c/fence-erectors

Saw a crew in Boulder using only a single string line for a 200-foot vinyl run, and I think that's asking for trouble.

In my experience, you need at least two lines, one high and one low, to keep that long of a vinyl section from bowing, especially with the temperature swings we get here.

Appreciation post: I was wrong about using a string line for long runs

I always eyeballed it for anything under 50 feet, but a foreman in Boise showed me how a simple mason's line catches a 2-inch dip you'd never see. Anyone else have a basic tool they finally started using right?

Read that cedar fence posts can last 40 years if you treat the bottom foot

Found it in a forestry extension guide from the University of Minnesota. I've been using the same ground contact rated stuff for everything, but they say a specific copper naphthenate soak makes a huge difference. Anyone have a good source for that treatment or a different method that's worked long term?

Tried saving a day by skipping the concrete mix check on a vinyl fence

Had a job in Springfield last month for a 50 foot vinyl run. The client supplied the posts and bags of concrete, so I just started setting them. Turns out they bought the wrong mix, the fast setting kind that goes off in 15 minutes. Wasted a whole afternoon and about $80 in labor chipping out three posts that set crooked before I even got the line right. Anyone else gotten burned by a client-supplied material that was wrong?

An old guy in Bend showed me a trick for setting posts in rocky ground

I was struggling on a job last fall, hitting solid rock every few inches with my auger. This retired contractor who lived next door came over, watched for a minute, and said, 'Kid, you're fighting it. Just pour a bag of gravel in the hole first, then set your post and pack the concrete around it.' I tried it on the next post and it worked perfectly, letting the post settle straight without needing a perfect hole. Has anyone else found a good workaround for super rocky soil?

A customer in Tulsa told me to skip the post hole digger and just use a shovel. It cost him $400 extra.

I think the push for vinyl pickets in every new subdivision is a mistake

We did a 300-foot run in the Cedar Ridge development two years ago with pressure-treated pine, and the same section this spring with the builder's standard vinyl. The pine has settled and looks like part of the land now, but the vinyl already has a few warped panels from the summer heat... it just feels cheap. Has anyone else had to push back on a developer's default material choice?

Spent $350 on a post hole digger attachment and it saved my back on a long cedar fence job.

I was putting in about 80 posts for a cedar privacy fence in Omaha last month, and the rental place talked me into their new Earth Drill Pro auger head. It cut through the clay and rock like butter, which was a huge change from the old, worn-out one I usually get. I finished setting all the posts in two days instead of four, and my shoulders didn't feel wrecked. Anyone have a different brand they swear by for tough ground?

Question about cedar fence posts and ground contact

I put in a cedar fence for a client in Boise last spring, using regular pressure-treated posts. By fall, three posts had soft spots right at the dirt line. I switched to using cedar posts with a brush-on wood preservative on the buried section for a job this March. Checked them last week and they still look and feel solid. Has anyone else seen a big difference with that extra step, or did I just get lucky?

Used to think those composite fence panels were just overpriced plastic junk.

Put some in for a client near the coast six months ago, zero warping or rot so far. Anyone else seeing these hold up better than expected?

I finally called out a crew for their sloppy post hole digging in my town

Saw a new team putting up a privacy fence on Elm Street last week, and their holes were maybe 18 inches deep in our clay soil. That's a winter frost heave waiting to happen, guaranteed. I pulled over and asked their foreman if he knew the code here requires 36 inches minimum. He shrugged and said the homeowner wanted it cheap. How many callbacks do you think they'll get when those posts start leaning in February? What's the worst shortcut you've seen another crew take just to save a few bucks?

Unpopular opinion: After trying both on a 200-foot cedar job, a 6-pound post maul beats a 10-pound sledge for setting posts every single time.

The maul's shorter handle and better balance gave me way more control and less fatigue, so has anyone else made the switch and found the same thing?

Finally got my string line setup down to under 5 minutes

Used to fumble with those cheap plastic line levels and a 25 foot tape. Took forever. Watched a guy in Omaha use two 6 foot stakes and a chalk line reel. Tried it on a job three weeks ago. Now I drive the stakes, snap the line, check it once. Done. What's your fastest trick for getting a straight run?

I was setting post concrete in the rain for a decade before a guy from Boise called me out

He saw me pouring a mix for a picket fence during a downpour and said, 'You know that's just making weak soup, right?' Turns out water from the sky messes with the water-to-powder ratio big time, making the whole base shaky. Anyone else have a basic thing they were doing totally wrong for way too long?

Rant: I used to set posts in straight concrete, but a job in Tulsa last spring where three posts heaved 2 inches after a freeze made me switch to adding a gravel base for drainage.

