Installation of iron poles. Do-it-yourself fence post holes. It seems to be a convenient option - no need to use welding

Drilling an ordinary hole under a post is quite simple, this work is not comparable to drilling a well. However, even for such a simple operation, certain skills and abilities will be required.

When building a fence or foundation, we are faced with the fact that it is necessary to drill a hole under the pole. In such cases, it is advisable to use special tools, such as a hand drill.

How to punch a hole under the poles? Such work is always carried out during the construction of structures, buildings and fences. Pits require a special approach.

Preliminary work

Most often, a pit for installing a pole is required when installing a fence on suburban area. For the correct execution of the work, it is necessary to first carry out some calculations. To enclose a 60 m2 area with a fence, the poles must be installed in increments of 2.5 meters. It will be necessary to punch holes under the gate in advance, provide a hole for front door. Gate posts should be 3 meters apart. There should be one meter to the door. After calculating, we get 45 holes.

In order to dig a hole for a post when building a fence, use an earthen drill.

At the next stage of the installation of the fence, you need to break through the pits where the poles will be installed. If you use an ordinary shovel for such work, the digging operation will take a lot of time, it will be very laborious. Approximately the same amount of time will be required to bury the holes made. To carry out such work, it is better to use a drill. This tool can be purchased at a hardware store and select the desired diameter. In order to securely fix the post in the ground, it is necessary to dig a hole so that its size is larger than the size of the post, by about 15 cm. To facilitate the drilling process, the ground is softened with water. First, a shallow hole is dug, then water is poured into it. After 30 minutes, the water will soak the ground, it will be possible to start drilling. To prevent the post from staggering, you need to dig a hole in the ground, the depth of which should be about one meter.

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Pillar preparation

Before a wooden pole is buried in the ground, it must be treated with special solutions from decay.

When preparatory work with the pits are finished, it is necessary to process future pillars. This is only necessary if the harvested poles are made of wood, which begins to rot over time. Therefore, the bottom of the pillar, which is buried in the ground, must be processed. Such an operation can be carried out different ways. For example, to burn pillars right on the fire. Such burnt wood will rot very slowly. Another option would be to treat the post with special hot bitumen. The coated post will be protected from moisture and microorganisms that destroy the tree.

Most often, a pole intended for installing a fence, in order to obtain the most durable fence, is dug into holes whose depth is more than 80 cm. After simple calculations, it can be determined that the size of all recesses will be 35 meters. It is difficult to do such work with an ordinary shovel. A hand drill will help to perform such work.

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Positive properties

This tool is used for the most various works. It is used for drainage work, it will help to make a hole for the foundation when small buildings are being built. With the help of this tool, piles are installed under the foundation and so on.

The tool has a very simple design, therefore, it is easy to work with it, and no specific building skills are required at all.

If the tool is made with high quality, it will serve for a long time.

The hand drill is very easy to disassemble, so it can be transported in the cabin, immersed in the trunk of a car.

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Applied methods

To punch a hole under the foundation, you can use special equipment. However, it will not be entirely economical, renting such cars is not cheap. Therefore, if possible, it is better to use a hand drill, the design of which is made of several parts:

1. Drilling tool of various diameters and 1 meter long.
2. Handle.
3. Extension.

During operation, the drill may become dull, and then it can be sharpened with a grinder.

The mass of such a drill reaches 10 kg. This tool allows you to drill a hole, the depth of which can reach 2.5 m. A similar drill can be bought at a specialized hardware store.

It would seem that all issues have been resolved. I bought a drill and punched holes. However, it is impossible to make holes with such a drill if the soil is sandy and the earth is clay. Even an extension cord does not help here. When turning the drill, there is no deepening into the ground. The reason for this problem lies in the sharpening of the drill. All tools that can be purchased in stores do not have any sharpening on the construction market. The conclusion is clear, it is necessary to sharpen a hand drill, which will allow you to work in any kind of soil.

The tool can be sharpened in two ways. For one of them you will need a grinder. She will quickly complete the sharpening of the drill blade. The tool will become very sharp. It will be possible to punch holes in any soil. But the grinder is not always at hand, you have to turn to another method. It will be possible to sharpen the blade with an ordinary file, but this will take a lot of time and effort.

