max716•12d ago

Rant: I used to set posts in straight concrete, but a job in Tulsa last spring where three posts heaved 2 inches after a freeze made me switch to adding a gravel base for drainage.

Has anyone else had to change their base method for a specific soil type?

3 comments

3 Comments

Remember my buddy working on a place near the coast with that sandy, almost swampy soil. He set a mailbox post the normal way and it was leaning bad within a month, just sucked right down on one side. He ended up having to dig it all out and pour a concrete collar much wider at the bottom to spread the weight out. Totally changed his method for that whole area.

kevint4712d ago

Yeah I used to just pour a straight cylinder of concrete for posts and call it good. Hearing stuff like this totally changed my mind for soft ground. That wider base at the bottom makes so much sense to stop the sinking. It's like giving the post a proper shoe so it doesn't just punch straight down into the muck. I'd never even thought about soil that could pull something down sideways like that. Makes you realize one method doesn't fit every spot.

emeryo5812d ago

Tbh that "sucked right down" thing is so real. My cousin had a deck post do the same in loose fill dirt, had to pour a whole bell-shaped footer to stop it.