Concrete spur for fence posts
Discussion
As I’m sure many have discovered this/last weekend, my fence posts have collapsed. Annoyingly they are the extra durable Jacksons ones that should have 25 year guarantee. It was installed 10 years ago by the bloke who built the house and then lived in it for 8 years so he was motivated to do it right. I do wonder if he used shingle under the posts though. Anyway...
The fencing contractor who came out said he’d never seen anything like it before and is approaching Jacksons on my behalf which is very nice of him (he isn’t the original installer)
The issue comes if they offer to replace, it will only cover the posts which are something like £40 each. Labour is significant and we’re a bit short at the mo. Apparently it’s 11 posts that need replacing
I’m considering getting them concrete spurred as they are behind shrubs anyway.
Depending on costs I may have to do it myself
Is there any machine or tools I can buy to make this as easy as possible - I have an injury that makes digging difficult. Can do a. Little bit not loads. It’s not a huge hole for a spur.
Any advice / tips, how long does each one take when you get into it? 30 mins? 90 mins?
The fencing contractor who came out said he’d never seen anything like it before and is approaching Jacksons on my behalf which is very nice of him (he isn’t the original installer)
The issue comes if they offer to replace, it will only cover the posts which are something like £40 each. Labour is significant and we’re a bit short at the mo. Apparently it’s 11 posts that need replacing
I’m considering getting them concrete spurred as they are behind shrubs anyway.
Depending on costs I may have to do it myself
Is there any machine or tools I can buy to make this as easy as possible - I have an injury that makes digging difficult. Can do a. Little bit not loads. It’s not a huge hole for a spur.
Any advice / tips, how long does each one take when you get into it? 30 mins? 90 mins?
I would personally replace fully with concrete posts, you've got to dig a hole for the spurs, why not dig a slightly bigger one and do it properly. 8" posts are around £20 each, a lot cheaper than the supposedly decent wooden ones. Another option is steel Durapost, a lot lighter so easier to handle and similar price to concrete. Our fence is slowly self destructing over the past week so we'll be replacing the lot with concrete posts and close board panels
Our Jacksons panels are fine
I’m not aware of a concrete post that can accept them and don’t want to replace the panels too
I’ll be working alone and won’t be able to remove / replace the panels myself
The spur you do it with everything else in situ so that’s more appropriate I think to my situation
I’m not aware of a concrete post that can accept them and don’t want to replace the panels too
I’ll be working alone and won’t be able to remove / replace the panels myself
The spur you do it with everything else in situ so that’s more appropriate I think to my situation
jakesmith said:
Our Jacksons panels are fine
I’m not aware of a concrete post that can accept them and don’t want to replace the panels too
I’ll be working alone and won’t be able to remove / replace the panels myself
The spur you do it with everything else in situ so that’s more appropriate I think to my situation
I had my wooden fence posts supported by concrete spurs a couple of years ago as I didn't want to replace the whole lot whilst I get a mixed species hedge to establish. Have done the job so far but 'Dennis' might say otherwise! We will see, but I would recommend them in your situation even if it keeps the inevitable total fence/post replacement for a few years. Dig a big hole and fill each with at least a bagful of readymix and a bit of extra hardcore around each doesn't do any harm either.I’m not aware of a concrete post that can accept them and don’t want to replace the panels too
I’ll be working alone and won’t be able to remove / replace the panels myself
The spur you do it with everything else in situ so that’s more appropriate I think to my situation
jakesmith said:
As I’m sure many have discovered this/last weekend, my fence posts have collapsed. Annoyingly they are the extra durable Jacksons ones that should have 25 year guarantee. It was installed 10 years ago by the bloke who built the house and then lived in it for 8 years so he was motivated to do it right. I do wonder if he used shingle under the posts though. Anyway...
