I was setting posts wrong for years until a concrete pour in Tacoma

I always just eyeballed my post holes and tamped the dirt back in by hand. On a job in Tacoma last month, the homeowner asked me to use a level on the post before the concrete set. I did, and it was a full inch off plumb. Now I set the post, pour the concrete, level it, and brace it for a full day before moving on. How many of you actually wait for the concrete to cure before attaching rails?

4 comments

4 Comments

logan6582mo ago

Man, that's a brutal way to find out. Did the homeowner give you a hard time about it, or were they cool? I'd be kicking myself for a week after seeing that inch off.

rowan_wells302mo ago

Honestly, I've never braced posts and my fences are still standing fine.

the_drew1mo ago

Wait, what kind of soil and climate are you working with? I live in sandy ground and skipped bracing once, had to dig up and re-set three posts two years later.

aaron_mitchell2mo ago

Tbh, "still standing fine" is how you end up with a wobbly gate in five years.