gonzalez.grant•2mo agoProlific Poster

Old timer on a job site told me to dig post holes deeper than the frost line

I was working a fence job up in northern Minnesota a few years back. Guy named Hank said go down 4 feet minimum, not the 3 I planned. I dug the first few at 3 feet anyway. Come spring, two of those posts heaved right out of the ground. Had to redo the whole section. Took me an extra day. Anyone else learn that lesson the hard way?

3 comments

3 Comments

james_butler2mo ago

Hank was trying to save you a headache and you ignored him. Classic "I know better" moment. Hope that extra day taught you to listen to the old guys.

hill.troy2mo ago

Yeah @james_butler, we all got that stubborn streak til life knocks it out of us.

the_betty1mo ago

Is it really that deep though? Like I get that the posts heaved but maybe it was just bad luck or the soil was weird in that one spot. I've seen fences that are perfectly fine with 3 foot holes even in cold areas if you pack the gravel right. Not saying Hank was wrong but sometimes people act like one bad experience means it's a universal rule and I dunno about that. My uncle has a fence that's been standing 20 years and he only went 2 and a half feet down.