The fencing contractor who came out said he’d never seen anything like it before and is approaching Jacksons on my behalf which is very nice of him (he isn’t the original installer)
The issue comes if they offer to replace, it will only cover the posts which are something like £40 each. Labour is significant and we’re a bit short at the mo. Apparently it’s 11 posts that need replacing
I’m considering getting them concrete spurred as they are behind shrubs anyway.
Depending on costs I may have to do it myself
Is there any machine or tools I can buy to make this as easy as possible - I have an injury that makes digging difficult. Can do a. Little bit not loads. It’s not a huge hole for a spur.
Any advice / tips, how long does each one take when you get into it? 30 mins? 90 mins?
A pro will knock off 3 very quickly, cost £40-50 each Inc materials. It'd take me all day, get a pro in. The fencing contractor who came out said he’d never seen anything like it before and is approaching Jacksons on my behalf which is very nice of him (he isn’t the original installer)
The issue comes if they offer to replace, it will only cover the posts which are something like £40 each. Labour is significant and we’re a bit short at the mo. Apparently it’s 11 posts that need replacing
I’m considering getting them concrete spurred as they are behind shrubs anyway.
Depending on costs I may have to do it myself
Is there any machine or tools I can buy to make this as easy as possible - I have an injury that makes digging difficult. Can do a. Little bit not loads. It’s not a huge hole for a spur.
Any advice / tips, how long does each one take when you get into it? 30 mins? 90 mins?
I bought some 3x3 spurs from build base a few years ago, £9 ish or there abouts.
Using a post hole digger i was able to get some very neat holes into the ground, (clay, no tree roots or stones nearby).
Bought 3x3 1.8m posts, but wish i'd gone for longer posts so I could have fixed in a gravel board, as it's now obvious my panels (which are hard against the ground) are getting knackered.
I did think later that the cost of the spur, plus the post (£5 from a farm shop) plus the coach bolts (buttons from toolstation) wasn't that far off the price of a concrete post. The concrete was a "sunk" cost (pun intended)
But as with the OP, I felt they would be too awkward for me to handle easily myself, nor could I get them in the boot of the car as I did the spurs.
P.s. on a later project, I incorporated a concrete gravel board into the design. This time I bought a 4 x 4 spur (a couple of quid more) but retained a 3 x 3 wooden post. This left half an inch face either side of the fence post when the post was mounted centrally.
Then, to the rear half of the fence post I screwed a 1.5 inch batton for the last 6 inches, creosoted t within an inch of it's life.
Et voila, I now had a recess into which I could slot a 6 inch gravel board. Saved quite a few quid compared to the metal brackets you can buy. Looks ugly from the back mind, but my rear neighbours have their own fence across from some scrub ground.
You have to get your spacing dead on, but once the first spur is in, that's easy. You just get a length of timber about 2m long with holes the width of your panel (e.g. 1.8m) + the width of a fence post (e.g. 75mm) apart.
loosely bolt one hole to your spur that's in the ground, and the other hole to a short piece of timber. Level up the long length to, horizontal. Now make sure the short length is vertical and 90 degrees to the long length, and that's where the centre of your next post should go.
With the hole dug and the spur offered into the hole, reconnect the long timber to your new spur. Again, check it's vertical as you pour and set the postcrete, and your two spurs should now be exactly the right distance for a panel to fit snug between the posts (when mounted centrally onto the spur).
Note, this is assuming you're not using rebated or recessed posts, and the ground is level, otherwise less distance and trigonometry will need to be involved.
Apologies if i'm telling people how to suck eggs, but as i'm after some help on another thread I thought I would share my experiences here.
Ian
Using a post hole digger i was able to get some very neat holes into the ground, (clay, no tree roots or stones nearby).
Bought 3x3 1.8m posts, but wish i'd gone for longer posts so I could have fixed in a gravel board, as it's now obvious my panels (which are hard against the ground) are getting knackered.
