Set tubes, fill with concrete, set post brackets in the cement, install posts. No rot and easily repaired!🤷♂️ 45 years building decks and I’ve never had to replace a post due to rot.
Wood boring bees make post replacing inevitable, gravel at the bottom give water a place to pool and start rot from the bottom, rot at ground level makes digging up posts with 100 pounds of concrete a pain in the butt... that's my two cents, I can pull up my post and replace them in 10 minutes
Mike, you opened the wrong side of the concrete bags, so now your concrete is upside down. This will speed up the rotting process. I do this for a living so.......Love the channel, thanks for the entertainment and inspiration. I'm building a shed to keep my firewood dry, this video was very helpful. Watching from Chester Springs, PA.
I hate Bugs and Snakes, that's why I Love Winter Time, Cutting Wood, WoodStove Fires, walking through the Woods. Nothing to mess with me and I can see what I need to see in the Woods. I get more outdoor projects done in the Winter. Sooo I'm with you there Beautiful !!! Charlotte NC in da House watching !!!
WOO HOO!!! Thanks for suggesting the 'Bucking Billy Ray' channel! That guy is a RIOT! I CANNOT stop watching him and I WISH I had just 1/4 of his energy and enthusiasm!
On the farm growing up, building fence, we just tamped the dirt around the post in the hole. I have poured dry redi-mix in since then, so I agree that it matters little what you do. Mosquitos go for Melissa because she's sweeter. 😜
Hey Mike, I'm one of the jokers that commented about setting the posts on the previous video. What I said was you don't need concrete, just a little gravel mixed with the clay from the hole. Back in the day when treated lumber first entered the market you would void the warranty setting them in cement. That changed as the treatment got better. I however resisted change. You are right that the only way to avoid rot is to not let them contact the ground at all. Lots more work, if you're happy I'm happy too. Have fun.
Hi Mike, love your videos, my first post and from south Cornwall UK . I was born and brought up on farm and spent time in mining and 33 years in construction . Your and your friends analysis of post rotting is correct and have met the same situation myself to the point that usually the remains of the post in the concrete is as good as the day it was put in . Your prevention options are as follows , using tar above the ground as you suggested , another is an old Cornish farmers trick and that is to paint the post from the concrete to about a foot above ground level with a mixture of diesel and old engine oil . I use the ratio of about 20% diesel , this allows the mixture to soak into the post . A better option is to stand the ends in the mixture for a couple of days prior to installing and soaks up from the bottom of the post . Another option was put to me by a structural engineer friend who suggested encasing that which is buried in damp proof course and used to prevent rising damp on walls of buildings . There are also available on line plastic sleeves that can be put over the post bottoms and heat shrunk on and available in various lengths and sizes. These i used on a customers 4x4 posts for a conservatory and very satisfactory and recomendable Just a final add the dry mix i put in i compact tight with a piece of timber , this helps to hold the posts firm until it sets , especially if is windy but would still need supporting in these conditions . Keep up the good work and keep the videos coming
For our stands and bridges built throughout our property we have always dug holes 4'+ deep, put about 5' tubes in and fill with concrete. Our wood is always out of the ground and what touches the concrete or mounting brackets we cover in tar. Works good for us where we live.
Just installed 5 DeerView windows in an old ice shack that will be my new hunting blind this afternoon, I went with the deluxe hinged model and couldn't be happier. The customer service was great too!
Hey Mike, this is the first time I'm posting but I love the channel, and its content. As far as setting posts in concrete, to keep them from rotting I've always used either a driveway tar sealant, or a roofing sealant that I apply with a paintbrush to about 3 to 4 inches above the ground. This will seal it from moisture, and bugs. I have found this has worked on posts from Southern California to Northern Kentucky.
I literally was JUST talking about this with a friend who put a fence in 30 yrs ago with NON pressure treated 4x4s and covered the bottoms in tar... STILL standing and no rot. But cement anchored brackets always best. Just.more expensive
I used pressure treated 4X4's for a horse shed that started at 24'X12'. I dug my holes, put just about 2" of ready mix in before setting posts. Then I used some water seal on the posts before setting them inside cardboard forms to bring the concrete above ground level. I used some mixed concrete on the top so that I could slope it away from the posts. These have been in the ground, subjected to water, manure, muck etc. for about 18 years so far without a sign of rot yet.
Hi again When I built my front porch I put 47 stone on the bottom of the hole and then made forms that extended about 4" above the hole. It's been 30 years and no rot yet.
With us being in Southeast Louisiana there is usually water in any hole a foot or so deep. About two years ago I helped with putting up a new all wooden fence using pressure treated 4 X 4 post for our church. We coated the bottom part of the posts to about 6 inches above ground level with a tar that got rather hard but still slightly playable. Then we put about a foot of gravel in each 12 inch hole. Then I mixed the quick set concrete in a mixer leaving the first bag a little stiff. Then filled the rest of the hole with the concrete mixed to normal consistency and mounded the concrete to a couple inches above ground level at the post and finished it with a trowel. After setting up for a few days we heated the tar and put it around the top of the mounded concrete, kinda like caulking, around the post.
Thanks for the great videos, they're really informative! I read somewhere that the old timers would take their fence posts and slightly burn them, only the part that goes in the ground, over a fire, just enough to make them black. They said the posts would never rot there.... and there's probably some truth there. Has anyone else heard that method?
Nice! Over 20 years ago, we fenced in our backyard. Dug holes over 40 inches deep, frost line is about 3 feet here. Put a couple inches of pea gravel to help drainage, then filled hole with cement. So far so good. Keep it up Mike and Melissa, oh, Mosquitoes like sweet things, explains why they don't like Mike. Tell Hunter Hi1 BKCS
I think you got it right Mike. Posts only seem to rot at ground level so if you tar them a little below and above i think you will be fine. A big Hello to Hunter from the great white north up here in northern Ontario Canada. Still a little bit of snow here. Lots of flooding.
What you are doing will work fine. At my camp in Maine I put 3 ft sono-tubes filled with cement below my telephone poles that hold up a lean-too off my shed but my site is sandy.
