c/fence-erectors

Just hit 500 linear feet of cedar fencing installed in a single week... by myself. That number feels impossible.

A job in Boulder last month taught me to always check the frost line

We were setting 8-foot cedar posts for a ranch style fence and hit solid rock about 18 inches down. The homeowner was sure the frost line was only 12 inches there, but my old code book said 24. Had to rent a demo hammer to go deeper, which added a day and about $300 to the job. How do you guys handle rocky soil when the specs call for a deeper hole?

My neighbor in Austin convinced me to stop using 4x4s for every corner post

He showed me how a 6x6 on a windy corner he put in 5 years ago hasn't budged an inch, while my 4x4s on a similar lot are already leaning. Anyone else switch to bigger posts for high-stress spots?

Can we talk about the moment you realized you were setting posts wrong?

I was using a 4-foot level on a 6-foot cedar fence line in Denver last Tuesday when my old foreman stopped by, pointed at my string line, and said 'you're checking plumb on the wrong side of the post, you'll be fighting that lean forever', and I felt like a total rookie lol.

Just finished my 100th cedar fence install in this town

I was looking over my books last night and the number jumped out at me. That's 100 cedar fences in just this one town over the last five years. I remember the first one was a nightmare, took me three days and I messed up the post spacing. Now I can knock out a basic run in a day. It's wild to see how much you can improve without even noticing. Anyone else hit a number that made them stop and think?

Just lost a whole morning in Austin to a hidden concrete footing

Tbh, I was setting a post and the auger hit something solid, turned out to be an old slab from a shed the homeowner 'forgot' to mention. Anyone else have a good way to check for buried junk before you start digging?

A fence in Savannah showed me why we need to talk about ground contact more

I was checking out a historic district in Savannah, Georgia, and saw a beautiful cedar fence that was completely rotted at the bottom for about six inches up. The homeowner told me it was only five years old, but they'd set the posts directly in soil without any gravel or barrier. It really drives home how fast untreated wood can go when it's wet all the time. What's your go-to method for protecting the bottom of a picket fence in a damp area?

A lady in Cincinnati offered me a plate of spaghetti through her fence while I was setting posts.

She just slid it under the gate and said 'you look hungry, honey' before I could even get a word out, and honestly, it was the best lunch I've had on a job site.

Just realized I was wrong about those cheap post hole diggers

Bought a $30 manual auger from a hardware store for a small job, thinking it would be junk. It cut through the clay in my client's yard faster than my old heavy-duty one. Anyone else have a tool they thought would be trash that actually worked okay?

Appreciation post: A homeowner in Springfield changed how I think about post holes

I was putting in a cedar fence for this older guy, and I was using my usual method of digging down about two feet. He came out with a coffee, watched for a minute, and said, 'You know, the frost line here is 36 inches. My last fence looked like a roller coaster after two years.' I checked the local code when I got back to the truck, and he was totally right. I've been going deeper on every job since. How many of you adjust your hole depth based on the local frost line?

So I was setting a post in this super rocky yard in Boulder last week and the auger just... stopped. Like, hit something solid and the whole rig shuddered. My helper looked at me and said, 'That's not dirt.' What's your go-to move when you hit an unexpected rock shelf?

Saw a fence in a new subdivision that made me question a common rule

I was driving through the new Oakridge development last month and saw a whole street of vinyl fences set with posts only 6 feet apart. Everyone says 8 feet is the standard for strength, but these looked rock solid even after that big wind storm we had. The crew must have used deeper holes or a better concrete mix, because not a single section was leaning. Has anyone else seen closer spacing work better in certain spots, or is 8 feet still the golden rule no matter what?

Shoutout to my old boss who told me to always use a 4-foot level for vinyl fence posts

Honestly, I thought he was just being picky when he said that 2-foot levels were for amateurs. Last summer on a big job in Tampa, I tried using my smaller level to save time setting 30 posts. Ngl, by the time we got to the last section, the whole line had a visible wave in it. Had to pull up and reset 8 posts, which cost me an extra day and about $400 in labor. So, is a 4-foot level really a must-have for vinyl, or was my technique just off that day? What's your go-to tool for keeping a long run straight?

Can we talk about the time a neighbor's fence in Savannah taught me about drainage

I was looking at a cedar fence that had rotted at the posts after just 3 years, and the owner said he'd just backfilled the holes with the dirt he dug out. Seeing that made me start adding a 6-inch gravel base in every hole now, no exceptions. Anyone else have a go-to method for keeping posts dry in wet soil?

Update: A job in Boise made me rethink the whole 'dig by hand' rule for post holes.

