Fencing and posts

[Kram]

Theres not much left of the posts to reuse.. See the previous picture! Nice idea though if they were suitable.

I'm about to remove a post or two and see the state of the hole. If I am lucky we will have been wrong about them being concreted in. It was a very long time ago.

 

[8ob]

If I use standard width panels there will be 5 panels and a short 1 foot end section, which is currently at the bottom. If I move the short section to the top, the post holes should end up just before the previous ones.

Actually 6 panels, but the first is a bigger slat style and original 1970's, along with an original concrete post. The rest of the original fence was a 2 foot high wire fence thing, done for cheapness I believe.

The old posts lasted about 30 years! Admittedly they were held up by 3 inch thick ivy.

So theres no good way of knocking a timber post back into a concrete hole that was poured around the previous posts?

If that old fence is thirty years old it will be laid out for imperial panels, old post holes will be out of synch within three posts anyway.

Bob

 

[octo0072000]

also is there any gas pipes electric or drains in the back yard area
ours has a gas pipe half way down and sewer pipe had to chop a panel for that

 

[Erie Fred]

Theres not much left of the posts to reuse.. See the previous picture! Nice idea though if they were suitable.

I'm about to remove a post or two and see the state of the hole. If I am lucky we will have been wrong about them being concreted in. It was a very long time ago.

This is a welding forum no ?
If the rotten wood will come out of the concrete, why not welding up a stake to be driven
down in there, with an angle or socket welded on top to engage a wood post ?
Bring it up the side of the wood by a foot or higher, holes in it for screws into the wood.

 

[bricol]

This is a welding forum no ?
If the rotten wood will come out of the concrete, why not welding up a stake to be driven
down in there, with an angle or socket welded on top to engage a wood post ?
Bring it up the side of the wood by a foot or higher, holes in it for screws into the wood.

You can get Metpost repair spikes - but if the wood in the ground is rotten, there's not much point. Same with angle sections to drive down in the corners and screw to the post above ground.

 

[jo1010]

This company’s timber has a 25 year guarantee.

Until you try to claim on guarantee and are told (rightly) that they have no control of the installation practices

 

[Erie Fred]

You can get Metpost repair spikes - but if the wood in the ground is rotten, there's not much point. Same with angle sections to drive down in the corners and screw to the post above ground.

I thought I wrote "If the rotten wood will come out of the concrete"......
angle sections on each side are going to be wider than the wood, agreed.

Hence I suggested:
A DIY welded piece small enough to fit in the existing hole, and then transition
outwards above the concrete can have angles on 2 corners, and still fit in a narrow space in the concrete.

Like this, only skinnier, and then coming up higher on the sides for the wood:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oz-Post-24-in-Bulk-Galvanized-Steel-Mailbox-Post-Anchor-30700/205142238

 

[steveo3002]

get a kango and smash up the concrete , makes light work of it and then reuse the broken bits as hardcore , nothing looks worse that when someone cuts off the posts and spaces out the new ones in between

 

[ms08]

I have just done this with some pain - managed to drill out the timber from some old posts and then chipped away at the concrete so the new posts could drop in (slightly larger) and then added some postcrete to secure.
Two posts were surprising not rotten given their age and had to come out and I had to use a cheap hammer drill/kango as above i bought on ebay for £50 - took a while with help of my neighbour who's fence it was, to break up the concrete - was harder than removing the rotten post ends - but i was in no hurry.
Mine was similar with the ivy holding up the old rotten panels. I cut down a 1.8m panel to 1.2m by removing the end battens and re-fixing to correct size and then trimming off with a saw.
I too had thought of off setting the posts but decided not the best option in the end. Took a couple of weekends to do about 15LM

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

get a kango and smash up the concrete ,

+1 This is the way to go if the old ones are cement...buy a cheap kango from Screwfix. From experience that old cement post at the end will have a load of cement in the base!

Doing it by hand is only worthwhile if you're being paid by the week on the job.

