17/09/13

DIY - A guide to installing concrete fences

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DIY
A Do-It-Yourself Guide for the Handyman or Fence Contractor on Installing Concrete Fences
This DIY Guide is for the benefit of the do-it-yourself home owner of fence contractor who wants to install a concrete fence:

Items Required
Tape Measure, Level, Post hole digger, Shovel, Wheelbarrow, Piece of 1" diameter steel pipe 4'9" long, Hammer or mallet, Line for laying out the site, Bucket, Acid Brush, Steel rods for the line, skill saw, diamond blade, pencil, steel digging bar, a willing helper.

Consumables
Ready Mixed Concrete for footings, 1" Diameter PVC Pipe, Muratic Acid, Glue for top rails.

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Laying Out The Jobsite

Mark each corner of the fenceline. String your line from each corner of the area you are working on. The line needs to be approx 1' above the ground level and 3" out from the actual corner. As lines sag over distance, your line will need to be supported each 50 to 70 feet with a steel rod. See Fig 1, 2 and 3

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Hole Sizes
The size and depth of the hole required varies depending on soil conditions and height of the wall. As a guideline, for the black clay generally found east of I-35, you need a 14 inch diameter hole 24 to 30 inches deep for a 6' high fence. For each corner or end-post, make the hole 18" in diameter. Where you are in solid limestone, an 8 inch diameter hole 18 inches deep is sufficient. For the caliche soils or where there is a mix of clay and stone an 11" to 12" diameter hole 24" deep is recommended. Newly-compacted areas will need a bigger footer depending on the depth and level of compaction.

Installing Poles
Cut the post with the skillsaw / diamond blade to the desired length based on the hole dug. Mark a line (line 1) on the side that will be going against the line 60.5 inches from the top of the posts. See Fig 4. Mark a line (line 2) in each of the slots in the post 73.5 inches from the top of the post.If you are stepping at this pole, please refer to stepping guidelines below. FirstPost: Place in ground in the position marked. The mark (line1) should be about half an inch from the post when the post is plumb. For minor adjustments to the posts position, use the digging bar as shown in Fig 5. Mix concrete and place it in the hole. Cut about a 6 inch piece of the PVC pipe and place it into the slot of the pole. Hammer this pipe into the wet concrete until the top of the pipe is level with the mark line 2. For additional strength the pipe can be filled in with some wet concrete. See Fig 10. The panels rest on this pipe. Subsequent posts: Using the 4'9" steel pipe (This is the length of the panels) put one end into the slot of the previous post. The other end is where the next pole goes. Dig the hole, mark and cut the pole as discussed above and place the pole into the hole. Use the pipe to ensure that the distance from the previous pole is correct. Adjust the height/position of the pole to ensure it is plumb, the correct height and distance from previous post and correctly in line with the previous posts. Make sure you can slide the steel post up and down the slot and that the previous post is still plumb.

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DIY - A guide to installing concrete fences

Placing Panels
Panels can be placed into the slots 24 hours after the posts are finished. Each panel weighs about 90 lbs, so 2 people are needed to lift and position them. Make sure all panels are oriented the same way. If short panels are needed they can be cut with the skillsaw / diamond blade. Do not transport and carry panels lying flat.

Leveling
If leveling is required, this can easily be done using one or 2 steel bars as per fig 7 and placing a flat rock on top of the pipe if the wall is too low, or alternatively chipping off some of the pipe if the wall is too high. Accurate measurements and pole positioning are far less time consuming than adjusting panels. Fig 7.

Stepping with Slope

There are 2 types of stepping that can be done. Which one to use will often be based on personal preference although when there is a relatively steep slope the continuous stepping looks the best. For a severe slope, consider reducing the distance between poles. Fig 8, 9 Occasional Stepping This occurs at intervals where a gradient change happens. Care must be taken with determining where the top of the PVC pipe must be as on the one (high) side of the post it will be 73.5 inches while the other side may be say 81 inches. Continuous Stepping For continuous stepping usually the slope is relatively even and on the high side of the post the pipe will be 73.5 inches and on the low side say 74.5 inches, thus giving a constant drop or rise of 1 inch per 5 feet.

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Top Rails
Top rails should be positioned before the fence is leveled. Once the fence is leveled these rails should be glued as per Fig 6.

Washing
After completion, the fence needs to be washed with a light mixture of water/muratic acid (1" acid in a bucket) using an acid brush obtained at your local hardware store. The acid wash reduces color fluctuationson the wall.

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