I was setting a cedar fence for a client near the river last fall. The ground looked soft, so I started with the auger like always. Hit a layer of old river rock about 18 inches down that the machine just bounced off. I spent half a day trying to chip through it by hand. My helper finally said, 'Why don't we just move the line back six inches?' We did, and the holes were clear. I used to think you never adjust the line for the ground, but that job changed my mind. When do you all decide to shift a post location instead of fighting the dirt?

Saw a crew in my town using the wrong post mix for a vinyl fence and it's bugging me

They were putting up a vinyl privacy fence on a corner lot near the park last week and using regular concrete mix for the posts. I watched them pour it right from the bag. That stuff holds water and can crack the vinyl sleeves when it freezes. You need the fast-setting stuff with the gravel in it, the kind that drains. I almost went over to say something but it wasn't my job. Has anyone else had to fix a leaning vinyl fence because of bad concrete?

Had to choose between cedar and composite for a big job in Springfield

The client wanted a 200-foot privacy fence and was stuck between cedar and a composite material. I pushed for cedar because the ground there is pretty damp and I've seen composite boards warp after a few wet winters. We finished it last Friday and the homeowner already texted me saying it looks perfect. Anyone else have a strong opinion on cedar vs. composite for humid areas?

Hot take: I thought I could eyeball a 6-foot post hole in wet clay.

I was setting a line of cedar posts in my own backyard in Tacoma after a heavy rain, and the whole first one just tipped over like a drunk sailor when I leaned the rail on it. I ended up having to dig them all out and start over with a proper level and a bag of quick-set mix for each one. How do you guys deal with unstable soil when you're on a tight schedule?

My uncle said to always set posts in concrete, even for a basic chain link job.

He claimed it was the only way to stop leaning over time. I did a 200 foot run in a new development last spring and followed his advice. The ground was heavy clay and after the first big rain, three posts cracked right at the base from the pressure. A guy I met at a supply house later said in that soil, you need to use gravel for drainage and let the posts flex a bit. Who's right here, the concrete camp or the gravel crew?

That one time a simple gate latch took me three hours to figure out

I was putting up a cedar fence for a client in Springfield last month, a pretty standard six-foot privacy job. The whole thing went smooth until I got to the double gate at the end of the driveway. I installed a heavy-duty latch, the kind with the vertical rod that drops into the ground. Got it all mounted, closed the gate... and it was a full inch and a half off. The rod wouldn't line up with the hole in the concrete. I checked my post levels, my hinge alignment, everything. I must have taken that latch off and put it back on five times, shimming and adjusting. The problem was the ground had a slight slope I didn't account for, so when the gate swung shut, it settled differently than when it was propped open. I finally fixed it by putting a small wedge under the latch side of the gate frame before I drilled the final holes. Has anyone else had a gate fight them over something that seemed so simple?

I finally understood why my boss always checks for frost heave in early spring

Last Tuesday in Grand Rapids, we set a 40-foot section of cedar privacy fence that looked perfect by 5 PM. Came back the next morning and the whole line had shifted almost two inches out of plumb. The ground had thawed overnight and the frost pushed the posts up. My boss just pointed at the ground and said, 'Told you so.' Has anyone else had a job ruined by a quick thaw like that?

Shoutout to the crew that helped me with a tricky cedar fence in Boulder last month

We had a job on a steep hill in Boulder where the grade changed by almost 4 feet over a 40 foot run. The client wanted a level top line on a 6 foot tall cedar privacy fence. My usual method of stepping the panels just wasn't going to cut it. Another crew working a few houses down saw me scratching my head and came over. They showed me how to rack the fence by angling the posts and cutting the rails to follow the slope. It took us an extra day, but the final look was perfect and the client was thrilled. Has anyone else had to rack a long fence on a big slope, and what's your go-to method?

I was wrong about using a 3-inch auger for all my post holes

For years I used a 3-inch bit for every 4x4 post, thinking it was fine. Then I did a job in Springfield last month where the soil was pure clay, and half the posts had a slight wobble after a week. My buddy convinced me to switch to a 6-inch bit for the bottom foot and fill it with concrete, and the difference in stability is night and day. Has anyone else found that a wider base is needed for certain soils?

Had a client in Dayton last month who insisted their property line was marked by a single, ancient oak tree.

After we set the posts and started stringing line, the neighbor came out with a 1920s survey map showing the actual line was 15 feet into what we'd just fenced, and the old tree was just where their grandpa liked to park his truck.

The way we set posts has changed a lot in just ten years.

I was looking at a fence I put up in 2014, and the posts are all set in concrete. Back then, that was just how you did it, no question. Now, on a job in Cedar Rapids last month, we used a foam post mix for the first time. It set up faster in the cold and the client liked the cleaner look. Has anyone else made the switch, and how do you find it holds up over time?