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Hole punching

After you have dug a hole, the drill must be thoroughly cleaned of the ground so that it does not subsequently rust.

After sharpening, you can start punching holes. Perfectly sharpened blades will make it possible to work with any kind of soil. However, during the work, another pressing problem may arise. After the depth of the pit reaches 30 cm, it happens that the rotation of the drill stops. The problem that has arisen is fixed quite easily. It is necessary to pour a few liters of water into the resulting recess, then wait a couple of minutes. When the ground is wet, the hand drill will turn again with ease, descending to the required depth. After completing the digging of the required hole, the drill must be pulled out of the ground. Ordinary pulling out of the tool in this case is not enough. Extraction of a manual drill is carried out with rocking it in different directions, gradually expanding the hole.

The field of exit of the drill from the soil will become visible, how much soaked earth has stuck to the blade. It is removed before punching another hole. Usually this is easily done with an ordinary knife. To make the drilling operation faster, water can be immediately poured into several pre-made recesses. Professionals will say that punching holes with this method usually takes a quarter of an hour. When a hand drill is used, then no additional tools no need.

How to create a hand drill with your own hands? To make your own ordinary hand drill, you need to prepare several racks in advance, stock up on several blades.

Do-it-yourself drill manufacturing scheme: 1 - handle; 2 - insert; 3 - cutting nozzle; 4 - clutch; 5 - bolt with nut; 6 - cutting plates; 7 - guide rod; 8 - blade.

It is necessary to drill a series of holes in the rack to mount the blade. An ordinary grinder will help you get the required shape of the blades. She will also sharpening tool. The end of the rack should have a sharp tip, with which the drill will sink into the ground without any problems.

The last step in making a hand drill with your own hands is to fasten the handle. It is made from improvised materials, it can be made of rubber or plastic.

In order to protect such a tool from corrosion, it is necessary to treat it with special mixtures designed to prevent rust.

The construction of any fence begins with the installation of the supporting part - the pillars. The more reliably they are installed, the longer the fence will last under the influence of winds and bad weather. Therefore, this stage of work is the most responsible and must be carried out according to the technology. After reviewing it, you can confidently put up poles and build a fence with your own hands without the involvement of hired workers and equipment.

Mounting methods of supports - which one to choose?

When erecting fences, 3 methods of installing support structures are practiced:

direct driving into the ground;
partial concreting;
full concrete pouring of the underground part of the rack, including the installation of a strip foundation.

Note. In turn, partial concreting is carried out in two ways - pouring the so-called concrete collar or filling the well below the soil freezing line.

Pole installation options

Each of these methods is used in certain conditions, depending on the quality of the soil, their saturation with moisture and the degree of freezing. In addition, the choice of technique is influenced by vertical and lateral loads created by the weight of the structure and its windage. For solid fences important rule: they must withstand wind loads well, which sometimes exceed the mass of the fence.

Load on a solid fence from a profiled sheet

The simple driving of columns into the ground allows you to speed up construction and significantly reduce the cost of it. In contrast to these advantages, the method has numerous disadvantages:

A post driven into soft or loose soil (chernozem, clay, sand) will quickly loosen by the wind and tilt when solid fence sections with a large windage are attached to it. The latter include corrugated board, polycarbonate and various wooden boards.
If the height of the fence exceeds 2 m, then the wind will turn out the clogged column in any case, even together with a mesh that is transparent to the air flow - chain-link.
In areas with clayey moist soil that swells when negative temperatures, such supports will crawl out of the ground by 5-10 cm in the very first winter. After which they will finally be tilted by the wind.
After driving, the column is not able to carry a large load by weight. Metal structures or artistic forging elements cannot be attached to it.

Heavy wrought iron fence

From the foregoing, it follows that the driving of racks can be used under the following conditions:

when hard or rocky soils lie on your site;
driving into soft ground is possible if the height of the fence does not exceed 1.5 m, and the spans are made of mesh - chain-link or other material transparent to the wind;
if it is necessary to quickly erect a temporary fence;
during the construction of wicker or low decorative hedges near flower beds and front gardens.