Has anyone else had to change their base method for a specific soil type?

Saw a fence in Savannah that used old railroad ties for posts

I was down in Savannah, Georgia last week for a family thing and walked past this property with a fence that really caught my eye. The whole thing was built using reclaimed railroad ties as the posts, with standard cedar pickets nailed right into them. Has anyone here ever worked with that material before, and is it a good long-term idea or just asking for rot problems?

Got called out for my corner post bracing on a job in Phoenix

The inspector said my 2x4 kickers were 'barely holding a thought' and to use 4x4s with a proper diagonal. Switched on the next job and the difference in stability was huge, especially in that sandy soil. Anyone have a favorite method for corners on loose ground?

Tried a new post hole digger against my old manual one on a job in Cedar Rapids

Had a 200-foot cedar fence line to put in last month. Used my trusty manual clamshell digger for the first ten holes, took about 25 minutes each in that rocky soil. Switched to a rented gas-powered auger for the rest and knocked them out in under five minutes a hole. The cost was worth the time saved and my back thanked me. Do you guys think power tools are always the right call, or are there jobs where the old ways are better?

Question about setting posts in rocky ground near Boulder

Had a job last month on a slope with nothing but shale and hardpack. Client wanted a six foot privacy fence. Tried a standard auger, broke two teeth in twenty minutes. Switched to a demolition hammer with a clay spade bit, rented from Sunbelt for a day. Dug perfect holes, set the posts with extra gravel for drainage. Anyone else deal with that kind of ground and find a better way?

Rant: A customer told me my cedar fence was 'overbuilt' and a waste of money

I was finishing a six-foot privacy fence in Tacoma last Thursday, using 4x4 posts set in concrete and 2x4 rails, the way I've always done it. The homeowner came out, watched me for a bit, and said, 'You know, my neighbor's guy just uses metal posts driven into the ground with those clip-on brackets. Says it's just as good and half the price. This seems overbuilt.' It got me thinking. On one hand, his way is faster and cheaper for sure, and for some flat, sandy soils, maybe it's fine. But in my experience, especially with our wet winters and clay soil, that method leads to wobbly fences in a couple years. I've fixed three like that just this spring. The old-school way I do takes longer and costs more, but I've got fences I put up fifteen years ago that are still solid. Is the extra time and material for a truly solid build worth it anymore, or am I just being stubborn? What's your take on driven posts vs. concreted for a long-term job?

Almost had a post snap back on me yesterday in Boulder

Ngl, I was setting a 6-foot cedar panel and the wind caught it just right. I had to drop everything and brace it with a spare 2x4 before it cracked. Anyone else have a close call with sudden gusts?

PSA: The $80 post hole digger that saved my sanity on a rocky job

I had a job out near the old quarry in Millerton last spring, ground was like concrete with fist-sized river rock everywhere. My old manual clamshell digger was about to shake my arms off. On a whim, I grabbed a cheap auger attachment for my drill from a discount tool place. It was $80, which felt like a gamble. That thing chewed through that rocky soil like it was nothing. I did six holes in under an hour, work that would have taken me half a day and a lot of swearing. The auger head is a little bent now, but it paid for itself on that one job. Anyone else have a cheap tool that turned out to be a total hero?

Shoutout to the crew in Tampa that showed me a better way to set posts

I used to mix concrete for post holes by hand, which took forever and was never quite right. Last year, I worked with a team in Florida who just used pre-mix bags and a bucket of water. They'd drop the bag in the hole, pour water over it, and stir with a piece of rebar. It cut my setting time in half and the consistency is perfect every time. I've been doing it this way for about eight months now and I won't go back. Has anyone else tried this method with the quick-set mixes?

I read that the original split rail fences in New England used cedar posts that could last over 100 years.

Found it in an old book about historic farmsteads at my local library. It said they used Eastern Red Cedar because it's naturally rot-resistant, and some original posts from the 1800s are still standing today. Has anyone here ever worked with that type of wood on a modern job?

A crew in my town switched from pressure treated pine to cedar for a whole neighborhood job and the difference after one winter was huge.

I watched them put up about forty sections last fall. Half the street got the standard pressure treated pine posts and pickets, the other half got full cedar. Fast forward to this spring, after all that snow and salt spray from the road. The pine sections already have that gray, weathered look and a few of the pickets are starting to cup a little. The cedar? Still looks almost new, just a nice silver tone, and it's dead straight. The foreman told me the upfront cost was about 30% more for the cedar. So here's the debate: is that extra cost worth it for the looks and maybe less maintenance down the line, or is pressure treated still the smarter buy for most jobs where the client just wants a basic fence that works? What would you guys push for?