I did think later that the cost of the spur, plus the post (£5 from a farm shop) plus the coach bolts (buttons from toolstation) wasn't that far off the price of a concrete post. The concrete was a "sunk" cost (pun intended)
But as with the OP, I felt they would be too awkward for me to handle easily myself, nor could I get them in the boot of the car as I did the spurs.
P.s. on a later project, I incorporated a concrete gravel board into the design. This time I bought a 4 x 4 spur (a couple of quid more) but retained a 3 x 3 wooden post. This left half an inch face either side of the fence post when the post was mounted centrally.
Then, to the rear half of the fence post I screwed a 1.5 inch batton for the last 6 inches, creosoted t within an inch of it's life.
Et voila, I now had a recess into which I could slot a 6 inch gravel board. Saved quite a few quid compared to the metal brackets you can buy. Looks ugly from the back mind, but my rear neighbours have their own fence across from some scrub ground.
You have to get your spacing dead on, but once the first spur is in, that's easy. You just get a length of timber about 2m long with holes the width of your panel (e.g. 1.8m) + the width of a fence post (e.g. 75mm) apart.
loosely bolt one hole to your spur that's in the ground, and the other hole to a short piece of timber. Level up the long length to, horizontal. Now make sure the short length is vertical and 90 degrees to the long length, and that's where the centre of your next post should go.
With the hole dug and the spur offered into the hole, reconnect the long timber to your new spur. Again, check it's vertical as you pour and set the postcrete, and your two spurs should now be exactly the right distance for a panel to fit snug between the posts (when mounted centrally onto the spur).
Note, this is assuming you're not using rebated or recessed posts, and the ground is level, otherwise less distance and trigonometry will need to be involved.
Apologies if i'm telling people how to suck eggs, but as i'm after some help on another thread I thought I would share my experiences here.
Ian
Ian Geary said:
I bought some 3x3 spurs from build base a few years ago, £9 ish or there abouts.
Using a post hole digger i was able to get some very neat holes into the ground, (clay, no tree roots or stones nearby).
Bought 3x3 1.8m posts, but wish i'd gone for longer posts so I could have fixed in a gravel board, as it's now obvious my panels (which are hard against the ground) are getting knackered.
I did think later that the cost of the spur, plus the post (£5 from a farm shop) plus the coach bolts (buttons from toolstation) wasn't that far off the price of a concrete post. The concrete was a "sunk" cost (pun intended)
But as with the OP, I felt they would be too awkward for me to handle easily myself, nor could I get them in the boot of the car as I did the spurs.
P.s. on a later project, I incorporated a concrete gravel board into the design. This time I bought a 4 x 4 spur (a couple of quid more) but retained a 3 x 3 wooden post. This left half an inch face either side of the fence post when the post was mounted centrally.
Then, to the rear half of the fence post I screwed a 1.5 inch batton for the last 6 inches, creosoted t within an inch of it's life.
Et voila, I now had a recess into which I could slot a 6 inch gravel board. Saved quite a few quid compared to the metal brackets you can buy. Looks ugly from the back mind, but my rear neighbours have their own fence across from some scrub ground.
You have to get your spacing dead on, but once the first spur is in, that's easy. You just get a length of timber about 2m long with holes the width of your panel (e.g. 1.8m) + the width of a fence post (e.g. 75mm) apart.
loosely bolt one hole to your spur that's in the ground, and the other hole to a short piece of timber. Level up the long length to, horizontal. Now make sure the short length is vertical and 90 degrees to the long length, and that's where the centre of your next post should go.
With the hole dug and the spur offered into the hole, reconnect the long timber to your new
spur. Again, check it's vertical as you pour and set the postcrete, and your two spurs should now be exactly the right distance for a panel to fit snug between the posts (when mounted centrally onto the spur).
Note, this is assuming you're not using rebated or recessed posts, and the ground is level, otherwise less distance and trigonometry will need to be involved.
Apologies if i'm telling people how to suck eggs, but as i'm after some help on another thread I thought I would share my experiences here.
