Fence question

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jmh

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#196694 9-Jun-2016 14:59

I have a wooden perimeter fence (30m) with the posts going into concrete (see pic below). I had a quote recently for replacing the fence which was reasonable, but they are talking about putting the posts into the ground alongside the concrete, not on the concrete itself. Two things concern me 1. the wood against the damp ground might lead to rot and 2. The location is quite exposed and subject to occasional high winds, so I think a firmer footing would be better.

The product I was looking at is called laminata which is a modular sort of wooden fence, hence the price being good.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0KI4xALqYR1NkRCc2lWN3BKV28/view?usp=sharing

Any thoughts? Does it make sense to have new posts put onto the concrete?

Any other suggestions welcome.

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#1568748 9-Jun-2016 15:05

If the concrete is reinforced then it makes sense to dynabolt u-brackets on top of the concrete and attach posts to the u-brackets.

If the posts are H4 (ie 'ground treated') then it's no problem to dig them into the ground beside the concrete. If they aren't H4 they will rot underground.

Maybe the laminata system requires precise vertical alignment of posts and the top surface of the concrete isn't suitable?

Mike

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#1568753 9-Jun-2016 15:19

They may be trying to save you money or themselves time by digging into dirt rather than breaking up the old concrete and laying new concrete down. You might have mentioned 'economical' and they have taken that to mean 'I want it cheap as possible'. In an ideal world, the concrete mowing strip under the fence would be ripped out and relaid with the new posts, but this would depend on your budget and these guys may just say 'sorry we don't do concrete strips as it is outside our expertise'.

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#1568801 9-Jun-2016 16:12

If you can you want to keep/replace the footing. It is a superior way of doing the fence.

Chopping off the existing posts and putting new ones beside the existing footing will work and will be cheaper .. but you lose the benefit of the footing (mowing strip, stronger "collar" on the post etc)

Don't worry about the rot, as long as the job is done properly the with H4 treated timber neither technique will result in rotten timber...for 15 - 20 years anyway.

Matthew

nickb800

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#1568829 9-Jun-2016 17:14

Agree with earlier posters. What shape are the posts in, and what is the motivation behind getting a new fence? Could you get them to rip out the pailings, trellis and rails; leaving the posts and concrete strip; and then assemble the new fence with the old posts? From that one photo the posts look like they have plenty of life left. Should make the job waay cheaper too

mdf

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#1568856 9-Jun-2016 18:05

MikeAqua:

If the concrete is reinforced then it makes sense to dynabolt u-brackets on top of the concrete and attach posts to the u-brackets.

If the posts are H4 (ie 'ground treated') then it's no problem to dig them into the ground beside the concrete. If they aren't H4 they will rot underground.

Maybe the laminata system requires precise vertical alignment of posts and the top surface of the concrete isn't suitable?

What he said.

Where are you? If a high salt area, you'd need to use stainless steel u brackets and that can get a bit spendy. Might be cheaper to dig rather than bracket. Or perhaps the concrete isn't in great nick?

But I thought you need to go H5 now for in-ground, and H4 was just for ground contact? Or perhaps that's just for piles?

In any event, building along side a concrete strip is fine in and of itself, but I always think it looks butt-ugly having timber posts sawn off at ground level. What were they going to do with the old fence?

jmh

458 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1569152 10-Jun-2016 09:15

To answer some questions:

1. I would probably prefer to have it repaired, but I've had trouble finding someone who will do it. Price may be about the same - trellis is expensive apparently. It's borderline fixable. There are some issues with individual posts and the gap between each post varies for some reason, so it's a bespoke job. Concrete is in good nick.

2. I'm in a seaspray area so any metal has to meet the standard.

Bung

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#1569192 10-Jun-2016 10:03

Unless other sections are worse than pictured I think it is better than borderline fixable. Hard to tell from pic but is it leaning over? It looks as if trees on other side could be pushing. If the posts have taken a set that would complicate things.

H5 and stainless are required for structural items like retaining walls. I'm not sure if a fence is required to be up to that standard.

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jmh

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#1569200 10-Jun-2016 10:13

No the fence is not leaning at the moment, but I need to cut back those trees as they are starting to push through.

Nudibranch

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#1569233 10-Jun-2016 10:45

I'd do it yourself if you can. Paid a knob heaps to do ours and he flipped me over and boned me hard. Crap job and posted new posts next to the old concreted ones. Did them into clay which is ok as long as the clay/dirt is built up around the bottom of the post so water can run away from wood. The twat didn't do this along with other substandard work and wrecking our garden and gates.

As you can probably tell, I'm still finding it difficult to come to terms with it. If you're at all handy and want it done right and can spare the time I'd do it yourself. Spend a bit of what you would have on a few boxes of beer for you and a couple of mates.

If you hire somebody just make sure you trust them completely and that they can do the job to YOUR standards. Stand over them if you have to.

jmh

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#1569236 10-Jun-2016 10:49

Nudibranch:

I'd do it yourself if you can. Paid a knob heaps to do ours and he flipped me over and boned me hard. Crap job and posted new posts next to the old concreted ones. Did them into clay which is ok as long as the clay/dirt is built up around the bottom of the post so water can run away from wood. The twat didn't do this along with other substandard work and wrecking our garden and gates.

As you can probably tell, I'm still finding it difficult to come to terms with it. If you're at all handy and want it done right and can spare the time I'd do it yourself. Spend a bit of what you would have on a few boxes of beer for you and a couple of mates.

If you hire somebody just make sure you trust them completely and that they can do the job to YOUR standards. Stand over them if you have to.

Food for thought. I'm not up to the job, but happy to pay someone. On reflection, the guy giving the quote should have taken the time to talk to me. They just wandered on and wandered off again. I'm thinking I need to wait and get a proper builder who talks to me. Deep down, I wasn't too happy with the way they didn't engage with me. Go with the gut feel I think and keep looking.

Fred99

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#1569276 10-Jun-2016 11:42

jmh:

No the fence is not leaning at the moment, but I need to cut back those trees as they are starting to push through.

So it's not leaning - then check to see the state of the bottom of the posts, if they're not rotting then fix the fence. If you're happy with the trellis look it doesn't look like there's much more to do than a bit of cleaning, a few nails or perhaps at worst a bit of timber, then some paint. Talk to your neighbour, they might want to change the colour on their side. If not - or they don't want to paint it, then the decent thing would be to repaint it the same colour - otherwise they'll end up with drips and runs of a different colour on their side and won't be too happy.

I've got an airless spray-gun with which I'd paint that fence in a hour or so, wasting a bit of paint from overspray through the holes in the trellis (put some cardboard etc to mask behind so you don't inadvertently paint the neighbours house and cars etc). Painting trellis with a brush is a very unpleasant job.

I'd probably use "Aquamax" water-wash up linseed oil based stain. Fix the broken boards etc up now, cut back the trees, clean it up, and wait for a warm and windless day to hire a decent airless spay-gun. They are quite expensive to hire - but you shouldn't need it for long. You'll probably need 30-40 litres of that paint to do two coats on both sides, normal cost is about $85 for 10 litres, but at this time of year you may be able to pick it up on special.

jmh

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#1569397 10-Jun-2016 13:19

Thanks for the advice - the other side is reserve, so no neighbours to worry about.

nickb800

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#1569410 10-Jun-2016 13:35

Whereabouts in the country are you?

jmh

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#1569417 10-Jun-2016 13:45

nickb800:

Whereabouts in the country are you?

Papakura, South Auckland

nickb800

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#1569427 10-Jun-2016 14:05

Ah bugger, I'm in Christchurch and would be interested in doing the job

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