What I do is put old Henry's on all 4 sides about 6 inches up above the ground"NOT THE BOTTOM" then I put 2 to 3 inches of gravel in the bottom of the hole. Then I set gravel around the posts. I got 30 years plus out of my old fence. Looking forward to not having to replace the new ones. Hi Hunter how are you buddy. God bless
Hi MIKE, I think your doing a great job. I myself would have done the job the same way. Enjoy your day, My best to the Family. Give HUNTER a high five for us.
I have had good luck with putting gravel in the bottom of the hole for drainage and using concrete to set the post . Your idea of tarring the bottom of the post is a good one
This is one of the great debates of the modern history along with bigfoot. The biggies problem I have found was string trims eating the post away during lawn cutting.
You have to mix oxygen with that moisture to get the post to rot. There will be no oxygen in the hole when he's done. That is why dock post don't rot below lake level. O2 and H2o = rot. Taring the post just above and below grade is a good idea.
I have always “painted “ a good 6 to 12” up from the ground level with used engine oil before setting the post in concrete. Built many pole barn structures this way and never had ground rot on the post.
On my post I took 5 gal. Buckets cut the bottoms out and put them about 6 inch’s below the surface then poured my concrete into the open buckets and hole with the posts in the middle.There holding so far since 2003 ! A suggestion, enclose the ground level on 3 sides to park and hide your utv or atv while hunting , after I did that it made a difference !
Looks good. One suggestion - when I install PT posts in the ground or in concrete, I first spray two or three coats of spray rubberized automotive undercoating on the surface of the posts. I extend the coating to about 12" above the ground or concrete surface. I have never had a rot problem doing it this way. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Love your show, like how you ask for ideas as you are already pouring concrete around the post (too funny) It's sad today but the treated post last about 12-15 yrs. if in direct contact with poor drainage soil & maybe 15-18 in soil with good drainage ! Verybest thing to do now before backfilling is to protect at surface level (which you mentioned )fast best & easiest is Bor-8 plugsand spray ground surface area with car undercoating (next best thing to roofing tar to keep post from wicking)Have noticed
Melissa, your description of missing garbage day was spot on lol! I have done the same thing many times. Here in NE Ohio where I live our day is Tuesday. We can't be far! Love the videos!
I found the same. Everything goes bad @ ground level. Once it has served it purpose, I clear surface, dig, clear and dig new. Love the corner levels. I need those.
I put round posts in the ground . In1995 , with my post driver, when we bought our property , no concrete directly in the ground half of it I had to change this year , half of it still ok , the were treated, some did rot just above the ground some slightly underneath, , 24 years in the Irish ☘️ climate I think the did ok for For 1.24 irish punt 👍🐸🇮🇪🇫🇷
My son and I recently set 9 posts to support his woodshed. We did nearly the same as you except we placed a flat rock under each post and mixed our concrete then poured it in figuring it would give the most strength that way.
Oh My! the garbage pickup panic we've been there ! Lol I'm glad you're building that deer hunting blind mike, seems like your always doing something for others you will really love it, deer season rainy days and really cold days you will have a place to muster and enjoy the hunt, thanks for sharing!
I’m about to set post to repair my deck. I’m going to put gravel in the bottom. Concrete up to grade and then put a tube an come up about 6” above grade with some thicker mix and taper it out from the post. Tar is a good idea too.
Mike, I put up about 200' of wooden fence with 4"x4"x8' posts 8' apart with just dirt around them about 40 years ago and had to remove a few of them to cut down some ash trees that were dying, the posts looked like the day that I put them in the ground, no cement for me.
I used the burn on roll roofing across the bottom 36 inches all around. I used a weed burner torch from Harbor Freight. It’s been 20 years and all is good. The rubber roofing is exposed 12 inches above ground. Then I used asphalt adhesive to dope up there the wood becomes exposed and spread it thick with a putty knife. No rot so far.
Hi Mike, hope this message finds you and your Family well. I really enjoy your videos. I live in Miami, Florida. I found that if you apply Roofing Bull paste 2 or 3 inches above your ground level on the 6 X 6 it doesn’t allow the post to get water damage.
Its a bit overkill but I usually black tar the bottom 3 or 4 ft of the post & let it dry for a day or two so its not messy to handle when placing. Like I said..its overkill but works really well. Water wont leech into the wood for a long time. Also the new "concrete alternatives" are extremely impressive & complete game changers. *only for dry holes though..not swimming pools like you had.
Good morning Mike and Melissa... I think it'll be great when it's finished. On the Reserve, we would use treated 4x4 posts for all the trail signs. 2' in the ground, backfilled and packed down with dirt. It worked well for us. Because they were treated, i never experienced any rotting, but then again, we never got the kind of rain you do. Our big kiosks were treated 8x8s and those we would concrete. Like you mentioned, everyone does it differently and that's how we did ours. Thanks for my Saturday morning video.
Bags of concrete will be the best! I have also placed gravel in the bottom of the hole. I have seen some people paint the bottom of the posts with an asphalt/creosote type paint. It almost looks like it will double as a man cave. Thanks for sharing.
Just put a 8’ privacy fence up last year with 53 posts. I used 12’ posts so there would be 4’ in the ground 1 because of wind and 2 because of frost. We are 100% sand here so I didn’t use concrete in the holes. We still are trying to compress the sand around the holes and it’s getting better but I’m thinking I should have thrown some bags of concrete in the holes.
Hi Mike, I like to use pea gravel around my post so that Jack Frost doesn't lift my post. I live in Central Wisconsin and every time I use cement around post it seems to walk every winter. Never had a problem using pea gravel, it just works for me.
Yes... I always set my posts in concrete!!! I usually put a small amount of crushed stone or broken up brick chunks in the bottom of the hole to keep the post end off the soil, then put 2 or so 80# bags of Quikcrete in each hole. Setup solid as.... well, Concrete!!! :-) Great video! Anxious to see the blind evolve!!!
