Fence Post Holes

[GWN7]

A friend of mine decided he wants a fence (actually his wife did) and she asked for recommendations of builders. I said why don't you build it yourself and talked myself into a job. My friend is a mechanic and knows which end of a hammer to use, just no time. So now I have about 220' of fencing to build. She wanted cedar but changed her mind when I started quoting $$'s.

I don't drill and set posts but I know a guy who does .....or so I thought. Last job the driller did last year he blew the motor on his self propelled auger machine. He was told it would be $4,000 to rebuild it and as he turned 65 years old he said screw it "I'm retired".

So I'm looking for a new driller and the prices I've been quoted are high. $15 a 4" hole to drill, $15 a 4" post to set, $5 a post for gravel and $4 a hole to clean up the drilling mud. I think we will need 30 holes and at $39 a hole that's $1170.

What do you pay where you live?

[drcoastline]

I look for used fence on Craig's list, often free from fence companies and I rent an auger for around $100.00 per day.

[recycled sixtie]

Just a few thoughts here. Make sure you know where the property boundaries are. Is another survey needed or can you locate the survey pins? This is not a one man job as it sounds like it needs two men.

I have built fences myself but not as many holes as your project. I have hand augured all the holes but that takes time. Obviously with that many holes a motor auger is necessary and two beefy men one on each side.

Once the holes are drilled then it helps to have two men to put the posts in a line and straight. A business doing this kind of work would probably get it straighter than I ever could. You could get a business to do it totally or you could be a helper. With the motor auger drilling sometimes you can catch a rock. That is where the young muscle helps as the machine can give a good kick. Get two or three quotes and preferably a referral as well.

[Baz]

You can buy your own 2-cycle earth auger plus auger for under $300.

Here's just the power head from Northern Tool. You can also buy from local box stores if you have them like Home Depot and Lowes.

Or you can just rent one as drcoastline suggested.

You can build the fence using pre-fabbed sections - usually made in 8' lengths...or buy the lumber yourself.

Either way you'll want the 2-cycle auger and 4x4's for the posts.

Bunch of videos on You Tube that might help. Not hard to do if you are handy with tools. I did mine over 10 years ago - no concrete in post holes - and my fence is still holding up.

My suggestion is to use deck screws (& star bit) for fasteners instead of nails. Easier to use and hold up better.

[Evans, Marv]

Home Depot has(had) Ground Hog, tow behind hole augers for rent. I bought one they were selling off from the rental inventory (bought for $900 and sold later on for $1,200). Great machine. A 9 hp. Honda engine powers a hydraulic pump to turn the auger. Takes different size augers & extensions, has forward and backward and very powerful & can be operated by one person. Investigate that if you have 30 holes to drill out.

[GWN7]

Thanks everyone for the building and auger tips but I built fences and decks as a subcontractor for a guy I worked with on a commercial basis for about 5 years. The two man gas powered augers are wrist busters and as I said in the original post I don't drill and set.

The Ground Hog units are out of California and retail for about $1,900 new. There is another similar unit from Texas and they want $4,500 for theirs. Top of the line is a Toro unit coming in at about $28,000 There is the China knockoffs for about $8,000

Home Depot still rents the Ground Hog units for $109 a day

What I was interested in was how much do people charge to drill and set posts in your area?

[Bill Douglas]

If you do do it yourself do be careful. No lose clothing etc etc. There have been some horrible accidents.

I dig them by hand but then I'm a kiwi and we do that sort of stuff just for play

[Evans, Marv]

Can't say how much the charge is to drill & set posts in my area, since just about everybody does it as a DIY project.

[ckelly78z]

We rented a two person powered auger for putting wooden fence posts about 2" into the ground. I think it was only $99 to rent it on Saturday morning, which gave us until Monday morning to drill our holes. It took some time and effort, but evidently saved $1000.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

I look for used fence on Craig's list

I saw a flatbed semi-trailer full of used fence boards today.

[widebody911]

Last spring I replaced my back fence. I used 14 12' schedule 80 galvanized poles, 4' into the ground with about 6 bags of concrete each. I dug them by hand.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Last spring I replaced my back fence. I used 14 12' schedule 80 galvanized poles, 4' into the ground with about 6 bags of concrete each. I dug them by hand.

