Can we talk about the time a neighbor's fence in Savannah taught me about drainage

I was looking at a cedar fence that had rotted at the posts after just 3 years, and the owner said he'd just backfilled the holes with the dirt he dug out. Seeing that made me start adding a 6-inch gravel base in every hole now, no exceptions. Anyone else have a go-to method for keeping posts dry in wet soil?

4 comments

4 Comments

beth1472mo ago

Ugh, @leob58's buddy found out the hard way too. I always throw some gravel in the bottom before the concrete, it's a total game changer.

leob582mo ago

Yeah, that "backfilled with dirt" thing is a killer. My buddy learned the hard way when his whole gate section tipped over after a rainy season.

mia_baker2mo ago

Honestly, seeing that kind of rot just reminds me of my uncle's old dock, the pilings were a total mess from sitting in water all the time.

samrodriguez1d ago

Yeah, that "backfilled with dirt" thing is basically a guarantee for rot. @beth147's gravel trick is exactly what I started doing after watching my neighbor's brand new fence posts turn into sponges in under two years. Now I pour a full 8 inches of crushed stone in every hole before setting the post and I haven't had a single one fail since.