My coworkers that put in backyard fences, light construction and landscaping replace fences that have been put in concrete after 5-7 years. This is in California. I, personally have put in treated fence posts(for cattle, planted in just dirt ) that have rotted in less than 10 years and untreated posts, I treated myself for a shade, and it's been up 20 years. I also built a lean to shed next to my little shop with treated posts. More than half have rotted at ground level. The next section I build will have concrete footing with metal brackets to hold posts. Concrete is cheap and doesn't rot in the ground and posts can be shorter which are cheaper also. Just my two cents and experience. Good luck! And your project looks good. Also, rail road ties are the only posts I've had any luck with.
We have about 12 acres of wheat. After the last couple of rains it is really growing. Our deer are bedding down in it and having a good time. We are happy.
Melissa is correct, they are attracted to Beauty! Floor plan, that made me laugh. I think you lost your deere blind to the lady of the house. 😁 I love the interaction between you two. I put a piece of black corrugated pipe in the hole with the post centered then concrete. The pipe has bridging that helps against frost heave. Placing pipe about twelve inches above the ground. Keep up the great videos. God bless you and your family.
I live in Manitoba, Canada we long cold winters and short hot and often humid summers. Our frost line is typically 8 feet and the ground in most places is damp to wet, people who set fence posts in concrete often find their posts pushed up as the frost has a tendency to squeeze them out. So usually the practice is to backfill and compact with crushed 3/4" stone, much like the guys that set telephone and power poles.
Hey Mike,built a lot of pole barns as a young boy with my father always did the posts just like you -dry mix-seemed to work well.look forward to it’s completion
Before I retired I built fences and arbors for 34 years. When concrete cures it shrinks a little bit and can leave a small space between the footing and the post. Water can get down there and cut the life of the post by as much as 50%. I kept the dirt from the hole nearby, , mixed a generous shovel or more, depending on the size of the hole, of dry portland cement with the dirt (or shale, as you have) and tamped it around the post. It drew moisture from the ground and set up like concrete but still let water drain away from the post. It also allowed you to build on it without waiting for concrete to set up.
Great start to your hunting hideaway. Dont doubt that you wont be out there hunting the hut at 80 years old. I built one for my dad at 75 years old and he cant wait to hunt this year again at 81. 8x8 is a good size hut, mine is 6x6. I use weed screening material as blinds for the windows. It darkens the interior but allows you to see through the screening. Put plenty of shelves and hooks and dont forget the carpet to quite your feet movement. Looking forward to upcoming videos of the build. With a hut like your building your wife shouldnt have any reason not to join you in the field. My wifes excuse of too cold, too hot, bugs and rain or snow dont hold up with the construction of our hunting hut. Im sure you will enjoy the hut for many years of hunting and wildlife watching. Good Luck
My 4x4 treated wood rotted at ground level also. The post was only 7yrs old. Seems way to soon to rot. I used nothing and it rotted. When i replace the bad posts this spring, im applying a waterproof stain to the whole post and cementing them in. I will us a roofing tar to apply at ground level from the cement up about 6 inches.
Mike...We were always taught that after the concrete had dried for a couple of days to go around the post on top of the cement with a thick layer of roofing cement. It will bond to almost anything and prevent water from getting down in the small crevice left when the wood fully dries. So far so good.
Saluki Bob I have a deck that I built in 1984 with treated lumber. Each spring I power wash the horizontal planks and then use a garden sprayer to apply a coating of Thompson's Water Sealer. I have yet to replace a board. If you were to spray around the base of your 3 poles say up a foot or so, I wonder if water cascading down them would be more apt to just run off. I guess you could also pitch your concrete a bit there too to promote run-off.
I built an observation tower at the edge of a swamp near the cabin I have there using peeled hemlock logs. I dug my holes, tipped the poles up into the holes and filled the holes with small rocks, packing them down as I went. It lasted about 25 years before the poles rotted, at ground level, as you said. My new tower will be set above ground on a patio block base. I also had a lifeguard type chair at the top to sit in.
Hey man not an expert but recently read a book on fencing. the the way you avoid rot the the base is to dome the cement at the top of the hole so the water runs off.
I put gravel in the bottom of the hole then concrete up to ground level, silicon caulk around post and concrete after its cured then I paint around the post and top of concrete. It works well for me.
A few video's ago you asked a rhetorical question about why your trees keep blowing down. I think the drill holes might have answered the question. You have 3'-4' of soft wet earth over a hard layer of shale that water perches on. The soil is soft with little rock to help bind it together and provide a good base for roots. Older tree roots may even have some rot. In the right conditions the tree just cant support itself. Thx for the video's and honest commentary. Put a little tar around the post at the surface line to get a little extra life in case you live until your 90...
Hey Mike, I'm a believer in gravel or rocks in the hole, not for support but for a leach field of sorts. the water that rots the posts at ground level is not necessarily but can be from ground water. It is many times from the water that soaks in and wicks into the post itself, if it has no where to drain out it interacts with air at the ground level and rots off. For the ground level water concern either mound the soil or the concrete where it sheds water away from the post. That's the way I was taught and from 40 years of doin it -it seems to work well. Opinions will vary I am sure ;)
I put tar on the post like you talked about.. you might want to consider using galvanized screws and nails on the exterior. they last longer and don't rust and break as quick as drywall screws. just a thought. looks great!
Mike, as Bill from upstate says in freezing and thawing climates concrete around posts will crack or frost heave. I just built a pole barn. Concrete at bottom of hole to keep post from sinking, then back filled with #2 crusher run. Soil here is soft clay. Or I thought of back filling with sand. As you said every one has an opinion, and I watched your entire video before I commented. Western NY got all your rain this spring and today its snowing
I put tar around the bottom of the post and then use cement (leave the very bottom open for water to get out of the wood post). I also put in gravel in the bottom so the post hole is 2 and half feet deep. I put in a fence 3 years ago and it has weathered 3 hurricanes and nothing lost at all while my neighbors all lost their fencing. Most without cement in them.
Ideally pour concrete pier footer with a bracket ,post above ground no moisture, I built my pole barns that way but you lose stability. End the end like you said at you age that will be around when your not. Good video. Good luck this season.
