String-line Straight & Level
When building a fence, ensuring that the posts are installed correctly is the most critical step to creating a final result that stands the test of time. This remains true throughout all types of materials and heights used for your fencing project. Once some of the load-bearing timbers start failing, there becomes increased load and risk of failure for the rest of the fence.
For customers who are interested in building their own fence, we recommend finding a professional to help with the essential foundation – and we would be happy to provide you with an estimate for your project. If you know what size and how many posts you require, we will be able to provide you with a cost for installation over the phone, by text message, or by email.
Perfect for Do-it-yourselfers
Choosing Sovereign Fence to provide service for your Edmonton fence post installation comes with a myriad of benefits. We’ll help you map out your yard to ensure that you have the proper spacing for a strong and durable end product.
Sometimes it can be confusing for homeowners on where to put the posts when deciding on corners, in tight spaces, or up against a house, garage, or shed. When setting, we only use concrete and make sure that there are no air pockets within the hole to create a solid foundation that will hold them in place for decades.
Also, since concrete holds considerably less moisture than soil, we will be sure to pour concrete right up to the existing grade. This is an important step, as the ground level is often the first area to begin rotting due to moisture pooling in this area.
We also make sure to dig holes a minimum 36″, but aim for 42″ in depth, which provides the deepest hole for a 10′ timber, while still saving enough room for the rest of the fence’s construction. If you require deeper, you’ll have to upgrade to 12′ timbers which comes at a slight premium.
Properly installed timbers will last around 25 years with minimal maintenance. As a rough estimate:
4×4 may last approximately 20 years
4×6 may last approximately 25 years
6×6 may last approximately 30 years
Depending on the specifications of your fence, and the developer guidelines, we usually recommend installing 4×6 inch pressure treated, as a sweet spot between economic value and longevity of the fence. It is crucial to use pressure-treated wood when selecting a material for your project. Alternatively, cedar may be used and certainly provides reasonable strength and durability, but must be stained or painted to have the same lifetime as its treated counter parts. For more information, read the top section of this article by HGTV.
Setting fence posts in a straight line, plumb, and level is something that we are very confident and skilled at doing. Since 2014, we have set thousands upon thousands of them in the Edmonton and surrounding area. It is amazing how often our customers compliment the team on how straight and level the final product appears to be.
We will continually meticulously adjust everything until we are happy with the placement and level of each post. This is achieved by pounding in stakes on either end of a proposed fence line and running a string line through each hole. Once the string line is in the correct position, the timbers are set one by one using a 4-ft level, checking at least 2 of the 4 sides for level.
A common rule of thumb is 1/3 of the total fence height as a minimum. However, in the cold Alberta winters, we insist on a 3′ minimum depth for our fence post installations, for a standard 6′ height fence. If you have a permit and are building a fence higher than 6′ then you’ll want to install deeper than 3′. If the fence is a short fence for the front of the house such as a 3′-4′ height fence, then 2′ depth is going to be just fine.
We will recommend a depth based on the final specifications of your fence, but ultimately the customer can make the decision on how deep they want them. Just keep in mind that more depth may require longer posts, more expensive excavation, and additional concrete to fill back to grade. All of these factors contribute to the pricing of installation.
Most commonly, posts are spaced 8 feet apart or 96″. However, when dealing with rocky earth, hard clay, mature tree roots, and other underground issues, it is extremely difficult to ensure 8 foot on centers for post installation. Simply put, it is more time consuming and laborious to ensure 8 foot O.C.
As a result, we recommend spacing of about 7’10”, just a few inches shy of 8 feet. This will allow you to make sure all of your horizontal 2×6 or 2×4 fit when going to install your fence and you don’t need to make an extra trip to the lumber store to pick up 10 foot wood.
At Sovereign Fence, we only use concrete to install and secure our fence posts. Some old timers may insist that backfilling with dirt is an adequate method, however, dirt holds a lot more moisture than concrete which will increase the rate of decay and ultimately decrease the lifetime of the fence. Also, backfilled dirt is more susceptible to movement overtime.
Some contractors or home owners may also opt for an easier solution than concrete on the market, which is expanding foam. Expanding foam may be an acceptable method for a lighter fence such as chainlink or vinyl, but for wood it typically does not provide enough load bearing strength.
The size of the hole required for fence posts is generally twice the diameter of the wood being used, as a rule of thumb.
For 4×4 posts, an 8-inch hole would suffice, however, we generally use a 10-inch hole. For 4×6, a 10-inch hole is normally used, however, a 12-inch hole may be required depending on the developer guidelines. For a 6×6, a 12-inch hole is always used.
By far, the easiest way to get the holes dug for your fence posts Edmonton is to use a hydraulic skid steer. The size of the skid steer is less important than the torque it is able to provide. Usually, a 36-inch width mini skid steer that can be walked behind provides ample power to dig most holes. However, in some of the more difficult soil conditions such as hard or frozen clay, or large tree roots, a smaller machine may struggle.
For some holes, access may be an issue, and a handheld power auger, along with a manual post digger may be the best solution to dig the holes. In order to not throw out your back using this method, it is best to have a power auger that has a kickback prevention mechanism. Even for DIY customers, we would urge them to find someone to dig the holes for them using a skid steer if there is access.
Looking for us to do the entire project? We provide installation services for many different types of fence solutions. One style of wooden fence which is gaining in popularity is a horizontal fence. However, we are able to accommodate any desired fence style. Our estimators will guide you through the design stage to give further insight into what may be the best for your yard and neighborhood.
Whatever your choice of material, you can guarantee quality workmanship at an affordable rate, contact us now for your free quote and find out what special offers we are able to provide you for your fencing project.
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