UPDATE/PROBLEM: advice to build a wooden fence?

[Wheatmaster]

i'm going to build a wooden fence in my backyard during my spring break. its going to be 50 feet long and 6 feet high. i already got the permit. What do i need and how should i go about to do this? Thanks.

argh i've got a problem now. i was planning to buy the materials on thursday and i probably still am. the problem is that my parents are arguing that i shouldn't have to dig a 42" hole for each post like the guy at home depot said. they claim that a foot or so should do it. what's the correct depth i have to dig???

 

[Ikonomi]

You need a few bags of concrete, a post hole digger of some sort (manual or electric or gas or whatever), some sturdy posts and some sturdy rails, the fence boards, a level, a tape measure, and a lot of string (I guess these days you can use a laser level for this part).

I have to go for a few minutes, but I'll try to outline the steps you need to take when I get back. It's pretty straightforward... What don't you know?

 

[Wheatmaster]

about how much will my costs run?

 

[NutBucket]

use metal posts

 

[mugs]

Is this a privacy fence, or a keep the kids in the yard fence?

 

[Queasy]

Go check out homedepot.com and/or lowes.com. They have guides on how to do it.

I don't know where you live, but in Atlanta, a regular dog-earred plank runs about $1.29. I can't remember the costs for a 4x4x8 and a 2x4x8 right now. Probably around $8 for a 4x4 and $3 for a 2x4.

If you're going to do it right then get a one-man or two-man power auger to do it right. Saves you a lot of time. A nail gun would help speed the process as well.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Mak0602
about how much will my costs run?

Premade 8' panels 6' tall can be had @ Home Depot or Lowes for ~45 each for PT, ~20 for non-PT. You will need 7. I suggest PT.
you will need eight 4 x 4 x 10's for posts. They run ~$12 each.
You will need two 2 x 4 x 8's PT for the door (if you make one) they are $2 each
You will need one door kit of hardware. ($25 for the good stuff)
You will need 3 60 lb bags of concrete per hole. $2 a bag or less. ($1.67 where I used to work) you will need 27 bags
You will need 1 bag of gravel for every 2 holes. It runs ~3 a bag.
You will need 5 lbs of 3" gold (or galv) construction screws. $12
Gas post hole digger is about 80-100 for a good one you tow behind a vehicle per day. It will drill a 10" diameter hole to 36" in about 2 minutes, with little strain. this is the best $ you can spend on this project, by far.
Delivery if you need it is $50ish a buddy with a truck costs a 24 pack of beer.

Total:
$45 x 7 panels 315
$12 x 8 posts 96
$2 x 2 studs
$2 x 27 concrete
$3 x 4 gravel
$12 x 1 screws
$100 post hole digger
$14 material delivery for a case o' beer
-------
$606 total

 

[Wheatmaster]

Originally posted by: mugs
Is this a privacy fence, or a keep the kids in the yard fence?

privacy fence

 

[Ikonomi]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: Mak0602
about how much will my costs run?

Premade 8' panels 6' tall can be had @ Home Depot or Lowes for ~45 each for PT, ~20 for non-PT. You will need 7. I suggest PT.
you will need eight 4 x 4 x 10's for posts. They run ~$12 each.
You will need two 2 x 4 x 8's PT for the door (if you make one) they are $2 each
You will need one door kit of hardware. ($25 for the good stuff)
You will need 3 60 lb bags of concrete per hole. $2 a bag or less. ($1.67 where I used to work) you will need 27 bags
You will need 1 bag of gravel for every 2 holes. It runs ~3 a bag.
You will need 5 lbs of 3" gold (or galv) construction screws. $12
Gas post hole digger is about 80-100 for a good one you tow behind a vehicle per day. It will drill a 10" diameter hole to 36" in about 2 minutes, with little strain. this is the best $ you can spend on this project, by far.
Delivery if you need it is $50ish a buddy with a truck costs a 24 pack of beer.