To fence the front garden, the posts can be hammered into the soil

Concreting will require high costs labour, time and money. Just curing the concrete will take you 3 weeks, not to mention buying the ingredients to prepare the mix and finding a concrete mixer. In return, you receive the following bonuses:

durability (the fence will stand quietly for 30-50 years, depending on the material);
proper concreting is applied on all types of soil;
strengthening with a concrete mixture is suitable for all types of fences, including heavy ones (stone, brick, metal structures, forging).

Fence with brick pillars

Note. Racks cannot be concreted in marshy, oversaturated moisture soil. But in such situations, driving will not save either, you need to arrange a pile-screw foundation.

It turns out that the choice of method for mounting racks depends on the conditions in each case. Driving saves time and money, but is not always applicable. Concrete is used everywhere and provides reliability and durability for any structure, although it is more expensive. On stable dry soils, the cost of construction is reduced due to the partial concreting of the supports.

Pole materials

For the installation of a fence erected around the land, the following types of pillars are used:

from wooden beam and logs;
from various rolled metal - profile and round pipes, channels and corners;
from brick and concrete.

wooden fence

Reference. Channels and corners are used both singly and double, welded into a "box".

Usually, wooden racks are installed when erecting a fence made of slabs, boards or thin logs (palisade). It is also convenient to use them together with a plasticized mesh or chain-link mesh. The advantages of wood poles are:

low price;
ease of processing and fastening of intake sections;
fracture strength of the material, lack of flexibility, like metal;
supports can be given a wonderful appearance by carving, varnishing or painting.

Palisade with wooden supports

The use of wood as fence posts has one significant drawback - the material quickly deteriorates from the effects of weather conditions. So that the wooden rack does not rot in 10-15 years, it will have to be treated with an antiseptic and periodically painted. There is also the danger of a fence igniting from an accidentally thrown cigarette butt.

Rolled metal is a universal solution for the construction of various fences, but also more expensive. Although steel pipes also need to be protected from corrosion, they will last much longer than wooden racks. Sections of various materials starting from wood and ending with forging elements. Steel racks are also used in the construction of capital fences - they serve as the core of a brick pillar, to which wickets and gates are subsequently welded.

Steel pipe serves as a frame for brick supports

Reference. For quick assembly of a fence made of corrugated board and polycarbonate, ready-made kits made of metal are available for sale. profile pipes And fasteners to them.

Eurofence with concrete pillars

Concrete pillars are installed in a set with the so-called eurofence, consisting of separate slabs, decorated with a relief pattern. In other cases, it is impractical to use concrete supports due to the high price and complexity of installation (the racks are quite heavy). But they also “live” for a long time - up to 50 years, they are not afraid of winds, precipitation and temperature changes.

Selection of columns by section

timber with a section of 10 x 10 cm, minimum - 8 x 10 cm;
log with a diameter of 100 to 150 mm;
for a palisade, it is better to take a round timber of the maximum size - 15 cm.

For pillars, it is desirable to choose logs of the same diameter

When choosing supports made of wood, you should pay attention not only to the cross section, but also to find out the type of wood. Birch and poplar are of little use for outdoor structures, as they quickly rot. The best choice in terms of price / quality ratio - these are materials from coniferous species. They contain a significant amount of natural resins that help resist environmental influences.

Profile pipes for the fence

When choosing metal poles, consider the following recommendations:

with a fence height of 2-2.5 m, take a section of a profile pipe of 60 x 40 mm, products of 40 x 40 mm in size will go to a one and a half meter fence;
the optimal diameter of the round pipe is 57 mm;
the maximum size of the corners and channels installed one by one, take equal to 90 and 160 mm, respectively.

Scheme indicating the section of pipes

Advice. In order for steel supports to last at least 20 years, choose rolled metal with a wall thickness of at least 3 mm.

The pillars to which the gate leaves and the gate are attached carry an increased load, so their cross section should be larger. As a rule, the size of profile pipes 100 x 120 mm or round diameter 109 mm is sufficient. The cross section of channels and corners remains unchanged, but for gates they are combined in pairs by welding into a “box”.

