Recently, we found ourselves forced to rebuild a 35-year-old section of fence that was literally rotten to the core.
The fence was originally built by our uncle who had built and owned the home before us, and who was a second-generation building contractor. When he originally set the fence posts he used extra-large holes – both in diameter and depth – and completely filled the holes with solid concrete.
Where some folks will use a sack of fence post mix covered by several shovels of dirt and then a second bag of post mix, our uncle was a purist. No dirt in his post holes – just solid concrete and lots of it.
Massive concrete piers really add strength and lasting quality to a fence. However, these giant bundles of solid concrete can be sort of a double-edge sword. While great for lasting quality and strength, they can get in the way when it comes time for replacement.
What we have always done in the past is to lay out the new fence posts so that they end up in different locations than the old ones. When we would run into a situation such as a corner where the old and new posts were required to be in the exact same location, we would always remove the old pier and begin from scratch.
Boy, digging out one of Uncle Al’s fence posts was tough. But then Pete, one of the guys we were working with, suggested that we try to reuse the pier instead of replacing it. It’s something we simply hadn’t ever thought of before.
Moments later we were using an extra long drill bit to remove the balance of the post from within the pier. In no time there was a round pier almost three feet into the ground with a nice neat clean 4×4 inch square hole smack dab in the middle. Needless to say we were excited about the prospect of not having to dig out that big old chunk of concrete. Here’s how we were able to reuse the pier:
Once we realized we had a good solid base in the concrete pier that existed, we knew that all we had to do was figure out how to get a solid attachment between the existing concrete and the new post. The other consideration we had to make was to determine if a new post in the old pier would end up being plumb (straight up and down). With ground shift, who knew?
And what if the base of the old post had been curved? What we discovered was that the pier had shifted, but only very slightly. So we shaved off one of the sides at the base of our new post so we could get it to stand straight in the pier. Once it was properly fitted we used two part epoxy (you can buy it by the gallon) to glue the post to the pier.
This part is easy. Simply drizzle the resin down all fours sides of the pier and paint it onto the post as well. Any spaces from a slightly irregular fit can be filled by mixing sand or fine gravel with the resin. By the way, we used cedar shim shingles to hold the post in place while the epoxy cured.
The gap in the area around the shingles was filled with fine gravel and more resin. The next day the post was straight and true, and as solid as a rock. One thing is for sure: We will never replace a good concrete pier ever again.
For more home improvement tips and information from James and Morris Carey, visit their Web site at www.onthehouse.com or call 800-737-2474 Saturdays from 6 to 10 a.m. The Careys are also on KRKO (1380-AM) from 6 to 8 a.m. every Saturday.
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