If you laminate 4 2x6 onto the 6x6 they will last longer because they are pressure treated all the way through. You need to seal the end of the post as that is were moisture will be wicked up. For that building I don't think you gained much with the concrete. I would just have used some well drained gravel. As in a previous comment a poured or precast concrete pier with a bracket to keep the post up would be the way to go on a more substantial structure. In colder climates like here in NY post jacking from frost is also a concern, alot of the plastic product don't allow the soil to grab the post and jack it. Nice job, you will get a lot of enjoyment from it.
Read in harrow smith magazine that if you mix your concrete and put it in the hole without adding the water it will harden but stay porous and allow moisture to drain away
Amazing how far along we are into spring here in Virginia. I recently spent a few weeks in Michigan for work; came back to Virginia and everything had greened up while I was away. Complete change of scenery. Unfortunately for me, it also means a boat load of pollen. Can't keep vehicles clean and can't stop sneezing/blowing my nose. Lol take care, warmer weather is coming.
This is going to sound weird but I had to reel back your video to 7:28 just to see Melissa appear on the scene. I super like your family based videos and you're work ethic which I have commented on before. But Melissa just rings my bell and I'm 74 years old. Way too old to have my bell ringing.
Hi Mike, great video as usual. I am in the process of restumping our house, using steel posts concreted in but with the concrete extending 4 inches or so above ground level to minimise deterioration. Marinus
That works well to put a bag or two of dry concrete in the hole around the post, I do that all the time if I am setting a post for an underground electrical service meter or disconnect. Your correct, the moisture in the ground will make the concrete harden
Mike I use tar from the bottom to a foot above ground no concrete. I have two hunting huts and a light pole for the back yard. Thy have been up for about 20 years have not seen any Rot. I wish I was there to help y’all I like making things. From the video it’s looking good and say high to Melissa from the old man in the tree up in north west Wisconsin be safe and have fun and let’s get her done.
If you ever do this for "keeps", there are posts made with laminated lumber to avoid twisting. They have an extra coating on the in ground area of the post in addition to the pressure treating. I never saw this until one of the large post frame builders used them here in the area. They also used the dry sakrete with a concrete biscuit at the bottom of the hole.
I to find putting concrete in the hole set metal bracket aliegned in the wet concrete and keeping the post above the ground so it staying dry. Seems to work real well.
Great video. Your method of squaring-off your posts is sound. As you state, there are many schools of thought when it comes to filling the holes. As it happens I do not use concrete. I fill the holes with bags of small (tiny) crushed gravel and tamp it in with a steel bar (you can buy the gravel in bags at Home Depot - cheaper than concrete). The jagged edges of the gravel lock together as you tamp it and form a very solid structure while still providing drainage. As far as the posts go, you are starting with treated posts. I compliment this with several coats of polyurethane a foot or so above to a foot or so below ground level (we all have old cans of polyurethane kicking around the garage) and top it off with a few coats of roofing tar (again we all have that in the garage as well). Your posts will be standing when the archaeologists excavate your site in the future :) Michael from Canada
A friend of mine recently built a pole barn. He bought some sort of rubber or poly boots that slipped over the bottom end of the post and extended up a foot or so above ground level. So the post will never be in contact with soil, concrete, gravel or whatever you backfill with. I am sure they were not cheap but I don't see how the post will ever rot since moisture cannot get to it.
if you get your sawmill you can start using either locust,or white oak posts,they will last as long,or longer than p.t. also something i have been researching and am going to start doing is charing the lower partof posts going in the ground,it appeareantly prevents them from rotting off,we shall see.
I have always put a flat rock or a piece of concrete block or brick in the very bottom. I used to premix the concrete and put around the post but now I just pour in the quickcrete in dry and it usually absorbs found moisture to set up. And I always pour it higher right around the post. It’s just my way of doing it. Just remember level and plumb. Good luck.
Interesting work, I agree with the other comments on brackets above the ground to fix timber and try vitamin B tablets for the mosquitoes, they really don"t like your smell after taking these.
My last post I coated with tar from the bottom to about a foot and a half above ground level hoping to slow ground level rot. I set inside tubes with concert and mounded up so water would run away from the post they've only been in the ground a couple of years now so no ideal how they'll do. I have some 4x4s just tamped in dirt for a grape vine arbors that have been set for 30 years now with minimal rot we have very sandy ground.
I live in the West coast of Scotland, aways mix my own 5-1 concrete mix damp and tamped in, keeps the post firm to work on, then water in at the end. Say hi to Hunter, you should have him help you I'm sure he would keep you right. Love the videos keep them coming.
Haha on the garbage day sprint!! Been there!! For me 3 bags per hole. With a 12 sono tube and cap the post with concrete up 4 inches? Post holding for 20 yrs so far?
Over the last 40 years or so, I've found that painting the post from about 4" below the soil line to about 6 inches above the soil line with spar varnish dramatically slows down the deterioration of the wood. But you are absolutely right that when wood post rot, it will beat the soil line.
Iv pulled post up and knocked the concrete off the poles and they looked brand new on a few of the post the weakest spot was ground level but the majority was in great shape being 25 years old
I put 1/2 bag in each hole to give a stable footing. The next day I set the posts and pour enough concrete so that it fills the hole completely, as it’s drying I try to slope it away from the post so rainwater will run away. I also mix my concrete with water in a wheelbarrow first and dump it in the holes with a shovel, this ensures consistency
I use aluminum foil to cover and gorilla duct tape to seal the post from across bottom to 2 inches above ground level. Poured dry concrete until it was above the ground and sloped away from post. I also used treated posts. I have done this with my front porch steps 10 yrs ago and there is no sign of rot and they are still as solid as they where when the post where installed. I had removed posts that where set on brackets that where in bedded into cement that where 5 yrs old (the bracket rusted thru on 2 post and 3 posts where rotting at the bottom.).
We tamp rock around the base of the first post and get it level, then go to the other posts, get distance measurements and tamp rocks into the other holes to hold and level. Then we pour bags of concrete in and let it do what it does. Sometimes we will set the posts with rock and then screw 2x4’s up high to hold it while the concrete sets(Incase of wind and weather.