Calculation of the main parameters for do-it-yourself installation

Measure the total length of the fence with a tape measure. Determine the height of the fence for safety reasons and based on personal wishes. As practice shows, it is not economically feasible to build a solid fence with a height of more than 2.5 m. The optimal height, which allows saving materials, is 2 m (a six-meter pipe is divided into 3 parts).
Determine the height of the pillars. The principle is this: to create a reliable support arm in the ground, the rack must be immersed in the ground by at least 1/3. If it is planned to build a 2-meter fence, then at least 1 m of the support must be in the ground, then its total length will be 3 m.
Count the number of columns depending on the interval of their installation.

Fences with a height of more than 2.5 m are best made from mesh

Advice. On preparatory stage it is worth coordinating the construction with neighbors so that later there will be no disputes over the demarcation of sites.

It is important to choose the correct installation step for the supports, depending on the area and windage of the fence. The distance between the posts should be between 2 and 3 m. It is not advisable to take a smaller interval from the point of view of economy, and a larger one sharply reduces the reliability of the structure. The exact selection is made on an individual basis.

Solid fence with an optimal distance between posts of 2.5 m

Calculation example for a fenced area length of 13.4 m with a fence height of 1.5 m:

If we divide this distance into 4 sections, then the step of the pillars will be 3.23 m. With such a span, the fence can be built of brick or chain-link mesh on metal pillars. It is highly undesirable to install a profiled sheet or other solid material, the racks will be shaken by the wind.
A breakdown into 5 sections will give the optimal interval - 2.56 m. This suitable option for most fences, both wooden and metal.
If you divide the distance by 6 spans, then the length of each will be 2.12 m. The reliability of such a fence will be at its best, although the cost of construction will increase. But here you can save on the cross section of the pillars and take a smaller standard size according to the assortment.

Example of splitting into 4 spans

Advice. The optimal distance between the posts of a solid fence 2 m high is 2.5 m. This the best option in terms of price / reliability when it comes to the most popular fences made of corrugated board on metal supports.

Example of splitting into 5 spans

If you choose the optimal step of 2.5 m, then the construction of the fence will require 6 supports protruding 1.5 m above ground level. According to the calculation, the total length of the rack, together with the underground part, is 1.5 / 2 x 3 = 2.25 m, with a margin of 2.5 m. In total, 2.5 x 6 = 15 m of a pipe or channel will be required.

Split into 6 spans

Reference. In concrete eurofences, a fixed span length is provided - 2 m, so it will not be difficult to calculate the number of pillars.

How to install fence posts by driving

For execution construction works you need various tools and fixtures:

measuring instruments - tape measure, liquid level;
long string and pegs for marking;
manual or mechanized drill;
sledgehammer or portable hydraulic hammer;
bayonet shovel;
tamper.

If you plan to install wooden posts, then they must be processed so that they do not rot in the ground. First, cover the entire support with an antiseptic composition such as Novotex or Biosept, and then tar the underground part with molten bitumen.

Advice. The bituminous coating must adhere firmly to the surface, otherwise it will peel off when driving the post. For this reason, it is not recommended to use cold bituminous compounds and primers to protect racks.

Painted metal supports

The underground part of the metal poles before installation must be cleaned of rust, coated with a primer and also applied with hot resin. The operation will not take you much time, as the bitumen hardens pretty quickly.

Work order

The first stage of installation of the supporting part of the fence is marking. Stretch between extreme points string on stakes, and then measure along it the calculated intervals between the posts, marking the points of their installation. The installation technology is as follows:

At the designated points, drill wells of the estimated depth. The diameter of the drill should be less than the section of the column by 2-4 cm. When drilling, try to keep the tool vertical and not swing, so as not to break the walls of the pit, which is why the stand will fall there without any clogging.
It is advisable to cut the ends of wooden poles, so it is more convenient to insert them into the hole.
Seal the bottom of the well with a rammer and add some sand or fine gravel.
Hammer the first post with a sledgehammer to the required height. Here you will need the services of an assistant who will support the end of the support and prevent it from vibrating from impacts.
Repeat the previous operation with the last column and pull the rope between them to beat off the top level.
Hammer the rest of the racks, focusing on the level of the twine. Sprinkle them with earth from all sides and tamp it down.

