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Visited a job site near Austin last week and noticed nobody was using gravel posts anymore
I walked a new development with 20 houses going up and every single fence crew was just setting posts in straight concrete, no gravel base at all, and I'm wondering if that's just a regional thing or if drainage problems are going to hit them in a few years.
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green.mason5mo ago
Heard the exact same thing from my buddy who builds fences outside Dallas. He put gravel at the bottom of his posts for years until a few years ago when he stopped because he said the concrete was cheaper and faster. Six months later he had to go back and redo three fences where water pooled at the base and rotted the wood from the inside out. I mean maybe it's fine in sandy soil but out here in central Texas that clay holds water like a bowl, so skipping the gravel just feels like asking for trouble down the road.
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sam_harris685mo ago
Man, that clay soil is no joke. I had the exact same thing happen with a deck I built back in 2017. Took the cheap route and poured concrete straight in around the posts, no gravel, thinking I was saving time. Two seasons later and the posts were spongy at the base. Had to jack the whole thing up and replace four footings. Ended up costing more than if I'd just done it right the first time. Gravel's cheap insurance if you ask me.
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kai_stone995mo ago
Three fences in six months? That's brutal, man.
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