Building a fence with concrete fence posts - Concrete fencing posts

[Ted]

I am building a fence using concrete fence posts and I have never used these before.

As some on here have slated "Postcrete" as being over priced I thought I would save a few quid and use ballast and cement to set the posts in.

However, a small complication I have encountered is that I can't nail some braces into these posts to hold them in place whilst the concrete goes off. When I build a fence using wooden posts I normally nail some bits of timber around the post and use them to stabilise the post and hold it in position whilst I pour in the concrete. So I have been placing bricks in the hole to help support the posts and then pouring the concrete in. But this is a pain in the backside as the posts are bloody heavy.

How does a professional fencer whack these posts in with speed?

I have been considering knocking up a dry mix and pouring that in the hole to support the post and then pouring a wet mix on top. Or perhaps just use drymix only? Any advice is appreciated as I just want to get these bloody heavy posts in!

[Dave_L]

I've put up a fence with concrete posts recently - dig down 600mm and fill to just below surface with gen1 30 slump concrete (quite dry), level them up, check height against string line, then leave them well alone.

[Ted]

Thanks.

Can you just expand on that gen1 slump 30 comment?

I know what a slump test is when you pour concrete into a a slump test cone and see how much it spreads but I don't have one. I presume you mean a fairly dryish mix? Gen 1 - do you mean Type 1 OPC?

The posts I have to insert are 7ft long. The fence is 5ft so I only really have 2ft in the ground (ie, about 600mm) like you say. Is this enough in your experience? I normally try and put a third of the post in the ground so am a bit under with these posts.

[Stuarty]

When we put posts in, we usually dont brace them. Normally we use a 6:3:1 mix semidry so basically the mix is damp. With an 8 foot post we will put 2 foot in the ground, key is having a tight, deep hole with the concrete well packed in. The speediest way is 2 guys thought. One barrowing and shovelling the other just beading up the posts.

[lutonlagerlout]

if i do concrete posts and gravel boards i usually do the panels as i go then these can be braced,even with feather edge fencing the arris rails can still be braced, i see lads putting all the posts in first and to me this is a dangerous game,there isnt a lot of play in fencing
cheers LLL

[Stuarty]

when we put up panels we do the panels and posts at the same time. But 9 times out of 10 we put up post + rail or slatted fences. Hate using panels, specially when they aint made square!

[Ted]

Well I just ended up bracing the posts as best I could and the fence is great - happy client and all. Maybe I will try bracing the posts too next time.

I also used Ferrocrete so the concrete went off very quickly which helped, but that would help with wooden posts too.

I agree thaat putting all the posts in one day and slotting in the panels the next is potentially opening up a big problem on the second day. I've never fancied that approach.

[lutonlagerlout]

i learnt that one by making the mistake myself,and also when i was 17 i agreed to do a fence and dug all the holes (12) out first ,thinking it would make life easier==> doh
in fact most of the big cock ups i have made have been working at home or on "love" jobs
i think stuarty said if you dont make a mistake you have never tried
and oh how i tried when i was a youth
LOL
LLL