Ok, all you DIY heroes, time to help me rebuild my fence.

One of this year's wind storms took out a section of one of my fences. Upon examination, it became apparent that a rotten post had given way, and the weight of the sagging fence in the wind pulled out the screws holding the rails of said section in place. Time to rebuild the whole thing, by the looks of the neighboring posts. $hit.

This fence didn't appear to be too old, and it wasn't built to be top-heavy. It looks like the posts, which are located at the back of the vegetable garden, simply got too wet too often and rotted. To prevent a repeat event 5-10 years from now, I'd like to take whatever measures are available to protect the new posts from premature rot. I understand that concrete, with gravel underneath for drainage, is probably the best protection against rot. The trouble is, since we're always adding soil to the garden it's hard to build up the concrete high enough to stay above soil level over time.

I had a thought that "painting" a layer of concrete to a few inches above ground level on each post, prior to installation, might help at least some. Anyone else think this is a good/stupid idea or have a suggestion for something that might work better?

Thanks in advance....

Use treated posts. Rhino-line / spray rubber the ends of your fence posts to 6" above the soil line. Multiple heavy coats and then bury as normal. This quadruples the life of the post.

here's the most logical option. don't replace the fence and post a "no trespassing sign" i'd add the one that violators will be shot! your golden!

in all seriousness use galvanized pipe for posts. then use the brackets that will work with wood but also bolts to the pipe.

hope that makes sense.

I'm guessing this is a run-of-the mill pressure treated post/rail, and cedar board fence?

1- pressure treated posts should get you 5-10 years of good service and another 5-10 of bad service. Meaning they won't look great, and will be partially rotten but more or less will do the job. The standard Home Depot hem-fir pressure treated posts are not great material.

2- Steel galvanized or powder coated will last longer. You could get the kind with slats in the fence to hide from the neighbors.

3- Nice DF treated posts will last a lot longer at 3x the cost (or more). The stuff that the DOT buys.

4- If you are trying to retain garden soil a 12" retaining wall with the fence on top would be the bees knees.

5- paint or some kind of sealant is generally warranted, and yes, by painting prior to installation you can gain a bit of resistance.

I just built a new fence last summer same type of construction it looks great now (sealed cedar). It will look great in 5 years when I finally paint it. It will look fair 5 years after that when I decide I need to fix it or tear it down. It will look like garbage in 15 years when I finally do.

A neighbor and myself were maintaining a past service life cedar fence at my previous location.
Had some major tree damage one winter and decided to replace the damaged posts utilizing Simpson post bases.
The new posts were elevated 3/4" above the plate to ensure drainage.

It worked, although I haven't tried them on a grand scale.
Maybe this summer....I have another one to fix.

Can't remember the part number but they looked like this...

Well now y'all tell me! I researched as much as I could find online and went with pressure treated hem-fir posts like I did last time. I didn't know that DF treated posts are even available (where?). I only have 6 more posts to plant before progressing to the next step.

I think soil conditions are a huge factor affecting fencepost longevity. And I'm concerned that my soil conditions are prime for Rocket Red's prognostication. Now I'm wishin' I had something to coat the bottoms of these "treated" fence posts, but the last two fences I did with this kind of post have held up OK.

Speaking of fence posts, I'm really getting a workout. I have gravelly soil down to about 2 1/2', but my deer fence section is going to be 7'' high, so I'm sinking those posts 3' into the ground. That last half foot is some kind of super-compacted glacial granular deposit that is like digging through concrete. I whack the bottom of the hole with my 20# bar and loosen maybe 3/4" at a time. It takes as long to dig the last half foot as it does to dig the first 2 1/2'. Getting a good workout at least. And to think these posts won't look good for more than a decade makes me hurt.

Sg

I have 100's of fence posts that have been in the ground 25 years and learned from my grandpa who has 100's of that have been in the ground 60+ years . Dig your hole at least 1/3 the length of the post , more of it will carry a load. Don't fill the hole with the dirt use 5/8ths - or 3/4- to fill your post holes . Using the minus gravel with the fines allows you to pack it down tight. The gravel keeps the water away from the post better than the dirt. Grandpa used to also soak his post in motor oil in a 50 gallon drum.