Your fence height is 8' then? Nice!

What diameter pipe did you use?

How far apart did you set the poles?

And what did you use for the actual fencing material?

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

If you do do it yourself do be careful. No lose clothing etc etc. There have been some horrible accidents.

I dig them by hand but then I'm a kiwi and we do that sort of stuff just for play

It might cost more than 39 dollars to dig a single hole by hand, depending on the soil, and what your time is worth.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by Baz

You can buy your own 2-cycle earth auger plus auger for under $300.

Here's just the power head from Northern Tool. You can also buy from local box stores if you have them like Home Depot and Lowes.

Or you can just rent one as drcoastline suggested.

You can build the fence using pre-fabbed sections - usually made in 8' lengths...or buy the lumber yourself.

Either way you'll want the 2-cycle auger and 4x4's for the posts.

Bunch of videos on You Tube that might help. Not hard to do if you are handy with tools. I did mine over 10 years ago - no concrete in post holes - and my fence is still holding up.

My suggestion is to use deck screws (& star bit) for fasteners instead of nails. Easier to use and hold up better.

What did you put in the holes, Baz? Sand?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

What did you put in the holes, Baz? Sand?

Just the loose dirt that came out when I augered the holes, Don.

Of course in Florida...our dirt IS sand!

I used a homemade watering device to get all the air out and wash the dirt in. Piece of 1/2" PVC pipe with a shutoff and hose thread connector at one end - to hook up the hose. Pipe is about 4' long. I use it to water in my landscape plantings.

Here's the adapter (3/4" hose thread to 1/2' PVC):



And here's the shutoff:



Mine has a 1/2' PVC elbow to the shutoff assemble to give me a little handle too but that's optional.

Auger hole....measure depth until right...drop in post...back fill loosely....use level to check vertical N-S and E-W.....then water in until soil is washed in all the way. let drain overnight. next day install fence panels.

And Robert is your dad's brother!

[GWN7]

Up here I use 1/4 down limestone. Our soil is mostly clay. The limestone locks together like concrete but unlike concrete it allows water to drain away. Always put some in the bottom of the hole to raise the wood post up off the ground. Then put the post in the hole. Add enough material to go around 1/3 of the post and then tamp it down with a lining bar. This sets the post and allows you to level it on both sides. Then add another 1/3 of the material to the hole and tamp it down again. Rechecking the level. Fill the rest of the hole and tamp.

Never use concrete as it creates a bucket effect for wooden posts effectively trapping the post in any water causing it to rot.

The new thing being touted to set posts is a 2 part foam. You mix the foam and pour it into the hole with the post in place. Scrap wood is used to set the levels. An hour later the foam is set and you can start building. It is supposed to be better than concrete for grip strength but like concrete it might trap water next to the post causing rot.

[Tobra]

Thom, you dug 4' deep holes in the ground in Carmichael? Either you are lucky and the hard pan is more than 4' down or you had a line on some dynamite to loosen things up. We rented one of those gas powered augers when we did my sister's fence

[rusnak]

I would definitely check the corner monuments first. Know where the property line is.

The holes are at least 6", not 4", which is the post width. They only need to be 2' deep.

I use a guy who runs a bobcat drilling company.

We usually do 300 holes, and run around 300' of trench every year. I'd say the total cost for around 3 hours of work runs to less than $400, which includes travel to and from the shop.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

It might cost more than 39 dollars to dig a single hole by hand, depending on the soil, and what your time is worth.

Oh so true. And my brag about digging post holes was from days gone by when I was a much younger pup.

[look 171]

Once in a while , we will build these stupid elaborate fences/gates for my deep pocket clients. I hire a fence contractor and have them dig the holes and we set the poles ourselves because I like / need then to be perfectly plumb and spaced exactly a certain distance apart or else my finish panels may look off. Last time I did this they charges me 900 bucks and was done in one day with two guys. This was on a pretty steep hill side. About 25 holes 4' deep

Don't know if you have this up in Winnipeg, but we have these 1 yard premixed concrete that you can haul on a trailer from the yard to the job site. I think max was 1.5 yard. Its a life saver not having to mix and shovel.