Can we talk about setting corner posts with concrete versus tamping soil?

My old boss always swore by tamping soil around corner posts, said concrete traps water and rots the wood. So I did that for five years, but last spring I had three corner posts shift after a big rainstorm in Austin. A new guy on the crew said I should pack concrete around the base with gravel underneath for drainage. He showed me his corners from a job he did two years ago, and they were solid as rock. Now I'm wondering if I've been doing it wrong this whole time, has anyone else had issues with one method over the other?

3 comments

3 Comments

hugobarnes7d ago

Yeah that bit about concrete trapping water and rotting the wood is what my dad always told me too. But seeing how solid those posts stayed after two years with gravel underneath and concrete on top, I'm starting to think the drainage layer is the real key. I used to be on the tamping side but I'm switching my methods after this.

benlewis7d ago

Gravel base is everything. Saves posts every time.

kai_brown235d ago

So concrete's basically a rotten wood spa if you skip the gravel, huh? Who knew drainage was the secret sauce and not just a fancy excuse to buy more rocks?