Marking the fence on the site

Important! To maintain a clear vertical when installing pillars, it must be controlled during the drilling process. It is impossible to level the support when driving if the hole is drilled crooked. But if this happened, then you can fix the matter in the way described below.

Photo instruction for driving racks

When driving, the column must be supported by an assistant Drilling a hole with a drill It looks like a finished well for driving With the help of driving, the frame is placed in 1 day

Installation of poles with backfill

To implement this method, you will need medium-sized stones, broken bricks and tiles, or large gravel. The installation procedure is as follows:

Drill or dig a hole to the required depth. It should be 10-15 cm wider than the cross section of the support.
Tamp the bottom of the pit and sprinkle with gravel. Ask an assistant to place the bar and hold it in vertical position using the building level.
Fill the space between the soil and the post with stones or rubble, periodically tamping it down.
Sprinkle the installed column on top with earth and compact it.

Scheme of backfilling supports

Reference. There is an old grandfather's way to fix the support tightly with the help of backfill. It is necessary to make a liquid solution of clay with water and pour it between the stones into each hole. Clay will fill all the pores and after hardening it will hold no worse than concrete.

Video on driving posts

Instructions for concreting supports

This technology provides for full or partial pouring of columns with M100 concrete mix in dry soil and M150 when the ground is wet. To calculate the amount of materials required for concreting, use the data from the table, which indicates their volumes for preparation different brands solution.

Calculation table for concrete, cement and other ingredients of the concrete mix

Knowing the number of holes for supports and their depth, it is easy to calculate the total consumption of building materials. With full concreting, no more than 4 standard buckets of concrete are placed in a well with a depth of 1 m. Additionally, prepare the following materials:

roofing felt or plastic film to isolate the concrete mixture from the ground;
sand for backfilling at the bottom of the well;
pieces of reinforcement or corners for anchoring.

Building materials for concreting pillars

The set of tools used is the same as for driving, only instead of a sledgehammer you will need a concrete mixer. In extreme cases, you can do without it and prepare the mixture on a sheet of metal with a shovel. To perform the fixation and anchoring of metal posts, it is necessary to prepare a welding machine.

How to Concrete: Step by Step Pouring Technology

The first stage of work, consisting of marking and digging holes, is carried out according to the technology described above. Full concreting of pillars is performed in the following sequence:

Seal the bottom of the pit, fill it with sand and tamp again.
Install the support and align it vertically in two planes, using the building level.
Fix the pipe in the design position by welding the corner pieces to it so that their ends rest against the soil. If the posts are wooden, then nail planks to them or simply wedge them with large stones.
Cover the bottom of the well and earthen walls with roofing material or film. The goal is to prevent milk from flowing out of concrete, which reduces the strength of the latter.
Prepare the concrete mix and lay it in the pit with the post. In the process of pouring, make sure that it does not deviate from the vertical, that it is even.

Complete concreting of the column

Advice. In the first 20 min. after pouring, when the concrete gives off excess water, the position of the column can be corrected in order to align the vertical.

Vertical correction after concreting

Complete solidification concrete mix happens after 3 weeks. Until then, it is not allowed to carry out work that could load the columns. The best you can do is clean and paint them.

How to put and concrete columns: photo

Filling the hole with concrete The pit is filled with concrete to the top It is better to cover the edges of the well with roofing material
Fixing the rack with props With the help of a rope it is more convenient to determine the mounting point of the pole Preparation of concrete mix

About partial concreting: how deep to dig in and what is the distance between the columns

If the soil in your area is dry and not loose, then it is pointless to spend materials on a full fill. It is enough to make a concrete collar for each column using this technology:

Dig a hole half of the calculated depth, but make it 20-25 cm wider than the section of the rack.
Take the finished support and hammer it in the middle of the bottom of the pit to the required depth. Compact the soil around the pipe and sprinkle with sand.
Carry out anchoring and roofing felt formwork as described in the previous section.
Fill the hole with concrete mix.