Total:
$45 x 7 panels 315
$12 x 8 posts 96
$2 x 2 studs
$2 x 27 concrete
$3 x 4 gravel
$12 x 1 screws
$100 post hole digger
$14 material delivery for a case o' beer
-------
$606 total

Wow, nice guide. I hadn't thought about the premade panels. We always put up the rails and nailed/screwed the slats on. The gas post hole digger is great, BTW. If you've ever built a fence with the manual style, you'll fall in love with this machine.

 

[Wheatmaster]

Originally posted by: Ikonomi

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: Mak0602
about how much will my costs run?

Premade 8' panels 6' tall can be had @ Home Depot or Lowes for ~45 each for PT, ~20 for non-PT. You will need 7. I suggest PT.
you will need eight 4 x 4 x 10's for posts. They run ~$12 each.
You will need two 2 x 4 x 8's PT for the door (if you make one) they are $2 each
You will need one door kit of hardware. ($25 for the good stuff)
You will need 3 60 lb bags of concrete per hole. $2 a bag or less. ($1.67 where I used to work) you will need 27 bags
You will need 1 bag of gravel for every 2 holes. It runs ~3 a bag.
You will need 5 lbs of 3" gold (or galv) construction screws. $12
Gas post hole digger is about 80-100 for a good one you tow behind a vehicle per day. It will drill a 10" diameter hole to 36" in about 2 minutes, with little strain. this is the best $ you can spend on this project, by far.
Delivery if you need it is $50ish a buddy with a truck costs a 24 pack of beer.

Total:
$45 x 7 panels 315
$12 x 8 posts 96
$2 x 2 studs
$2 x 27 concrete
$3 x 4 gravel
$12 x 1 screws
$100 post hole digger
$14 material delivery for a case o' beer
-------
$606 total

Wow, nice guide. I hadn't thought about the premade panels. We always put up the rails and nailed/screwed the slats on. The gas post hole digger is great, BTW. If you've ever built a fence with the manual style, you'll fall in love with this machine.

how long does it take to do by hand as opposed to by a gas post hole digger?

 

[bootymac]

Building things is fun. I built a carport last summer!

 

[Wheatmaster]

Originally posted by: bootymac
Building things is fun. I built a carport last summer!

yeah i think more people need to get off their a$$ and actually work and get pride instead of whining like a bi*ch.

 

[Ikonomi]

Post hole digger.

That's the manual kind... I honestly don't know how much longer it would take with one of those, but it would assuredly take a lot longer than the gas kind. You jam it down into the ground, and pull the handles apart. You'll be doing that several times for each hole. It's good for the shoulders and back, though.

 

[ucdnam]

I saw a review of different hole diggers on tv. The first was basically a steel stick. That took forever, I think 2 hours a hole. The second was the one with a clasp or whatever you call it, that can be put into the ground and closed, to dig up dirt. That took and hour. The third was the mechanical one. They drilled holes pretty darn quickly.

If I was building a fence, I'd rent a gas/electric one for sure. You're going to be spending a lot of time making sure everything is level, nailing, and so on. Don't waste time digging holes.

 

[Wheatmaster]

how long will it take to complete the entire project? can it be done within one week? (i'm working by myself.)

 

[wyvrn]

Don't forget paint/stain. The wood will degrade MUCH more quickly if you don't protect it. Stain if you like natural wood colors. Paint if you want it to match the house. This probably adds about $125 to the projects costs, but the fence will last twice as long.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: ucdnam
I saw a review of different hole diggers on tv. The first was basically a steel stick. That took forever, I think 2 hours a hole. The second was the one with a clasp or whatever you call it, that can be put into the ground and closed, to dig up dirt. That took and hour. The third was the mechanical one. They drilled holes pretty darn quickly.

If I was building a fence, I'd rent a gas/electric one for sure. You're going to be spending a lot of time making sure everything is level, nailing, and so on. Don't waste time digging holes.