 

[Kram]

Had a proper look earlier, lifted out two of the rotten posts. I cant see any concrete in or around the holes, just mud and ivy root. Plan is to use the engine auger to drill them deeper, new concrete posts and post mix. Concrete gravel boards, which with the slope are likely to be a pain.

I feel it would look better with the short 1 foot section of fence away from house so may start the other way.

If that old fence is thirty years old it will be laid out for imperial panels, old post holes will be out of synch within three posts anyway.

Bob

Have sizes changed? I was under impression that panels were generally 6 foot long?

 

[8ob]

Have sizes changed? I was under impression that panels were generally 6 foot long?

A bit but the big difference which throws it is the use of slotted concrete posts, the two slots on a concrete post in effect narrow the post. If swapping out the typical wooden fence post you will loose about two inches a post which stacks up if you are wanting to use the original post holes.

Bob

 

[addjunkie]

A bit but the big difference which throws it is the use of slotted concrete posts, the two slots on a concrete post in effect narrow the post. If swapping out the typical wooden fence post you will loose about two inches a post which stacks up if you are wanting to use the original post holes.

Bob

Id not use panels, use concrete posts, bolt rails on, then use boards with 3/4 inch gaps. That way you dont need gaps to be spot on to fit panels and no panel cutting.

 

[pint]

new panels are usually 1800mm, or about a batten shorter than a genuine 6ft panel

you can guess how i bodge new panels to fit

 

[brightspark]

new panels are usually 1800mm, or about a batten shorter than a genuine 6ft panel

you can guess how i bodge new panels to fit

just cut some off the pannel and re nail the lats on the end its not a bodge .quick as well if u have a nail gun

 

[pint]

just cut some off the pannel and re nail the lats on the end its not a bodge .quick as well if u have a nail gun

going the other way, new shorter panel in between concrete posts set at 6ft. need a little extra on the side

 

[Keithmac]

When mine needed doing it was because the fence posts had rotted out and as you say digging the old ones our is a none starter really.

I went a bit left-field when rebuilding it.

Decent size deep holes bit of gravel in the bottom, set the post and then pack it with gravel.

The fence hasn't moved at all in the last 5 years and if the posts ever need replacing IncN just pull them straight up and out, clear the hole and start again..

 

[Kram]

I'm not sure gravel will work too well holding up concrete posts, and anyway, the posts will hopefully last the life of these properties, so that is the plan. If its done well it will never need to be done again, just replace panels.

Another idea I like is, instead of a fence, to plant a row of Thuja on the boundry line. They would need to be kept well trimmed as these are only small gardens, not really space to have it and a boundry fence. It would give a habbitat for the birds that used to nest here.

Anyway technically it is the neighbours fence on our left so its his choice and he is paying for it..

 

[Kram]

That neighbours fence is complete however I have stupidly agreed to do a friends fence repair of three posts. I had a brief look, sent her a screenshot of the parts needed, and she sent me the money before I could say anything

At first I assumed the wooden posts were just in the ground, and ordered concrete replacements, easy I thought! Good excuse to use the auger.

I was mistaken. The previous 3" wooden posts were concreted in with proper poured concrete, formed blocks as an alternative to gravel boards. Fair enough if they used concrete posts, but wooden posts, terrible idea.

I changed my order to 3" wood posts.

I attempted to remove the rotten stubs by screwing several 5" coach screws and pulling them equally (climbing cord scaffold and clove hitches, and a big lever). The bolts pulled straight out.. The next plan is to ram in some sharpened steel tube, to the bottom, and pull that out along with the rot.

Should I knock in the new posts/galve post spike/bolt on post holder or what?

The other problem, end post is a concrete slotted type, at wrong angle and the panel would be better off to the side. I could fit a timber to screw to the post in the slot and a spare arris railshould get near the correct angle. What to use for the attachement to concrete, I am thinking resin studs.

 

[Kram]

Worse. She tells me she couldnt get anyone to come out to quote for such a small job of two panels/two posts!
Still, it is a small job and for a good friend I dont mind. I would be quite annoyed with myself if I didnt have it complete tomorrow.