So the forces of frost heaving act on fence posts

The method is convenient in that it is easier to align the rack half-hammered into the ground vertically and fix it in this position. But this technology, like full concreting, is not applicable in heaving soils. In severe frosts, the soil will push out the entire structure. To prevent this from happening, use the following instructions:

Find out exactly how deep the ground is frozen in your area. Calculate the total height of the supports using the following formula: above-ground part + freezing depth + 0.5 m.
Prepare a mixture of crushed stone and sand to replace the heaving soil around the post.
Drill a well so that the drill goes 0.6-0.7 m below the border of the frozen soil. Make a bedding of 10 cm of sand and compact it.
Install the support and fix it in a vertical position.
Fill the hole with concrete to a height of 0.5 m.
After setting the monolith, fill the well to the top with a mixture of sand and gravel.

Concrete is poured no higher than the freezing limit, and then crushed stone is poured

Note. Considering that in some regions of the Russian Federation the soil freezes by 2-2.5 m, the intake posts will turn out to be very long, and the well will be deep. Therefore, the choice of material for the pillars is small, only steel pipe is suitable.

When the moisture-saturated soil is replaced with gravel, and the concrete monolith is located below the freezing line, frost heaving forces will not be able to push your support out of the ground.

How pillars are concreted correctly - video

As you can see, the technology for installing fence posts does not contain any particular difficulties. Also, special equipment is not required to perform the work, but with a concrete mixer or hydraulic hammer, things will go much faster. It is better to build a fence with an assistant, since most operations are inconvenient to do alone.

In order to put up a high-quality fence made of corrugated board, it is not enough to purchase metal fence posts and install them. In general, the installation of pillars in terms of a construction operation is sometimes simply underestimated, while the durability of your fence depends on the quality of the installation and the correct implementation of the technology.

So, let's start with the main question - why make a foundation for the fence at all? Many frankly believe that it is enough to dig in the pillars and tamp them well. Not so far gone simplest way installation of metal poles - the hole is sprinkled with gravel, slag or other similar material and compacted.

Basics of mounting metal poles

In order to establish a durable and strong you should know a few very important basics:

The first thing you should pay attention to is the weight of the fence.. If you are planning to mount a fence made of corrugated board, then this type can be safely attributed to a lightweight structure. And since this is a lightweight construction, accordingly, you can do without a strip foundation;

Pillars for the lung can be concreted using the pit foundation method;

Despite the imaginary simplicity of the process, you should take into account another important factor, namely the size and depth of the hole under the post;
Also, you should remember about the proportions of the concrete mixture (in this case, the question comes down to the durability of the pour, because a lot also depends on the type of soil and climate);
And the last one is reinforcement. Even for lightweight structures, it can be used as an additional fulcrum.

Digging holes

To dig a hole for a 100x100 metal fence post, you will need a good old bayonet shovel. In general, in order for the fence to stand firmly, it is necessary to dig a hole with a size of at least 400 × 400. In solid ground (clay, stony soil, rock), dimensions of 200 × 200 are possible, but these figures are indicated taking into account reinforcement.

The second and more modern way to put metal posts for an 80x80 fence is to use a manual hole drill. Such a tool is most suitable for drilling in soft soil (sand, black soil and other loose soils).

Attention!
Digging holes for poles with a pit drill is associated with one significant disadvantage - the pits are round, not square, which can significantly complicate their pouring with concrete.
If you want to avoid such troubles, experts recommend selecting the cross section of the head of the hole drill by 15-20% more than the diameter of the post.

Technology for installing metal poles

We seem to have sorted out the holes.

Now let's move on to the next questions:

What foundation to choose for the fence and,
How to properly reinforce the pillars?

In general, the main thing in these matters is to delve into the situation with the soil, the level of its freezing in winter and estimate the approximate height to which groundwater rises.

But if you are simply too lazy to mess with all this, you can fulfill the standard requirements of the technology. It all comes down to digging nests for metal fence posts measuring 400x400mm.

