always dead on. Has anyone else picked up a simple trick like that from a client?

Just realized I've been setting posts wrong for years because of one stubborn habit.

I was helping my cousin in Omaha reset a section of his privacy fence that had leaned, and he pointed out I was still using the old 'eyeball it' method for plumb instead of checking with a level on two adjacent sides. That moment in his muddy backyard totally flipped a switch for me. Do you think sticking with a fast, familiar method is ever worth the risk of a sloppy finish?

Rant: A neighbor said 'just sink the posts, the ground will hold them' and I cringed

I was grabbing a coffee yesterday and overheard a guy telling his buddy he was going to build his own privacy fence. He said he didn't need concrete for the posts because the dirt in our area is 'good enough'. We get serious freeze-thaw cycles here in Springfield, and I've seen so many fences lean or fail from that. It takes one bad winter to push those posts right out of the ground. I wanted to say something, but it wasn't my place. How do you guys handle situations where you see a DIY project about to go really wrong? Do you ever step in?

A client in Springfield insisted on cedar posts for a chain link fence

I thought it was a total waste of money and told them pressure-treated pine would hold up just fine. But after five years, they sent me a picture and those cedar posts still looked brand new, no rot at the ground line at all. Anyone else had a customer's weird request actually prove you wrong?

I thought those new composite fence boards were just a fad

For years I stuck with cedar, thinking anything else was a cheap copy. Then a client in Austin insisted on composite for a full backyard job, about 200 linear feet. I figured it would feel flimsy, but after we put it up, the stuff was rock solid and the color went all the way through. That was two summers ago, and I drove by that house last week. The fence looks exactly the same, no warping or fading, while the cedar one next door is already gray and leaning. Has anyone else done a long term side by side comparison like that?

Pro tip: an old timer in Omaha told me I was setting my posts wrong for clay soil

He saw me digging a standard 3-foot hole and said, 'Kid, you need to go deeper and wider here, or that frost heave will push it right out in a year.' I started digging 4-foot holes with a wider bell shape at the bottom and backfilling with gravel for drainage. That was ten years ago, and those posts are still straight. Anyone else have to change their basic method for a specific soil type?

Remember when we used to fight with that old post hole digger for every single hole?

I mean, back when I first started, maybe 15 years ago, we had this one job putting in a split rail fence on a rocky slope in Asheville. The two-man auger just kept binding and kicking, and we were wrecked by lunch. Out of pure frustration, I tried something dumb. I brought a 5-gallon bucket of water to the site and started pouring a half-gallon into each hole after we got about a foot down. It made a muddy mess, but idk, it let the clay and small stones wash up and pack to the sides instead of jamming the auger. We finished the last 20 holes in half the time. It's such a simple thing, but I still do a version of it with a hose on dry, hard ground. Anyone else have a weird 'wet' trick for tough soils?

Had a gate hinge shear clean off a cedar fence in a windstorm last night.

It was a 4-inch heavy duty brass hinge from a local supplier, and now I'm looking for a stronger steel replacement that can handle our coastal gusts.

Had a treated 4x4 snap clean at the ground line on a job in Tacoma last week

It was a post I'd set myself maybe eight years back, and the rot just got it from the inside out. I guess the newer pressure treatments just don't hold up like the old CCA stuff did. Anyone else seeing this happen on older installs?

A client in Boise pointed out my post spacing was off by a full inch

He said his dog kept getting its head stuck because the gaps were too wide. I was using a 6 inch block as a guide, but it turns out the ground was uneven and I wasn't checking each section. Now I measure every single gap with a tape before I move on. Anyone else had a picky client catch a basic mistake like that?

Just spent $200 on a 'ground penetrating radar' app for my phone

Saw an ad for this app that claimed it could find underground pipes and wires before you dig. Bought it, tried it on a job in Springfield last Tuesday. The thing just beeped randomly over a patch of grass... ended up hitting a sprinkler line anyway. Had to pay for the repair myself. Anyone know a real way to check for utilities that doesn't involve a phone app?