c/fence-erectors

Watching new crews skip the soak tank makes me cringe

We always dipped the posts overnight. Now they come pre-treated from the factory, but it's a thin coat. Fences start leaning after a couple seasons.

I finally saw the point of marking lines before digging

My nephew helped me last weekend and kept missing the spots. Now I see how a simple chalk string saves so much hassle.

Sandy ground here eats fence posts for breakfast

I've been doing fence work near the coast for a while now, and there's a clear pattern. New fences look great when they go up, but many start to tilt after just one rainy season. I remember a job where we set posts three feet deep, thinking it was enough. A few months later, the whole line was leaning like it was tired. Turns out, sandy soil doesn't hold posts well, especially when it gets wet. We had to pull them all out and start over, which cost time and money. Now I always dig deeper, use concrete mix, and add extra gravel for stability. It's a simple fix, but it makes all the difference in keeping fences upright.

Update: The way we bundle materials is wasting so much time.

Untangling those straps every morning adds up. Can't we come up with a smarter system?

Had a random person offer to hold posts for me yesterday, felt strange. How do you handle this?

Why does nobody talk about the change in fence post digging?

I remember when all post holes were dug by hand (backbreaking, but solid). Now, augers are the norm, which is quicker but I worry about fences leaning sooner. Have you seen a difference in how long fences last?

Heading out to that beach house for a fence quote wasted my morning

The owner changed their mind after I got there. From now on, I take a deposit.

Wildlife decided to assist with my fence post holes

So I'm digging post holes for a vinyl fence in this backyard with tons of trees. Had my shovel leaning against a tree and went to grab more stakes. Come back to find a whole family of raccoons dragging my shovel towards their den. I yelled and they scattered, but one little guy held on like it was a toy. Ended up in a tug of war with a raccoon over my shovel. Lost my balance and fell into a fresh hole, covered in dirt. The homeowner saw the whole thing from the window and couldn't stop laughing. Had to finish the job with a borrowed shovel from them. Now I never leave tools unattended in wooded areas.

Unpopular opinion: Ornamental fence toppers are more trouble than they're worth after my squirrel incident.

Honestly, trying to add decorative finials to a client's picket fence led to a whole family of squirrels setting up camp in them, and now I'm the neighborhood squirrel relocation expert.