TIL I was setting my post holes wrong for 10 years

I was out on a job last Tuesday up near Bakersfield and my buddy Mike came by to help. He watched me dig a hole and just started laughing. Turns out I was digging my holes way too narrow at the bottom. I always went straight down like a pipe but he showed me you gotta flare the bottom out so the concrete grips better. I felt pretty stupid since I been doing fences since 2014 and nobody ever told me that. The worst part is I complained for years about fences leaning after a few seasons and now I know why. Has anyone else had a basic technique they just never learned right?

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aaronlee4mo ago

The flared bottom trick works with gravel too if you're not using concrete. I switched to a gravel base a few years back and still bell the bottom out, helps with drainage and keeps the posts from rotting as fast.

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michaels954mo ago

My buddy Kevin had the same realization about 6 years into doing decks. He always hammered his nails straight in and wondered why the boards cupped so bad. Then his old man came out to help one weekend and showed him you gotta toe-nail the damn joists at an angle. Kevin told me he felt like an idiot driving home that night. He re-did his whole back deck the next month and it still sits solid after three winters. @aaronlee's point about the gravel base is smart too, my brother-in-law uses that method on his retaining walls. Honestly it's wild how easy it is to do something the wrong way for a decade and just blame the materials.

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