Ian
If you're using them as a repair digging the hole is tougher. You'll be digging through the original concrete to get them nice and snug to the old post.Using a post hole digger i was able to get some very neat holes into the ground, (clay, no tree roots or stones nearby).
Bought 3x3 1.8m posts, but wish i'd gone for longer posts so I could have fixed in a gravel board, as it's now obvious my panels (which are hard against the ground) are getting knackered.
I did think later that the cost of the spur, plus the post (£5 from a farm shop) plus the coach bolts (buttons from toolstation) wasn't that far off the price of a concrete post. The concrete was a "sunk" cost (pun intended)
But as with the OP, I felt they would be too awkward for me to handle easily myself, nor could I get them in the boot of the car as I did the spurs.
P.s. on a later project, I incorporated a concrete gravel board into the design. This time I bought a 4 x 4 spur (a couple of quid more) but retained a 3 x 3 wooden post. This left half an inch face either side of the fence post when the post was mounted centrally.
Then, to the rear half of the fence post I screwed a 1.5 inch batton for the last 6 inches, creosoted t within an inch of it's life.
Et voila, I now had a recess into which I could slot a 6 inch gravel board. Saved quite a few quid compared to the metal brackets you can buy. Looks ugly from the back mind, but my rear neighbours have their own fence across from some scrub ground.
You have to get your spacing dead on, but once the first spur is in, that's easy. You just get a length of timber about 2m long with holes the width of your panel (e.g. 1.8m) + the width of a fence post (e.g. 75mm) apart.
loosely bolt one hole to your spur that's in the ground, and the other hole to a short piece of timber. Level up the long length to, horizontal. Now make sure the short length is vertical and 90 degrees to the long length, and that's where the centre of your next post should go.
With the hole dug and the spur offered into the hole, reconnect the long timber to your new
spur. Again, check it's vertical as you pour and set the postcrete, and your two spurs should now be exactly the right distance for a panel to fit snug between the posts (when mounted centrally onto the spur).
Note, this is assuming you're not using rebated or recessed posts, and the ground is level, otherwise less distance and trigonometry will need to be involved.
Apologies if i'm telling people how to suck eggs, but as i'm after some help on another thread I thought I would share my experiences here.
Ian
https://www.screwfix.com/p/roughneck-fibreglass-po...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/roughneck-17lb-post-hol...
With the hole dug, set your spur on gravel, get it straight and level, on a still day bolt it up to the old post. Then (checking it's straight) a dry mix, rammed down hard.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/roughneck-post-hole-ram...
Ian Geary said:
Would agree with that..I offset from old rotten posts to avoid hitting the holes.
A repair in situ would have been harder.
How does that work? Surely the new spur needs to be tight up against the old post therefor the dig can't avoid having to break up & remove some of the original post's concrete? Could you explain a bit more please?A repair in situ would have been harder.
Bloke above mentioned a dry mix too... I thought postmoix was the thing for the job is this not the case?
jakesmith said:
Ian Geary said:
Would agree with that..I offset from old rotten posts to avoid hitting the holes.
A repair in situ would have been harder.
How does that work? Surely the new spur needs to be tight up against the old post therefor the dig can't avoid having to break up & remove some of the original post's concrete? Could you explain a bit more please?A repair in situ would have been harder.
Bloke above mentioned a dry mix too... I thought postmoix was the thing for the job is this not the case?
You can use postcrete, but if you ram down a dry mix tightly it'll help support the repair spur while it sets. Best done on a still day.
ETA
Oh and a dab of grease helps nails go in!
Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 16th February 10:30
PositronicRay said:
Offset is way of putting a new fence up, start with 1/2 panel so the post miss the old holes.
You can use postcrete, but if you ram down a dry mix tightly it'll help support the repair spur while it sets. Best done on a still day.
ETA
Oh and a dab of grease helps nails go in!
