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That time my neighbor Steve ruined a fence post by skipping the gravel
Last summer I helped my neighbor Steve put up a new cedar fence along our property line. He insisted we just dig the holes, drop in the posts, and pour concrete straight over the dirt at the bottom. I told him he needed a few inches of gravel for drainage, but he said it was a waste of time and money. Six months later, one of his posts started leaning after a heavy rain. When we pulled it out, the bottom was rotted and cracked from sitting in wet concrete with no way for water to escape. I had to dig out all his posts and redo them with gravel bases. The whole thing cost him an extra $50 in concrete and gravel. Has anyone else dealt with a neighbor who thinks cutting corners on foundation prep is fine? I see so many people online skip the gravel step and I wonder if it ever works out for them.
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the_oscar29d ago
Emery's right about This Old House, they beat that into your head for a reason. Did Steve at least buy you a beer for saving his fence?
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emery19929d ago
Oh man, I actually watched This Old House or some show and they stressed the gravel thing so much. It's crazy how many people just skip it and then act surprised when the post rots out in a year. You'd think a little extra prep is worth not having to dig up everything again.
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Buddy of mine did a whole deck without any gravel, just dropped the posts in straight dirt. Six months later he's jacking up the whole thing to replace half the posts, pissed as hell. Coulda saved himself a whole weekend and like 40 bucks in gravel.
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