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Default Concrete fence posts

Hi,

I am going to build a garden fence with posts which will be in very
close proximity to the foundations of an adjacent area of paving. For
this I want posts which won't need replacing every 10 years (with
consequential disturbance of the foundation) and I am thinking that
concrete posts will be better than wood for this.

I went to the local builders merchant this weekend and was appalled by
the quality of the posts they were offering - rough edges and full of
bubbles. I just can't believe they will surviving more than a few years
before the rebar starts to rust.

Are there any magic words I can speak when phoning around other
suppliers (e.g. name of a manufacture, name of a product, or particular
type of post) that will ensure that I get good quality posts which will
last longer than wood. I am looking for posts that I put rails and
featherboards onto, not slotted posts for panels.

Thanks,
Martin.
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Default Concrete fence posts

On 2007-07-08 23:26:35 +0100, Martin said:

Hi,

I am going to build a garden fence with posts which will be in very
close proximity to the foundations of an adjacent area of paving. For
this I want posts which won't need replacing every 10 years (with
consequential disturbance of the foundation) and I am thinking that
concrete posts will be better than wood for this.

I went to the local builders merchant this weekend and was appalled by
the quality of the posts they were offering - rough edges and full of
bubbles. I just can't believe they will surviving more than a few years
before the rebar starts to rust.

Are there any magic words I can speak when phoning around other
suppliers (e.g. name of a manufacture, name of a product, or particular
type of post) that will ensure that I get good quality posts which will
last longer than wood. I am looking for posts that I put rails and
featherboards onto, not slotted posts for panels.

Thanks,
Martin.


Try specialist fencing suppliers who mainly supply to commercial
contractors. I found some good ones in this way.

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Default Concrete fence posts

Martin wrote:

I went to the local builders merchant this weekend and was appalled by
the quality of the posts they were offering - rough edges and full of
bubbles. I just can't believe they will surviving more than a few
years before the rebar starts to rust.


Alas they all seem like that. You can get uPVC posts & panels that don't
rot or fade apparently - might be worth a Google.

One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two man job
to install.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257


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Default Concrete fence posts

Martin wrote:

I went to the local builders merchant this weekend and was appalled by
the quality of the posts they were offering - rough edges and full of
bubbles. I just can't believe they will surviving more than a few years
before the rebar starts to rust.


Other option would be to drive a metspike into the ground and then fit a
wooden post to that. Makes it easy to change posts later if required.

Are there any magic words I can speak when phoning around other
suppliers (e.g. name of a manufacture, name of a product, or particular
type of post) that will ensure that I get good quality posts which will


"have you got any that are not crap?"

last longer than wood. I am looking for posts that I put rails and
featherboards onto, not slotted posts for panels.


Find a specialist fencing place. Our local one makes their own posts and
gravel boards etc to a very high quality.

--
Cheers,

John.

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Default Concrete fence posts

In article ,
Martin wrote:
Hi,

I am going to build a garden fence with posts which will be in very
close proximity to the foundations of an adjacent area of paving. For
this I want posts which won't need replacing every 10 years (with
consequential disturbance of the foundation) and I am thinking that
concrete posts will be better than wood for this.


Concrete posts are incredibly heavy and a real pain to install. Might be
worth looking at something like the Jackson fence range (or local
equiv - I just know about Jacksons as they are up the road).

http://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/pa...uarantees.aspx

http://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/pa...&fmc=AE&fnc=AX


They seem to offer a 25 year guarantee on the posts. They've been around a
long time as well so I assume they stick to that

Darren



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Default Concrete fence posts


"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:

I went to the local builders merchant this weekend and was appalled by
the quality of the posts they were offering - rough edges and full of
bubbles. I just can't believe they will surviving more than a few
years before the rebar starts to rust.


Alas they all seem like that. You can get uPVC posts & panels that don't
rot or fade apparently - might be worth a Google.


They aren't.
I was given two posts and they are smooth and amazingly dense.
I have no idea where he got them except that they were from an online
supplier.
The supplier does them with one, two (straight and angle), three or four
groove versions too.


One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two man job
to install.


One man and a woman can do it but I wouldn't do it again.


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Default Concrete fence posts

Martin wrote:

Hi,

I am going to build a garden fence with posts which will be in very
close proximity to the foundations of an adjacent area of paving. For
this I want posts which won't need replacing every 10 years (with
consequential disturbance of the foundation) and I am thinking that
concrete posts will be better than wood for this.

I went to the local builders merchant this weekend and was appalled by
the quality of the posts they were offering - rough edges and full of
bubbles. I just can't believe they will surviving more than a few years
before the rebar starts to rust.

Are there any magic words I can speak when phoning around other
suppliers (e.g. name of a manufacture, name of a product, or particular
type of post) that will ensure that I get good quality posts which will
last longer than wood. I am looking for posts that I put rails and
featherboards onto, not slotted posts for panels.

Thanks,
Martin.


Have you considered making your own?

