Project book · an afternoon

Set a fence post in concrete

Replace a rotten or leaning post, or set new ones for a gate or mailbox. Fast-setting concrete, no mixing.

How many posts?

posts

This fits in a car

About 195 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 1 item on the list has no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

Call 811 before digging a post hole — it is deep and narrow, exactly how lines get hit. It is free and takes a couple of days. Wet concrete is caustic: wear waterproof gloves and safety glasses and rinse splashes off skin right away.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Lumber

Concrete

Stone

Hardware

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about an afternoon · some experience

  1. Dig the hole about 8 in across and 30 in deep — about a third of the post should be in the ground. Northwest Arkansas rock means the digging bar earns its keep.
  2. Pour 6 in of gravel in the bottom and tamp it so water drains away from the end of the post.
  3. Stand the post in, get it plumb on two sides with the post level, and screw two braces from the post to stakes in the ground.
  4. Pour the dry fast-setting mix straight into the hole to about 4 in below ground, then add water as the bag directs.
  5. Leave it braced for at least four hours before hanging anything on it, then fill the last few inches with soil.

Something else

Build a raised garden bedMulch a flower bedPaint a roomPut up garage shelvingFix a patchy lawnBuild a fire pitMount a TV on the wallCookout for a crowd

Feeding people instead? The recipe book works the same way — pick a meal, say how many, every ingredient lands on the list.

Set a fence post in concrete — everything for it, in one tap · DriverRuns