Equipment
Firstly DIY is really hard if you don't have access to the right tools. Installing a wooden fence yourself is hard work and is made much easier with the proper power tools.
Auger: A petrol powered auger with a 9-inch screw diameter for making the fence post digging as 'painless' as possibleCircular Saw: Whilst you could make do with a manual saw this makes trimming the fence posts to the correct height a breezeHand saw: For those awkward cuts or trimmings that the circular saw can't get to.Battery power drill: Lots of holes need drilling and the absence of a cable makes life so much easierBattery screw driver: Lots of screws to fill them holes. Whilst you can buy screw driver / drill units I have had disappointing results from the drill action of them in the past.Tape measure: Depends on length of fence required but may need a shorter carpenter style one and a longer fibre tape (30m).Cement mixer: Whether you need this will depend on how much you have to do. Less than six fence posts and you are probably OK to mix it in a large bucket or barrow. We had about 20 post holes to do of large diameter and a cement mixer was essential to my health! An electric one is quieter on the ears.Spirit level A 1 metre builders spirit level for making sure the posts are vertical and the panels horizontal.String Used to ensure the fence runs straightNarrow spade: Whilst the auger does most of the work post holes need to be occasionally cleaned out or widened and a narrow width spade is good for thisShovel: Good for mixing the dry mix.Sledge hammer: essential for minor taps on to post tops for final levelling. Also can be used for tamping down the dry mix.Materials
Ballast: A mix of course sand with a little gravel. Ask your builder merchants how much you need for the number of post holes required. We used about 3/4 of a tonne of ballastCement: Again ask builders merchants for amount required. We used about 4 small (25kg) bags of cementBrass screws: Length required varies according to post and panel construction. We used 75mm.Fence posts and panels: We had 3ft high by 6ft length panels and allowed for 20 inch deep holes with a 1 inch gap between the ground and the bottom of the panel and 3 inches extra above the top of the panel (sorry in imperial units as thats what the building industry still works in). Hence, the posts were cut to a final length of about 5ft and were 3inch square in cross-section.Sunscreen: You are out in the sun all day and need a high SPF cream on.Water: None used in construction as using making dry mix, but pints drunk by usResources
At least two of you. This really helps when you are putting the panels up; one person can hold them in position whilst the other fixes them down. More than 3 people would probably trip over each other unless you are proficient enough that you assemble the fencing like a production line. The technique described here is better suited to two or three people.
Time. Two of us worked from 9am till about 7pm (stopping for lunch and tea and various refreshment breaks, but not dawdling) and we were completely knackered.
Fence assembly method
Mark out using string the line on which the fence posts should run against. Each post should just touch the string when positioned in the hole.Survey the area and see if the ground falls off or rises along the line of the string. If it does then you will have to decide if you are willing to allow a variable gap between the bottom of the panel and the ground or if you want to step up or down the panel height on the posts. If so do you want to do it every panel or every two panels, etc.A post was attached to the side of one of the panels. The top of the panel was 3 inches below the top of the post. They can either be attached on the front (or back) or the side of the post. Our client (my father-in-law) was OK with the easier attachment method of front of post.We had an existing first post to attach to and so squared the panel side against the post side (the existing post was vertical).This panel/post assembly was used to mark where the first post hole should go.Use the auger to dig out the hole to the appropriate depth (20 inches this case). The auger makes digging easier but is quite heavy (and gets heavier as the day progresses) and can twist if the screw snags on anything in the ground. Note be careful that there are no water pipes, gas mains, electricity cables or sewage pipes where you are digging. If in doubt go back to using the spadeDry Mix: For a rigid structure it is best to use some form of cement around your posts. If one used a wet mix then you have to fit the posts and then wait over night for them to set before putting the panels up. We used a dry mix (5 parts ballast and 1 part cement) and I made up about a barrow load (15 ballast and 3 cement) which was enough to fill in 2 post holes each time. The dry mix doesn't need any water other than that drawn from the surrounding earth. When set it is still porous to water and as such reduces the risk of the post rotting due to sitting water on the concrete.Position the panel/post assembly in the new post hole and re-align with the existing fence post. Make sure the new post is vertical and that the panel top is horizontal and the post is lightly touching the string you are using to mark where to put the fence.Screw the panel to the existing fence post.Making sure that the panel and post are still in position shovel in enough dry mix to fill a third of the hole around the post. using a stick or sledgehammer head tamp down the dry mix making sure its compacted well around the post. Be careful not to shove the post over to one side with excessive force whilst doing this.Keep adding the dry mix and compacting it evenly around the post until you are 1-2 inches from the ground level. Then shovel some earth around the post and give it a final compaction.Whilst it won't stand a huge shove you can feel that the post is surprisingly rigidly held in the post hole.Repeat this process for all the other posts.Take your time and at every stage of the process make sure you are heading in the right direction, its straight and level. Keep taking a step back and getting a wide view of how it looks. With the dry mix if its looks wrong you can still easily correct mistakes and panels are easily unscrewed and re-attached in a different position. Conclusions
A simple process that produces good results because it relies on not rushing the job and making sure each panel is aligned correctly before moving onto the next pole. If you dug all the holes and then concreted the posts in one day and then assembled the panels the next you may find you have an alignment problem that is tricky to correct. The dry mix we used means that anyone can make it properly with little mess. However, whilst you don't have to try and do as much fencing as we did in a single day be aware that it is hard work (especially for someone who works on a PC all day like me!) and is only suitable for fairly physically fit people. If in doubt get someone in to help or do it for you. Now, I'm off to lay down and quietly die for a while if you don't mind...
By: Jonathan Pearson