I hunt out of a tower blind in Benezette Pa and it’s hard to beat, especially when it’s freezing cold and windy so you just turn around and put another log in the wood burner
Set tubes, fill with concrete, set post brackets in the cement, install posts. No rot and easily repaired!🤷♂️ 45 years building decks and I’ve never had to replace a post due to rot.
Your right that’s the best way to do it 👍
Here to say this. Saddles save posts. Or......buy Tamarack or osage orange 4x4s. Lmao. 40 years later they still alive.
Mark 🤣😂 Nothing works well in hurricanes, especially in western Pennsylvania.
You took the word out of my month!
Wood boring bees make post replacing inevitable, gravel at the bottom give water a place to pool and start rot from the bottom, rot at ground level makes digging up posts with 100 pounds of concrete a pain in the butt... that's my two cents, I can pull up my post and replace them in 10 minutes
You do what you want i think you know Best!
We always just put in one bag of concrete just enough to create a little to anchor !!👍👊
Mike, you opened the wrong side of the concrete bags, so now your concrete is upside down. This will speed up the rotting process. I do this for a living so.......Love the channel, thanks for the entertainment and inspiration. I'm building a shed to keep my firewood dry, this video was very helpful. Watching from Chester Springs, PA.
Best comment, thanks for the laugh. upside down hehehehe
Chester Springs! I am from Exton originally, have relatives in Chester springs, great area!
Jeffrey Kern
Too funny!!!
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!
Good one!
I hate Bugs and Snakes, that's why I Love Winter Time, Cutting Wood, WoodStove Fires, walking through the Woods. Nothing to mess with me and I can see what I need to see in the Woods. I get more outdoor projects done in the Winter. Sooo I'm with you there Beautiful !!! Charlotte NC in da House watching !!!
WOO HOO!!! Thanks for suggesting the 'Bucking Billy Ray' channel! That guy is a RIOT! I CANNOT stop watching him and I WISH I had just 1/4 of his energy and enthusiasm!
On the farm growing up, building fence, we just tamped the dirt around the post in the hole. I have poured dry redi-mix in since then, so I agree that it matters little what you do. Mosquitos go for Melissa because she's sweeter. 😜
Thank yall Hunter and the both of ya'll! God bless yall!
Hey Mike, I'm one of the jokers that commented about setting the posts on the previous video. What I said was you don't need concrete, just a little gravel mixed with the clay from the hole. Back in the day when treated lumber first entered the market you would void the warranty setting them in cement. That changed as the treatment got better. I however resisted change. You are right that the only way to avoid rot is to not let them contact the ground at all. Lots more work, if you're happy I'm happy too. Have fun.
Hi Mike, love your videos, my first post and from south Cornwall UK . I was born and brought up on farm and spent time in mining and 33 years in construction . Your and your friends analysis of post rotting is correct and have met the same situation myself to the point that usually the remains of the post in the concrete is as good as the day it was put in . Your prevention options are as follows , using tar above the ground as you suggested , another is an old Cornish farmers trick and that is to paint the post from the concrete to about a foot above ground level with a mixture of diesel and old engine oil . I use the ratio of about 20% diesel , this allows the mixture to soak into the post . A better option is to stand the ends in the mixture for a couple of days prior to installing and soaks up from the bottom of the post . Another option was put to me by a structural engineer friend who suggested encasing that which is buried in damp proof course and used to prevent rising damp on walls of buildings . There are also available on line plastic sleeves that can be put over the post bottoms and heat shrunk on and available in various lengths and sizes. These i used on a customers 4x4 posts for a conservatory and very satisfactory and recomendable Just a final add the dry mix i put in i compact tight with a piece of timber , this helps to hold the posts firm until it sets , especially if is windy but would still need supporting in these conditions . Keep up the good work and keep the videos coming
For our stands and bridges built throughout our property we have always dug holes 4'+ deep, put about 5' tubes in and fill with concrete. Our wood is always out of the ground and what touches the concrete or mounting brackets we cover in tar. Works good for us where we live.
Just installed 5 DeerView windows in an old ice shack that will be my new hunting blind this afternoon, I went with the deluxe hinged model and couldn't be happier. The customer service was great too!
Hey Mike, this is the first time I'm posting but I love the channel, and its content. As far as setting posts in concrete, to keep them from rotting I've always used either a driveway tar sealant, or a roofing sealant that I apply with a paintbrush to about 3 to 4 inches above the ground. This will seal it from moisture, and bugs. I have found this has worked on posts from Southern California to Northern Kentucky.
I paint roll tar on my posts. They seem to last a long time. I have a chicken coop that has 4x4s that are over 30 years old and still standing
I literally was JUST talking about this with a friend who put a fence in 30 yrs ago with NON pressure treated 4x4s and covered the bottoms in tar... STILL standing and no rot. But cement anchored brackets always best. Just.more expensive
@@billupstateny9151 I use the tar from my ciggarettes!
I used pressure treated 4X4's for a horse shed that started at 24'X12'. I dug my holes, put just about 2" of ready mix in before setting posts. Then I used some water seal on the posts before setting them inside cardboard forms to bring the concrete above ground level. I used some mixed concrete on the top so that I could slope it away from the posts. These have been in the ground, subjected to water, manure, muck etc. for about 18 years so far without a sign of rot yet.
Hi again
When I built my front porch I put 47 stone on the bottom of the hole and then made forms that extended about 4" above the hole. It's been 30 years and no rot yet.
With us being in Southeast Louisiana there is usually water in any hole a foot or so deep. About two years ago I helped with putting up a new all wooden fence using pressure treated 4 X 4 post for our church. We coated the bottom part of the posts to about 6 inches above ground level with a tar that got rather hard but still slightly playable. Then we put about a foot of gravel in each 12 inch hole. Then I mixed the quick set concrete in a mixer leaving the first bag a little stiff. Then filled the rest of the hole with the concrete mixed to normal consistency and mounded the concrete to a couple inches above ground level at the post and finished it with a trowel. After setting up for a few days we heated the tar and put it around the top of the mounded concrete, kinda like caulking, around the post.