Thanks for all the great input. I think I may have found a solution that works for me.

Home Depot

I think this must have been what Brewer was talking about. Galvanized posts cost at least twice as much as wood (and they're not as nice looking), but I like the idea of not having to dig or set posts for a long time. It looks like these will also make the task of replacing the wood later on reasonably easy (assuming the lag screws and bolts on the hardware aren't completely locked up).

I'll have to do a little measuring and head scratching to make sure these will work in my sloped yard, but I think if I "stagger" the rails a bit (more ugliness), I may be able to pull it off. Better make sure before I start buying stuff, I guess.

Looks like a good plan.
Get an instrument (builder's level, laser, etc) and see what your grade changes are.

Is it a steady slope, does it vary, level sections ?
Map it out in 8 foot sections (if that is your post spacing).
Before you start building you will know the elevation of each fence section.
Make the steps equal if possible.

If you don't want steps you can follow the grade.
Try to keep the angles flowing as smoothly as possible.

You will have to double up on clips if the sections are to step.
I would cut off the unused flanges with a peanut (4-1/2") grinder and cut-off wheel.
Grab a rattle can of Cold-Galv and hit the cut area of the clip.

The last fence I built was in 2001. 110 posts. I used 6x6 pole barn posts with a 60# bag of quickrete for every post. I was on a hillside with high winds at times. The fence never budged and is still strong. Make sure your bottom boards are 3 to 4" above grade.

I put my fence up in 1980. The East side of my yard is constantly wet, it is the low part of the yard, and at the drainage of about 7 acres. Being that it is the low part of the yard and on the alley, I chose to do a 6' fence on that side. I put salvaged 3/8" x 3 1/2" angle iron into holes that I had dug and that I had filled with concrete, and erected a 6' fence of fir 1x6's with a 3/8" gap between the fence boards. Two years ago, 32 years later I had no choice but to go back to fencing as the bottom of the posts, at the attachment points had become a hinge. When doing the repair I noticed that the posts had become 'punky' at the bottom, and that the cadmium plated fasteners had wasted where they were damp most of the time.

In the upper, West side of my yard, I erected a 4' fence of 1"X6"s , with a 4" gap. Being that the West side is the high side, and that that fence was lower I chose to put those posts into a hole with rocks at the bottom, for drainage, and a concrete perimeter at the top. Well, last year I had to replace my first post on that side of the yard. To my pleasant surprise I was able to extract to post in whole and place a new/recycled unit into its place without disrupting the supporting base.

This is important. cover the tops of your posts, keep them covered. Do not let them absorb water through the end grain.

What about rails? Cedar or Fir? Seems like fir sags less over time.

I like that 5-minute stain Chuck. And I'll call Premiere for pricing on cedar 1 x 6 and 1 x4.

Looks like a good place, Chuck. Thanks for the link. I'll look into it. If they can save me enough, I'll think about driving up there, but that's a long drive for me. I would rather give a local company my money any day, so....

Go chain link and "hire the guy" to do it. If privacy needed get the vinyl strips you weave in there.

I used to build fence (years ago) and I still do a couple fence jobs a year. Rochester Lumber is your best bet for materials.

Practical. And butt ugly. With or without the vinyl strips.

Black vinyl coated isn't too bad but that's an extra.

It comes down to opinion, and IMO any and all chain link fences are butt ugly, no matter what color the vinyl strips are.

No strips....it's the fabric and frame that is coated.
In black, they're not too bad.

Yeah. No way I'm going straight chain link. Ugly as sin and eats weedeater cord like nothing. Seems ugly lasts forever....

Galvanized posts may be semi-ghetto, but they'll last a lot longer than wood in this climate, so they get the call from this lazy bastard. Probably about what you should expect from a "fly fisherman" who will resort to "nymphing" when the going gets tough....

Thanks for the Rochester tip, CP. A good deal closer than Marysville and still NOT. Home Depot.