Watched a guy set a post with the gravel at the bottom of the hole

I was grabbing coffee at a gas station near a new build and saw a crew putting up a privacy fence. The guy digging the holes was putting the gravel in first, then setting the post on top of it. I almost yelled out the window, man. That's backwards. You set the post, then pack the gravel around the base for drainage before the concrete. If the gravel's on the bottom, water just sits in that little pocket and rots the wood faster. I learned that the hard way on a job in Springfield about five years ago when we had to replace a whole line of posts after just two winters. It's a small thing, but it makes a huge difference for how long the fence stands up. Anyone else see this mistake a lot, or am I just unlucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_nelson715d ago

Seen that exact thing cause a fence to fail. Water pools in the gravel pocket at the bottom and the post just soaks in it. Total rot magnet. My old boss would have fired a guy on the spot for that.

shane_park924d ago

Actually depends on the soil a bit. Putting some gravel at the bottom can help with drainage in really wet, clay-heavy ground. The key is to still have the post sitting on solid dirt, not just floating on a pile of rocks. I mean, you gotta make sure it's done right either way.

drew_mitchell5d ago

Agree with @mary_nelson71, that's how you get a spongy post in a year.