Oh I see - I have to repair in situ though as I only need to do half of itYou can use postcrete, but if you ram down a dry mix tightly it'll help support the repair spur while it sets. Best done on a still day.
ETA
Oh and a dab of grease helps nails go in!
Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 16th February 10:30
I was planning staking the posts on 2 plains and using a level to get them completely plumb & square before bolting up the spurs... is that right?
What is dry mix excuse my ignorance & is the need for it mitigated if I am staking the posts out as they will not have any movement
Post mix apparently goes off in 10 mins too
Really I need the technique that is foolproof
I’m a fencing contractor, 3” spurs I charge £60 a throw. As you can imagine, we’ve done loads this week. Sometimes they are easy and take less than 10mins start to finish, sometimes is can be an hour long ordeal bouncing about with the breaker.
A decent fencing graft and bar is a must, you won’t manage with a digging spade.
Step by step:
1) dig down the side of the concrete supporting the existing post, all the way to the bottom. Doesn’t need to be a bid hole at all, 4/5” is more than enough.
2) drive the graft/bar down the side of the post onto the exposed concrete good and hard, taking care to hit the same spot each time.
3) once the concrete has cracked, using the bar, prize the concrete off the post. Do this as many times as necessary.
4) once all of the concrete is out of your hole, fit the spur to the post using M10x130mm coach screws with square washers. Once fitted pull the post plumb.
5) when happy that the post is plumb, fill the hole halfway with water, and half a bag of postmix. Stab at the postmix a few times with a line pin or stick to ensure no dry spots in the postmix. Then add a bit more water and the rest of the postmix. Repeat the stabby bit.
6) ensure post is still plumb and cover last inch or two with soil.
Also, best of luck getting anything from Jackson’s, there are simply too many variables 10years down the line for them to warranty any claim. They could blame ground conditions, improper fitment, ground contamination. Etc.
A decent fencing graft and bar is a must, you won’t manage with a digging spade.
Step by step:
1) dig down the side of the concrete supporting the existing post, all the way to the bottom. Doesn’t need to be a bid hole at all, 4/5” is more than enough.
2) drive the graft/bar down the side of the post onto the exposed concrete good and hard, taking care to hit the same spot each time.
3) once the concrete has cracked, using the bar, prize the concrete off the post. Do this as many times as necessary.
4) once all of the concrete is out of your hole, fit the spur to the post using M10x130mm coach screws with square washers. Once fitted pull the post plumb.
5) when happy that the post is plumb, fill the hole halfway with water, and half a bag of postmix. Stab at the postmix a few times with a line pin or stick to ensure no dry spots in the postmix. Then add a bit more water and the rest of the postmix. Repeat the stabby bit.
6) ensure post is still plumb and cover last inch or two with soil.
Also, best of luck getting anything from Jackson’s, there are simply too many variables 10years down the line for them to warranty any claim. They could blame ground conditions, improper fitment, ground contamination. Etc.
MattCharlton91 said:
I’m a fencing contractor, 3” spurs I charge £60 a throw. As you can imagine, we’ve done loads this week. Sometimes they are easy and take less than 10mins start to finish, sometimes is can be an hour long ordeal bouncing about with the breaker.
A decent fencing graft and bar is a must, you won’t manage with a digging spade.
Step by step:
1) dig down the side of the concrete supporting the existing post, all the way to the bottom. Doesn’t need to be a bid hole at all, 4/5” is more than enough.
2) drive the graft/bar down the side of the post onto the exposed concrete good and hard, taking care to hit the same spot each time.
3) once the concrete has cracked, using the bar, prize the concrete off the post. Do this as many times as necessary.
4) once all of the concrete is out of your hole, fit the spur to the post using M10x130mm coach screws with square washers. Once fitted pull the post plumb.