Thanks for the great videos, they're really informative! I read somewhere that the old timers would take their fence posts and slightly burn them, only the part that goes in the ground, over a fire, just enough to make them black. They said the posts would never rot there.... and there's probably some truth there. Has anyone else heard that method?
Nice! Over 20 years ago, we fenced in our backyard. Dug holes over 40 inches deep, frost line is about 3 feet here. Put a couple inches of pea gravel to help drainage, then filled hole with cement. So far so good. Keep it up Mike and Melissa, oh, Mosquitoes like sweet things, explains why they don't like Mike. Tell Hunter Hi1 BKCS
I think you got it right Mike. Posts only seem to rot at ground level so if you tar them a little below and above i think you will be fine. A big Hello to Hunter from the great white north up here in northern Ontario Canada. Still a little bit of snow here. Lots of flooding.
What you are doing will work fine. At my camp in Maine I put 3 ft sono-tubes filled with cement below my telephone poles that hold up a lean-too off my shed but my site is sandy.
What I do is put old Henry's on all 4 sides about 6 inches up above the ground"NOT THE BOTTOM" then I put 2 to 3 inches of gravel in the bottom of the hole. Then I set gravel around the posts. I got 30 years plus out of my old fence. Looking forward to not having to replace the new ones. Hi Hunter how are you buddy. God bless
Hi MIKE, I think your doing a great job. I myself would have done the job the same way.
Enjoy your day, My best to the Family. Give HUNTER a high five for us.
I have had good luck with putting gravel in the bottom of the hole for drainage and using concrete to set the post . Your idea of tarring the bottom of the post is a good one
This is one of the great debates of the modern history along with bigfoot. The biggies problem I have found was string trims eating the post away during lawn cutting.
I've always packed gravel around posts set in the ground. Concrete holds moisture against the posts and rots the post.
You have to mix oxygen with that moisture to get the post to rot. There will be no oxygen in the hole when he's done. That is why dock post don't rot below lake level. O2 and H2o = rot. Taring the post just above and below grade is a good idea.
I have always “painted “ a good 6 to 12” up from the ground level with used engine oil before setting the post in concrete. Built many pole barn structures this way and never had ground rot on the post.
On my post I took 5 gal. Buckets cut the bottoms out and put them about 6 inch’s below the surface then poured my concrete into the open buckets and hole with the posts in the middle.There holding so far since 2003 ! A suggestion, enclose the ground level on 3 sides to park and hide your utv or atv while hunting , after I did that it made a difference !
Looks good. One suggestion - when I install PT posts in the ground or in concrete, I first spray two or three coats of spray rubberized automotive undercoating on the surface of the posts. I extend the coating to about 12" above the ground or concrete surface. I have never had a rot problem doing it this way. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Love your show, like how you ask for ideas as you are already pouring concrete around the post (too funny) It's sad today but the treated post last about 12-15 yrs. if in direct contact with poor drainage soil & maybe 15-18 in soil with good drainage ! Verybest thing to do now before backfilling is to protect at surface level (which you mentioned )fast best & easiest is Bor-8 plugsand spray ground surface area with car undercoating (next best thing to roofing tar to keep post from wicking)Have noticed
Melissa, your description of missing garbage day was spot on lol! I have done the same thing many times. Here in NE Ohio where I live our day is Tuesday. We can't be far! Love the videos!
I found the same. Everything goes bad @ ground level. Once it has served it purpose, I clear surface, dig, clear and dig new. Love the corner levels. I need those.
Think I'll go look on Amazon now.
I put round posts in the ground . In1995 , with my post driver, when we bought our property , no concrete directly in the ground half of it I had to change this year , half of it still ok , the were treated, some did rot just above the ground some slightly underneath, , 24 years in the Irish ☘️ climate I think the did ok for For 1.24 irish punt 👍🐸🇮🇪🇫🇷
I have always done it just like you did. We get plenty of "liquid sunshine" here in Florida and my method so far has not failed me.
My son and I recently set 9 posts to support his woodshed. We did nearly the same as you except we placed a flat rock under each post and mixed our concrete then poured it in figuring it would give the most strength that way.
Oh My! the garbage pickup panic we've been there ! Lol I'm glad you're building that deer hunting blind mike, seems like your always doing something for others you will really love it, deer season rainy days and really cold days you will have a place to muster and enjoy the hunt, thanks for sharing!
With the 2x4's I get from Lowe's anymore I have to predrill and countersink screw holes so they don't split.
Good job, don’t worry how everybody does it,you good, I have done it every way your good 👍👍❤️👍👍👍
I’m about to set post to repair my deck. I’m going to put gravel in the bottom. Concrete up to grade and then put a tube an come up about 6” above grade with some thicker mix and taper it out from the post. Tar is a good idea too.
Mike, I put up about 200' of wooden fence with 4"x4"x8' posts 8' apart with just dirt around them about 40 years ago and had to remove a few of them to cut down some ash trees that were dying, the posts looked like the day that I put them in the ground, no cement for me.
I used the burn on roll roofing across the bottom 36 inches all around. I used a weed burner torch from Harbor Freight. It’s been 20 years and all is good. The rubber roofing is exposed 12 inches above ground. Then I used asphalt adhesive to dope up there the wood becomes exposed and spread it thick with a putty knife. No rot so far.
Hi Mike, hope this message finds you and your Family well. I really enjoy your videos. I live in Miami, Florida. I found that if you apply Roofing Bull paste 2 or 3 inches above your ground level on the 6 X 6 it doesn’t allow the post to get water damage.
Its a bit overkill but I usually black tar the bottom 3 or 4 ft of the post & let it dry for a day or two so its not messy to handle when placing. Like I said..its overkill but works really well. Water wont leech into the wood for a long time. Also the new "concrete alternatives" are extremely impressive & complete game changers. *only for dry holes though..not swimming pools like you had.
Good morning Mike and Melissa... I think it'll be great when it's finished.
On the Reserve, we would use treated 4x4 posts for all the trail signs. 2' in the ground, backfilled and packed down with dirt. It worked well for us. Because they were treated, i never experienced any rotting, but then again, we never got the kind of rain you do. Our big kiosks were treated 8x8s and those we would concrete.
