How to Install Fence Posts in a Footing

A fence is only as strong as the material its fence posts are set in, and to achieve additional strength, many fence-builders set posts into concrete footings. Even in instances where most of the line posts in a fence are set in dirt, gate posts and corner posts are sometimes set in concrete for the added strength. Setting a fence post into a concrete footing adds only a few steps to the procedure, and in some ways minimizes the manual labor involved in installing the post.

Tape measure
Shovel
Post-hole digger
Gravel
Carpenter's level
Quick-setting concrete
Bucket

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the height of what looks like an average fence post with a tape measure. This information might also be on an invoice or set of instructions. Divide that measurement by three and add 6 inches to determine the depth of the post hole.
- 2
  Dig a cylindrical pit with a shovel and post-hole digger, using the measurement from Step 1.
- 3
  Fill the bottom of the hole with 6 inches of gravel.
- 4
  Place the fence post into the hole and set a carpenter's level on the side of the post. Adjust the placement of the post until the post is both level and plumb (vertically straight). You may need to flatten the gravel in the hole to achieve this.
- 5
  Mix a batch of quick-setting concrete in a bucket while an assistant holds the post in place. Pour the concrete into the hole. Stop filling the hole when the concrete is about 2 inches from the top.
- 6
  Wait until the concrete footing is hard enough before you release the post (usually about 15 to 20 minutes).
- 7
  Leave the concrete footing to harden around the post overnight. Return the next day to fill in the rest of the hole with leftover dirt and/or sod, covering up the concrete footing.

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