What do you think of this idea. Dig hole 2'3" deep. In the hole goes:

3" gravel
4x4 wood post, sitting on 3" of gravel, bottom of post is 2' deep.
6" gravel
6" concrete
6" gravel
6" concrete

The only difference from a standard post in concrete is that instead of
dumping a few inches of gravel and filling hole with concrete, you have a
layer of concrete, a layer of gravel, and a top layer of concrete. I'm not
sure what this accomplishes, unless gravel is cheaper then concrete and you
save a few bucks. I haven't priced gravel or concrete yet. I want gravel for
drainage, keeps wet dirt away from post.

Zootal wrote:
What do you think of this idea. Dig hole 2'3" deep. In the hole goes:

3" gravel
4x4 wood post, sitting on 3" of gravel, bottom of post is 2' deep.
6" gravel
6" concrete
6" gravel
6" concrete

The only difference from a standard post in concrete is that instead of
dumping a few inches of gravel and filling hole with concrete, you have a
layer of concrete, a layer of gravel, and a top layer of concrete. I'm not
sure what this accomplishes, unless gravel is cheaper then concrete and you
save a few bucks. I haven't priced gravel or concrete yet. I want gravel for
drainage, keeps wet dirt away from post.

Not worth the effort. You probably meant pressure treated wood, right?
If you're a belt and suspenders type of person, put a couple of coats
of roofing tar on the buried part of the post before you insert it in
the hole. Pour in a bag or two of dry concrete mix, brace the post in
position, wet down the concrete and let it set. It takes a few weeks
for the concrete to come up to its full design strength. If you're in
a hurry get fast setting concrete mix.

R

"RicodJour" wrote in message
oups.com...
Zootal wrote:
What do you think of this idea. Dig hole 2'3" deep. In the hole goes:

3" gravel
4x4 wood post, sitting on 3" of gravel, bottom of post is 2' deep.
6" gravel
6" concrete
6" gravel
6" concrete

The only difference from a standard post in concrete is that instead of
dumping a few inches of gravel and filling hole with concrete, you have a
layer of concrete, a layer of gravel, and a top layer of concrete. I'm
not
sure what this accomplishes, unless gravel is cheaper then concrete and
you
save a few bucks. I haven't priced gravel or concrete yet. I want gravel
for
drainage, keeps wet dirt away from post.

Not worth the effort. You probably meant pressure treated wood, right?
If you're a belt and suspenders type of person, put a couple of coats
of roofing tar on the buried part of the post before you insert it in
the hole. Pour in a bag or two of dry concrete mix, brace the post in
position, wet down the concrete and let it set. It takes a few weeks
for the concrete to come up to its full design strength. If you're in
a hurry get fast setting concrete mix.

R


Roofing tar. Huh. Never thought of that. Sticks well to wood? Maybe thin it
a bit so it absorbs better into the wood? I like that better then driveway
sealer. And it's cheaper, easier to find. Actually, I was just going to mix
the cement with water in my wheel barrow and pour it into the hole. Might as
well do it right. I was going to dig postholes this weekend (borrowing a
friends tractor with 9" auger), but alas, 100% chance of rain. Doing cats
and dogs all weekend

I usually just fill the holes with sacrete and walk away. It'll wet and
harden on it's own.

--
Steve Barker



"Zootal" wrote in message
...
What do you think of this idea. Dig hole 2'3" deep. In the hole goes:

3" gravel
4x4 wood post, sitting on 3" of gravel, bottom of post is 2' deep.
6" gravel
6" concrete
6" gravel
6" concrete

The only difference from a standard post in concrete is that instead of
dumping a few inches of gravel and filling hole with concrete, you have a
layer of concrete, a layer of gravel, and a top layer of concrete. I'm not
sure what this accomplishes, unless gravel is cheaper then concrete and
you save a few bucks. I haven't priced gravel or concrete yet. I want
gravel for drainage, keeps wet dirt away from post.

I keep hearing about people that do exactly that. Has anyone done that and
*not* had it work good?


"Steve Barker LT" wrote in message
...
I usually just fill the holes with sacrete and walk away. It'll wet and
harden on it's own.

--
Steve Barker