Like you mentioned, everyone does it differently and that's how we did ours. Thanks for my Saturday morning video.
Bags of concrete will be the best! I have also placed gravel in the bottom of the hole. I have seen some people paint the bottom of the posts with an asphalt/creosote type paint. It almost looks like it will double as a man cave.
Thanks for sharing.
Just put a 8’ privacy fence up last year with 53 posts. I used 12’ posts so there would be 4’ in the ground 1 because of wind and 2 because of frost. We are 100% sand here so I didn’t use concrete in the holes. We still are trying to compress the sand around the holes and it’s getting better but I’m thinking I should have thrown some bags of concrete in the holes.
Hi Mike, I like to use pea gravel around my post so that Jack Frost doesn't lift my post. I live in Central Wisconsin and every time I use cement around post it seems to walk every winter. Never had a problem using pea gravel, it just works for me.
Mike, I've always buttered the ends in the ground with roofing tar. Lay it on thick and let it dry before install. Then just tamp down back fill.
Scorch the bottom end of the post to just above ground level with a blow torch this protects the timber then concrete in.
Yes... I always set my posts in concrete!!! I usually put a small amount of crushed stone or broken up brick chunks in the bottom of the hole to keep the post end off the soil, then put 2 or so 80# bags of Quikcrete in each hole. Setup solid as.... well, Concrete!!! :-) Great video! Anxious to see the blind evolve!!!
My coworkers that put in backyard fences, light construction and landscaping replace fences that have been put in concrete after 5-7 years. This is in California. I, personally have put in treated fence posts(for cattle, planted in just dirt ) that have rotted in less than 10 years and untreated posts, I treated myself for a shade, and it's been up 20 years. I also built a lean to shed next to my little shop with treated posts. More than half have rotted at ground level. The next section I build will have concrete footing with metal brackets to hold posts. Concrete is cheap and doesn't rot in the ground and posts can be shorter which are cheaper also. Just my two cents and experience. Good luck! And your project looks good. Also, rail road ties are the only posts I've had any luck with.
We have about 12 acres of wheat. After the last couple of rains it is really growing. Our deer are bedding down in it and having a good time. We are happy.
Melissa is correct, they are attracted to Beauty!
Floor plan, that made me laugh. I think you lost your deere blind to the lady of the house. 😁
I love the interaction between you two.
I put a piece of black corrugated pipe in the hole with the post centered then concrete. The pipe has bridging that helps against frost heave. Placing pipe about twelve inches above the ground.
Keep up the great videos. God bless you and your family.
I bet there will be a potty in the floor plan some where.
I live in Manitoba, Canada we long cold winters and short hot and often humid summers. Our frost line is typically 8 feet and the ground in most places is damp to wet, people who set fence posts in concrete often find their posts pushed up as the frost has a tendency to squeeze them out. So usually the practice is to backfill and compact with crushed 3/4" stone, much like the guys that set telephone and power poles.
Hey Mike,built a lot of pole barns as a young boy with my father always did the posts just like you -dry mix-seemed to work well.look forward to it’s completion
Before I retired I built fences and arbors for 34 years. When concrete cures it shrinks a little bit and can leave a small space between the footing and the post. Water can get down there and cut the life of the post by as much as 50%. I kept the dirt from the hole nearby, , mixed a generous shovel or more, depending on the size of the hole, of dry portland cement with the dirt (or shale, as you have) and tamped it around the post. It drew moisture from the ground and set up like concrete but still let water drain away from the post. It also allowed you to build on it without waiting for concrete to set up.
Great start to your hunting hideaway. Dont doubt that you wont be out there hunting the hut at 80 years old. I built one for my dad at 75 years old and he cant wait to hunt this year again at 81. 8x8 is a good size hut, mine is 6x6. I use weed screening material as blinds for the windows. It darkens the interior but allows you to see through the screening. Put plenty of shelves and hooks and dont forget the carpet to quite your feet movement. Looking forward to upcoming videos of the build. With a hut like your building your wife shouldnt have any reason not to join you in the field. My wifes excuse of too cold, too hot, bugs and rain or snow dont hold up with the construction of our hunting hut. Im sure you will enjoy the hut for many years of hunting and wildlife watching. Good Luck
Just what I needed to see in Australia. Am building an Aviary and the Posts are ready to go. At 82y I must have learned something from USA! Richard
My 4x4 treated wood rotted at ground level also. The post was only 7yrs old. Seems way to soon to rot. I used nothing and it rotted. When i replace the bad posts this spring, im applying a waterproof stain to the whole post and cementing them in. I will us a roofing tar to apply at ground level from the cement up about 6 inches.
I do! I also treat the part of the wood that is in the ground and even some of the pole close to the ground.
Mike...We were always taught that after the concrete had dried for a couple of days to go around the post on top of the cement with a thick layer of roofing cement. It will bond to almost anything and prevent water from getting down in the small crevice left when the wood fully dries. So far so good.
Saluki Bob I have a deck that I built in 1984 with treated lumber. Each spring I power wash the horizontal planks and then use a garden sprayer to apply a coating of Thompson's Water Sealer. I have yet to replace a board. If you were to spray around the base of your 3 poles say up a foot or so, I wonder if water cascading down them would be more apt to just run off. I guess you could also pitch your concrete a bit there too to promote run-off.
4 poles
I built an observation tower at the edge of a swamp near the cabin I have there using peeled hemlock logs. I dug my holes, tipped the poles up into the holes and filled the holes with small rocks, packing them down as I went. It lasted about 25 years before the poles rotted, at ground level, as you said. My new tower will be set above ground on a patio block base. I also had a lifeguard type chair at the top to sit in.
Hey man not an expert but recently read a book on fencing. the the way you avoid rot the the base is to dome the cement at the top of the hole so the water runs off.
I put gravel in the bottom of the hole then concrete up to ground level, silicon caulk around post and concrete after its cured then I paint around the post and top of concrete. It works well for me.