The only thing you fail to take into account is the soil type. I don't care what kind of digger you've got if you're diggin in clay. It took us about 5 days to dig our post holes since the soil was so hard. Had to dig some, soak the soil, dig some more, etc. A real PITA. But, metal posts mean we'll never have to do it again

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
You need a few bags of concrete, a post hole digger of some sort (manual or electric or gas or whatever), some sturdy posts and some sturdy rails, the fence boards, a level, a tape measure, and a lot of string (I guess these days you can use a laser level for this part).

I have to go for a few minutes, but I'll try to outline the steps you need to take when I get back. It's pretty straightforward... What don't you know?

He'll also need some weatherproofing stain, and possibly tar or some other kind of sealant for the bottom of the posts that will be in the ground. I prefer screws over nails, but either way get some that are rust-proof coated.

 

[NutBucket]

If you've got the time, painting all the pieces before you put it together will make it last longer and its easier to paint.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
Post hole digger.
That's the manual kind... I honestly don't know how much longer it would take with one of those, but it would assuredly take a lot longer than the gas kind. You jam it down into the ground, and pull the handles apart. You'll be doing that several times for each hole. It's good for the shoulders and back, though.

By hand it will take 2-3 hours per 10 diameter 36" deep hole using the digger in that picture. That is the fastest and easiest manual post hole digger. The problem is, you can only lift so much dirt per scoop, which is roughly the size of an orange. You will also need a good spade to dislodge rocks you hit. If you are in clay, you are screwed. double the time.

Originally posted by: NutBucket
The only thing you fail to take into account is the soil type. I don't care what kind of digger you've got if you're diggin in clay. It took us about 5 days to dig our post holes since the soil was so hard. Had to dig some, soak the soil, dig some more, etc. A real PITA. But, metal posts mean we'll never have to do it again

I used a 22 HP hydralic post hole digger to dig holes for the fences I put up with one exception. This was my first fence, which was also mine. after about 6" it was all clay, with big ol rocks that had to be dug out. It took 5+ hours per hole 8" in diameter, which I later found was too small for code, so I had to do it again For my next door neighbor, I used the hydralic one for the first time. Same soil type, with rocks. It was great. The digger had a high range and a low range. In high, it would dig a hole in 60-120 seconds with me putting all my weight on the digger. If it hit a big rock, it would stop. I would stop/reverse the digger, and put it in low. Start it up, then slam it into the hole. Every time, this ripped the rock out, and I would go on. Positining the digger took the most time, of about 5 minutes per hole. I dug holes for 2 of my neighbers fences in the same day in about 4 hours. there were at least 40 holes. I can go count later.

Originally posted by: Mak0602
how long will it take to complete the entire project? can it be done within one week? (i'm working by myself.)

You can do 50' in a 2 days easy if you have at least one helper. If not, you will need 3-4 days. Dig holes and set posts one day, and the next day you can toss up the panels. If the wind is gusty, brace the fence for at least a week while the concrete sets.

Remember, use 2 braces per post while the concrete is setting. I forgot to include those in my materials list above. You will need 18 2x2x8's and a pack of wooden stakes. ( $1 for a 2x2, and $8 for a pack of good stakes.)

<edit>
forgot a [/i] tag.

 

[Wheatmaster]

ok going to home depot and check out prices and see how long delivery will take and whatnot. wish me luck!

 

[Wheatmaster]

argh i've got a problem now. i was planning to buy the materials on thursday and i probably still am. the problem is that my parents are arguing that i shouldn't have to dig a 42" hole for each post like the guy at home depot said. they claim that a foot or so should do it. what's the correct depth i have to dig???

 

[Wheatmaster]

anyone?

 

[ucdnam]

When the wind blows and the fence falls over, tell them to fix it themselves.

Realistically, when I did my fence at home, the hole was prob 24'' deep. It was a bitch to remove the old cement and post.

 

[Ly2n]

You need to dig your holes deep enough to get below the frost line. Check where you got your permit and they will tell you what thay depth is in your area. For Illinois, 42 inches sounds about right. If you only go 24 inches deep, the frost can get under the concrete and lift the post right out of the ground.