Overheard a homeowner say fence posts should be set in concrete, but not all the way to the top

I was at the lumber yard last Thursday grabbing supplies and heard this guy telling his buddy that you gotta leave like 6 inches of gravel at the bottom of each post hole before the concrete. He said it lets water drain so the wood doesn't rot from the bottom up. Honestly never thought about it that way since I always just dumped concrete straight in. Has anyone else tried this gravel base method and seen it make a difference after a few years?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.tara27d ago

Tbh that gravel at the bottom thing makes sense on paper but does it actually stop the post from shifting around over time? Like I'd worry the concrete wouldn't grab the wood as tight with that loose layer underneath.

max_jones27d ago

Ha, yeah I get that. I actually did the gravel thing on my fence last year and honestly I think I did it wrong because one post is already leaning like a drunk guy at a bar. But when I looked it up later, the idea is it lets water drain so the wood doesn't rot from sitting in wet concrete, which would make it loosen up way worse over time. So the gravel's more for keeping the post alive than grip strength, I guess.