Plastic pipe for the outer profile
2 strips of timber for the 2 grooves. Each is wrapped with poly
sheet to give a smooth non-stick surface, and the timber is screwed
to the pipe from the outside, thus no blemishes on the inside. Dont
forget to taper the wood edges slightly.
Coiled stainless steel EML for reinforcement.
1:3:5 mix with fibres for increased tensile strength & crack control.


NT

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Default Concrete fence posts

Pressure treated wood should last 25 years.
I always set them into gravel rather than comcrete. That way any water
can drain away rather than sitting in a concrete cup full of wood
post.

John

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John wrote:
Pressure treated wood should last 25 years.
I always set them into gravel rather than comcrete. That way any water
can drain away rather than sitting in a concrete cup full of wood
post.



How do you get the post rigid enough to withstand a high wind?


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257


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dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in




One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two
man job to install.


One man and a woman can do it but I wouldn't do it again.


I have actually installed 9' concrete posts by myself - mind you I'm a
strapping lad - ex weightlifter - and I struggled with them.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257




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"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in




One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two
man job to install.


One man and a woman can do it but I wouldn't do it again.


I have actually installed 9' concrete posts by myself - mind you I'm a
strapping lad - ex weightlifter - and I struggled with them.


********. You are a magician. A wave of your magic wand and they lifted
themselves into place ;-)

Adam

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ARWadsworth wrote:

One man and a woman can do it but I wouldn't do it again.


I have actually installed 9' concrete posts by myself - mind you I'm a
strapping lad - ex weightlifter - and I struggled with them.


********. You are a magician. A wave of your magic wand and they lifted
themselves into place ;-)


Just like that? ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

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The Medway Handyman wrote:

Pressure treated wood should last 25 years.
I always set them into gravel rather than comcrete. That way any water
can drain away rather than sitting in a concrete cup full of wood
post.



How do you get the post rigid enough to withstand a high wind?


As long as it is gravel with nice sharp edges, I expect that would hold
it rather well.

--
Cheers,

John.

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"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
John wrote:
Pressure treated wood should last 25 years.
I always set them into gravel rather than comcrete. That way any water
can drain away rather than sitting in a concrete cup full of wood
post.



How do you get the post rigid enough to withstand a high wind?


Gravel compacts well as long as it isn't pebbles, crushed stone chippings
works well IME.
Also use a post hole digger and avoid disturbing too much surrounding soil.
Works with telephone poles so fences shouldn't be a problem.


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On 2007-07-09 19:48:14 +0100, "ARWadsworth"
said:


"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message ...
dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in




One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two
man job to install.

One man and a woman can do it but I wouldn't do it again.


I have actually installed 9' concrete posts by myself - mind you I'm a
strapping lad - ex weightlifter - and I struggled with them.


********.


They went down his trouser leg.

You are a magician. A wave of your magic wand and they lifted
themselves into place ;-)


Doesn't bear thinking about.




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How do you get the post rigid enough to withstand a high wind?

--
Dave


I use a post hole borer to get a deep hole with vertical sides and use
sharp gravel to fill the gap around the post.
I've built my gazeebo that way and it'll probably out last me.
Aim to get a good deep hole about 2 to 3 ft deep. It should be fairly
close to the size of the post and vertical. That's the difficult bit.
If you get the angle wrong, shave a bit off the side with a post hole
digger. The aim is to rely on the already compacted earth to hold the
post in place.
There's a lot of information on this site
http://www.pavingexpert.com/featur02.htm
although we differ on how best to plant the posts.
I found the site makes fascinating reading in all respects. Just like
a good book I suppose.

John

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ARWadsworth wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message ...
dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in




One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two
man job to install.

One man and a woman can do it but I wouldn't do it again.


I have actually installed 9' concrete posts by myself - mind you I'm
a strapping lad - ex weightlifter - and I struggled with them.


********. You are a magician. A wave of your magic wand and they
lifted themselves into place ;-)


I wish they had!

The old magic wand isn't as good as it was - especially after lifting those
posts!


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257


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On 2007-07-09 23:43:19 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

ARWadsworth wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message ...
dennis@home wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in



One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two
man job to install.

One man and a woman can do it but I wouldn't do it again.

I have actually installed 9' concrete posts by myself - mind you I'm
a strapping lad - ex weightlifter - and I struggled with them.


********. You are a magician. A wave of your magic wand and they
lifted themselves into place ;-)


I wish they had!

The old magic wand isn't as good as it was - especially after lifting those
posts!


You can get tablets for that...


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Default Concrete fence posts

One thing about concrete posts - they are unbelievably heavy - two
man job to install.

FWIW Supreme now do a range of lightweight concrete posts.
http://www.supremeconcrete.co.uk/default.asp?page=235

Buildbase list them and sometimes have them in stock. I can confirm
they make it a doddle for one (weak and winded) person to handle 2.36m
posts. But the concrete is *very* different from the (smaller)
conventional posts I installed 25 years ago: lots of what looks like
clinker (to keep the weight down) and voids (to make them even
lighter?). So I may survive to see them crumble.
--
Robin


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