On Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:04:06 GMT, "Tube Audio"
wrote:

Hello

I have a 100 foot long fence that is falling down. My neighbor and I are
going to go 50/50 to replace it.

Please don't put the question or the essential facts in the subject
line. A lot of people don't even read the sujbect line. So it will
be your loss. Would you write a paper and put essential facts only on
the cover page and not in the paper.

That said, is the fence going to be real redwood or something else
stained redwood? Is each bidder bidding on the same thing?

I had a few fence companies come out to bid the job, some of them seem not
so good.

I asked about putting 6 inches of gravel in the post hole, some said yes
some said that they don't use gravel and just completely cover the post with
cement. This doesn't sound right?

Also asked about post depth. The fence will be 6 feet tall; they said that
they would use 8 foot 4x4 posts,

By "they" you mean the companies that seem not so good, I hope. What
did the others say.

so that means that only 2 feet of the post
will be in the ground. Isn't the standard 1/3rd of the overall length in
the ground,

I don't think that is a rule of thumb. My fence is 40 or 42 inches
high and I'm sure there's a lot more than 21 inches the ground. But
for an 8 foot fence I don't know.

so a 6 ft fence would have three feet in the ground, so a 9ft
post would be used? So the hole would need to be dug 3 1/2 feet for a half
of foot of gravel?

As for nails should I ask them to use HD hot dipped galvanized?

My neigbhor had a fence put in and they actually used ungalvanized
nails that left rust stains running down 2 inches under each one!!
Plus it was a stockade fence (which I hate) and they used wood that
hadn't dried, and when it did dry it left a crack big enough to see
through between every pair of pickets. (I have a picket but not a
stockade fence so this doesn't matter to me, and when I called them to
see if they had pickets I could use, they were out of busines.
Surprise!!!)

Besides pressure treated, how about grade of wood? Heart Wood? Wood that
will be immersed in the ground or the kickboard touching the ground?

My fence is not redwood, but the posts must be treated, because after
28 years they are all fine (except the ones that don't get enough
sunlight have rotted maybe an inch down in the middle. Not a serious
problem. Might get caps if they were available for 4" round.)

Some of the rails are good too, but none are like new. Many of the
pickets that reached to the ground or to the uncut grass got termites,
but the ones that the grass didn't cover never got termites. I talked
to a termite person who did it for a living, who said treating for
termites to save a fence is a bad idea, because termite poison is
poisonous. He said to keep it an inch above the grass. I don't know
if there are termites where you live.

The new rails for sale at HD are treated, but I'm not sure my old ones
were, and I know the pickets weren't. So bit about needing
stainless steel nails would it seems to me not be needed at all if the
rails were not treated. Many of my pickets are 28 years old in
Maryland, and almost good as new, and the nails in them are good as
new.

Are 4x4 posts fine, should I get 4x6 or 6x6 posts?

Am I missing anything?

Thanks