If you are concerned about the question of how to properly install a metal pole so that it does not fall by the next season, let's turn to the technical calculation formulas. According to experienced engineers, it is recommended to dig in the pillars to such a level that the depth of the foundation is 20 cm below the freezing level of the soil. But how to determine this level?

In order not to bother with such a question, many builders recommend digging holes 100-120 cm deep (for middle lane Russia). These dimensions are taken for a reason - the average depth of soil freezing in the European part of the country is approximately 70 cm (somewhere a little more, somewhere less). The reserve, which remains just in case, compensates for the influx of ground water by spring.

If your house (cottage, cottage) is located in a wetland or is in a zone of constant flooding, there can be no question of any pit foundation at all! Here it will save only, which we will now talk about in more detail.

In this case, you will need to work well with a shovel, since strip foundation in flooded areas should be at least a meter deep and at least 300 mm wide. The question immediately arises - how to install the pillars? Just! Before pouring the strip foundation, you need to leave (using formwork) nests, 400 × 400 in size and at least 1 m deep (recommended 1.2-1.5 m).

After the trench for the foundation is dug and the pillars are placed in the cells, reinforcement should be started. To reinforce the pillars with your own hands, it is customary to use not thick reinforcement with a diameter of 10 to 16 mm. In general, reinforcement can be produced in two ways: frame and continuous.

In the first case, the reinforcement is cut into pieces of the required length and knitted (welded) into boxes, which ensure the strength of the entire concrete structure and the fence as a whole.

The continuous method involves a one-piece reinforced frame (also wired or welded) that passes through the entire strip foundation and pillars (in other words, it is a single structure).

Important point!
With continuous reinforcement, the "ring" under the gate should not be interrupted. Experts recommend closing the structure so that it simply does not part in the future.

Summarize

As mentioned earlier, installing fence posts is not as simple as it seems to many at first glance. In order to better understand all the technological nuances, we have a photo and video instruction that will clearly demonstrate to you the main aspects of the workflow.

The price of poles is different almost everywhere, but in order to enclose a house, you will not need serious expenses (of course, if your site is not located in a flooded area).

That's basically all - it remains to wish you only good luck in your engineering and construction activities! Good luck!

When erecting a fence without a foundation, the main stage is the installation of supports. It is necessary to determine in advance the depth to which they will be installed, as well as drill holes. To avoid falling pillars, it is important to learn how drilling is done.

Drill or shovel

In any case, making a hole for a fence post is much easier than drilling a well. But still, this will require some skills and abilities. You can dig holes manually or use special equipment for this. Its cost is quite high, not everyone agrees to pay rent.

Most often they use cheaper methods - they use a shovel or a hand drill. You can dig wide holes with a shovel, but you need a drill to make narrow holes. And in fact, and in another case, you will have to use physical force.

It is easier to work with a drill than with a shovel, but it is quite difficult to carry it from one place to another, since its weight is rather big. It is worth remembering that the pit alone is not enough to install the pole. It is not enough to make a hole in the ground, you also need to properly concrete the support post so that it does not loosen and bend over time.

Preparation and necessary calculations

Not a single pole can be installed without correct calculations and without correctly made holes in the ground. The location of the fence must be marked on the site even before its installation. At the same time, the installation of pillars is immediately calculated. All this should be done before purchasing all necessary materials. Dimensions are entered in the drawing.

The slightest inaccuracy can lead to serious consequences, which will be quite difficult to correct. If one pole is installed incorrectly, the entire fence may warp or fall on its side. Basics for correct installation are:

When making calculations, you need to correctly determine the distance between adjacent supporting pillars of the future fence. It depends on the area of the fenced area, the weight and size of the canvas itself, which will be attached to the poles. Usually adjacent support posts are separated from each other by no more than three meters.
The diameter of the hole for the support must be greater than the diameter cross section the pillar itself. However, it is better not to make the hole too wide, otherwise the soil around the post will be loose. If, on the contrary, the diameter of the hole is too small, it will not be possible to carry out concreting.
In order to determine the number of required holes, you need to make calculations. To do this, the length (perimeter) of the entire fence should be divided by the width of one run. This refers to the distance between adjacent pillars, on average - 250 cm. If you reduce the width, you will not be able to avoid additional financial costs, and if you make it, on the contrary, more, then the canvas will sag.
The distance between the posts depends on the height of the fence. The higher the fence, the shorter this distance should be.
You also need to pay attention to the depth of the holes. This indicator depends on the soil. The stronger the soil, the less you can make the depth of the holes. If the composition of the soil consists mainly of sand and clay, then such soil, as a rule, is considered unstable. And there should be more holes for fence posts in it. Their depth can even reach one and a half meters, while the posts, installed on more stable soils, need holes with a recess of only one meter.