5) when happy that the post is plumb, fill the hole halfway with water, and half a bag of postmix. Stab at the postmix a few times with a line pin or stick to ensure no dry spots in the postmix. Then add a bit more water and the rest of the postmix. Repeat the stabby bit.
6) ensure post is still plumb and cover last inch or two with soil.
Also, best of luck getting anything from Jackson’s, there are simply too many variables 10years down the line for them to warranty any claim. They could blame ground conditions, improper fitment, ground contamination. Etc.
Hi mate thanks for this. If Jackson's do offer replacement posts, however unlikely, I'd have to pay someone to take out the 10 panels and 11 posts, then replace. Can't do that myself, too much lifting / general work. I'm assuming that would be a much more expensive job labor wise could you give me a rough idea so I'm pre-armed? They're 6 foot panels with 2 foot trellis top and a gravelboard tooA decent fencing graft and bar is a must, you won’t manage with a digging spade.
Step by step:
1) dig down the side of the concrete supporting the existing post, all the way to the bottom. Doesn’t need to be a bid hole at all, 4/5” is more than enough.
2) drive the graft/bar down the side of the post onto the exposed concrete good and hard, taking care to hit the same spot each time.
3) once the concrete has cracked, using the bar, prize the concrete off the post. Do this as many times as necessary.
4) once all of the concrete is out of your hole, fit the spur to the post using M10x130mm coach screws with square washers. Once fitted pull the post plumb.
5) when happy that the post is plumb, fill the hole halfway with water, and half a bag of postmix. Stab at the postmix a few times with a line pin or stick to ensure no dry spots in the postmix. Then add a bit more water and the rest of the postmix. Repeat the stabby bit.
6) ensure post is still plumb and cover last inch or two with soil.
Also, best of luck getting anything from Jackson’s, there are simply too many variables 10years down the line for them to warranty any claim. They could blame ground conditions, improper fitment, ground contamination. Etc.
re digging, these look like fun:
https://www.hirestation.co.uk/tool-hire/Landscapin...
I don't know what your injury is, but they look like they might be heavy-ish
https://www.hirestation.co.uk/tool-hire/Landscapin...
I don't know what your injury is, but they look like they might be heavy-ish
jakesmith said:
Hi mate thanks for this. If Jackson's do offer replacement posts, however unlikely, I'd have to pay someone to take out the 10 panels and 11 posts, then replace. Can't do that myself, too much lifting / general work. I'm assuming that would be a much more expensive job labor wise could you give me a rough idea so I'm pre-armed? They're 6 foot panels with 2 foot trellis top and a gravelboard too
Hi Jake, in my opinion, if it’s going to be a case of starting again with new posts, go for concrete slotted posts. Then there will be absolutely no danger of posts rotting prematurely. The thing with timber posts these days, is due to creosote being so heavily outlawed in common use, the treatment used ordinarily now is crap. We always use UC4 treated/incised posts where possible, but always coat the bottoms of the posts in a bitumen paint. I’m guessing that it’s panels that are there at the minute, so the likely hood is that the contractor would have to break out the old posts in their entirety anyway, which is the bulk of the labour cost.
Just re-read your post again, is the trellis included in the 6ft panel, to give a finished height of 6’6”?
jakesmith said:
How does that work? Surely the new spur needs to be tight up against the old post therefor the dig can't avoid having to break up & remove some of the original post's concrete? Could you explain a bit more please?
Bloke above mentioned a dry mix too... I thought postmoix was the thing for the job is this not the case?
On new works we use a semi-dry 4-1 mix, rammed hard every 100mm. Post Crete is good for repairs, but too expensive to use all the time! Bloke above mentioned a dry mix too... I thought postmoix was the thing for the job is this not the case?
Spurs are also primarily designed as a repair. Although I’m sure some of the ways the gents above worked for them, I can’t help but think it’s a long way of going about things. Especially if you’re work on anything other than flat, level ground. If you have to set a line up to follow gradient it becomes x10 harder than it need be!
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff