I used to dig post holes completely wrong for years until a job in Savannah changed my mind

I used to just dig my holes straight down with a clam shell digger and call it a day. Thought I was saving time by not flaring the bottom out. Then I got a job on a marsh front property in Savannah last summer where the ground was pure sand and the fence kept shifting. A old timer I was working with told me I was being lazy and showed me how to bell out the bottom of the hole like a flower pot. Now I take the extra 5 minutes per hole to scoop out the sides wider at the base before pouring concrete. It gives the post a way better anchor and I haven't had a single lean since I changed. Has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit that took them way too long to fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

susan_bell24d ago

oh man, that sand in Savannah is no joke, we had a similar issue with a retaining wall down there that just kept shifting no matter what we did. the old timer on that job had me so frustrated with myself for not knowing that bell bottom trick sooner, felt like an idiot for years of straight holes. i remember spending like an hour extra on one section just redoing holes the right way after he showed me, but none of those posts ever budged. it's wild how one simple change can make you feel like you were working blind before.

wesley38526d ago

Man that sand in Savannah is no joke, I've seen plenty of posts sink down there because nobody bothered to bell the bottom out. What worked for me is using a manual post hole digger and then switching to a narrow shovel to really get in there and scoop out the sides, gives you way more control than trying to do it with the digger. Another trick I picked up is to mix in some crushed gravel with the concrete for the first few inches at the base, it helps with drainage and keeps the concrete from just sitting in a puddle. I've saved myself a ton of callbacks just by taking that extra time, plus it feels good knowing the fence will outlast me lol.

the_wren26d ago

Wait, you've actually had posts sink down there because people didn't bell the bottom? That's wild to me, I always figured that step was mostly just for extra stability, not a total necessity. Honestly never thought mixing crushed gravel into the concrete at the base would make that big of a difference for drainage either.