However, whatever the composition of the soil, the support column must enter it at least a third of its length.

Using a shovel, garden auger and power auger

The use of a drill for digging holes

When all calculations are completed and all values are calculated, as well as all the necessary markings are made, you can begin the main work on installing the supports. To do this, you will need suitable construction tools. Most often, a motor drill, a garden drill or an ordinary shovel are used to dig a hole. The last tool is the cheapest, but also the longest and most difficult to work with.

With a shovel, it is rarely possible to achieve the desired effect. It can dig wide holes of small depth, but if you need to make a narrow and deep hole, then a shovel will no longer help.

Be that as it may, the advantages of this simple tool include two facts:

A shovel is available in almost all personal plots.
To work with a shovel, neither electricity nor any other type of paid energy is needed. You just need to pick it up and start using it for its intended purpose. If it breaks, it's easy to fix.

Another tool that can be used to make holes is a garden drill. Its price is several times higher, and its mass is much larger (the device weighs almost 10 kg), but it is more convenient to work with it. With it, you can drill a hole up to two and a half meters deep.

The average diameter of the holes made with this tool is 15 cm. You can buy it at a specialized hardware store. When buying, it is important to pay attention to the sharpening of the main working part. If it is sharpened poorly, it will be possible to make holes only on chernozem or sandy soils. On rocky and clay soils efficiency will be significantly lower.

The easiest way is to make holes in the soil with a motor drill. With it, you can save time and physical strength, but, unfortunately, you will not be able to save money. After all, this tool will not be able to work without electricity or fuel. Also among the disadvantages is the excessive noise of this device. But he can make holes up to three meters deep, and it takes only a few minutes. The diameter of the holes being made can be different, but from 15 to 30 cm is considered optimal.

concreting

Often, when installing a fence around a private suburban area, the poles are mounted by concreting. This method is considered universal. At the same time, a hole is made in the ground, a pillar is installed vertically in it, and all the space remaining around the pillar is filled with concrete mortar.

There is an opinion that in this way, the pillars are securely fixed in place due to the high strength of concrete. However, the mixture that fills the empty space in the hole around the support post does not do its job well. After all, the soil is able to swell under the influence low temperatures. As a result, the column can move, move outward, or even collapse.

Before concreting, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the soil on which the fence will be installed. Most often, the result of soil heaving can be detected in the spring, after the snow melts. However, sandy soil is not subject to heaving, and therefore this technology is quite suitable for it. But on clay soils, pillars should be installed in one of two alternative methods: by bottling with crushed stone or driving.

The last way is very simple. A small hole is made in the ground, smaller than the diameter of the post itself, and then a post is driven into this hole with a sledgehammer. To simplify the work, you can use a ladder.

Butovanie

Sketch of the support post

The bottling method is otherwise called dry concreting. It is applicable for the installation of any support - wooden, concrete or asbestos-cement. At the same time, after making a hole of the required size in the ground and leveling the post into this hole, the voids are covered with rubble. Filling the void around the pillar is not necessary immediately, but gradually.

First you need to fill in the crushed stone in one layer and compact it, then the crushed stone is already laid out in the second layer and also compacted, and so on. To simplify the work, you can use a device such as a vibrating plate. Its other name is vibronog. He will help to carry out ramming.

If there is no such device, you can make it yourself, using a trimmed log for this. One of the main advantages of dry concreting is soil drainage. Water does not flow to the base of the support, as the rubble does not allow it to do so. Poles installed by butting can stand for a long time, but still, it is possible that under the influence strong wind they loosen, and then you have to repeat the rammer.