A few video's ago you asked a rhetorical question about why your trees keep blowing down. I think the drill holes might have answered the question. You have 3'-4' of soft wet earth over a hard layer of shale that water perches on. The soil is soft with little rock to help bind it together and provide a good base for roots. Older tree roots may even have some rot. In the right conditions the tree just cant support itself. Thx for the video's and honest commentary. Put a little tar around the post at the surface line to get a little extra life in case you live until your 90...
I usually tar the bottom end of the post up to a foot above ground level... thanks for the great video.
Hey Mike, I'm a believer in gravel or rocks in the hole, not for support but for a leach field of sorts. the water that rots the posts at ground level is not necessarily but can be from ground water. It is many times from the water that soaks in and wicks into the post itself, if it has no where to drain out it interacts with air at the ground level and rots off. For the ground level water concern either mound the soil or the concrete where it sheds water away from the post. That's the way I was taught and from 40 years of doin it -it seems to work well. Opinions will vary I am sure ;)
I put tar on the post like you talked about.. you might want to consider using galvanized screws and nails on the exterior. they last longer and don't rust and break as quick as drywall screws. just a thought. looks great!
Mike, as Bill from upstate says in freezing and thawing climates concrete around posts will crack or frost heave. I just built a pole barn. Concrete at bottom of hole to keep post from sinking, then back filled with #2 crusher run. Soil here is soft clay. Or I thought of back filling with sand.
As you said every one has an opinion, and I watched your entire video before I commented.
Western NY got all your rain this spring and today its snowing
we don't have winter in the Caribbean so we use cement and I use burnt oil on the post to slow down the roting processed
I put tar around the bottom of the post and then use cement (leave the very bottom open for water to get out of the wood post). I also put in gravel in the bottom so the post hole is 2 and half feet deep. I put in a fence 3 years ago and it has weathered 3 hurricanes and nothing lost at all while my neighbors all lost their fencing. Most without cement in them.
Ideally pour concrete pier footer with a bracket ,post above ground no moisture, I built my pole barns that way but you lose stability. End the end like you said at you age that will be around when your not. Good video. Good luck this season.
If you laminate 4 2x6 onto the 6x6 they will last longer because they are pressure treated all the way through. You need to seal the end of the post as that is were moisture will be wicked up. For that building I don't think you gained much with the concrete. I would just have used some well drained gravel. As in a previous comment a poured or precast concrete pier with a bracket to keep the post up would be the way to go on a more substantial structure. In colder climates like here in NY post jacking from frost is also a concern, alot of the plastic product don't allow the soil to grab the post and jack it. Nice job, you will get a lot of enjoyment from it.
Hi Mike when I built my fence I put a little concrete going up the pole so that the water had no place to stand next to it so it would run off
Even putting the posts in concrete old Henry's will help putting like you mentioned. God bless
Read in harrow smith magazine that if you mix your concrete and put it in the hole without adding the water it will harden but stay porous and allow moisture to drain away
I am trying the plastic sleeves around the posts in my pole building.
Amazing how far along we are into spring here in Virginia. I recently spent a few weeks in Michigan for work; came back to Virginia and everything had greened up while I was away. Complete change of scenery. Unfortunately for me, it also means a boat load of pollen. Can't keep vehicles clean and can't stop sneezing/blowing my nose. Lol take care, warmer weather is coming.
This is going to sound weird but I had to reel back your video to 7:28 just to see Melissa appear on the scene. I super like your family based videos and you're work ethic which I have commented on before. But Melissa just rings my bell and I'm 74 years old. Way too old to have my bell ringing.
Hi Mike, great video as usual. I am in the process of restumping our house, using steel posts concreted in but with the concrete extending 4 inches or so above ground level to minimise deterioration. Marinus
That works well to put a bag or two of dry concrete in the hole around the post, I do that all the time if I am setting a post for an underground electrical service meter or disconnect. Your correct, the moisture in the ground will make the concrete harden
Mike I use tar from the bottom to a foot above ground no concrete. I have two hunting huts and a light pole for the back yard. Thy have been up for about 20 years have not seen any Rot. I wish I was there to help y’all I like making things. From the video it’s looking good and say high to Melissa from the old man in the tree up in north west Wisconsin be safe and have fun and let’s get her done.
If you ever do this for "keeps", there are posts made with laminated lumber to avoid twisting. They have an extra coating on the in ground area of the post in addition to the pressure treating. I never saw this until one of the large post frame builders used them here in the area. They also used the dry sakrete with a concrete biscuit at the bottom of the hole.
I to find putting concrete in the hole set metal bracket aliegned in the wet concrete and keeping the post above the ground so it staying dry. Seems to work real well.
Great video. Your method of squaring-off your posts is sound. As you state, there are many schools of thought when it comes to filling the holes. As it happens I do not use concrete. I fill the holes with bags of small (tiny) crushed gravel and tamp it in with a steel bar (you can buy the gravel in bags at Home Depot - cheaper than concrete). The jagged edges of the gravel lock together as you tamp it and form a very solid structure while still providing drainage. As far as the posts go, you are starting with treated posts. I compliment this with several coats of polyurethane a foot or so above to a foot or so below ground level (we all have old cans of polyurethane kicking around the garage) and top it off with a few coats of roofing tar (again we all have that in the garage as well). Your posts will be standing when the archaeologists excavate your site in the future :)
Michael from Canada
A friend of mine recently built a pole barn. He bought some sort of rubber or poly boots that slipped over the bottom end of the post and extended up a foot or so above ground level. So the post will never be in contact with soil, concrete, gravel or whatever you backfill with. I am sure they were not cheap but I don't see how the post will ever rot since moisture cannot get to it.
if you get your sawmill you can start using either locust,or white oak posts,they will last as long,or longer than p.t. also something i have been researching and am going to start doing is charing the lower partof posts going in the ground,it appeareantly prevents them from rotting off,we shall see.
I have always put a flat rock or a piece of concrete block or brick in the very bottom. I used to premix the concrete and put around the post but now I just pour in the quickcrete in dry and it usually absorbs found moisture to set up. And I always pour it higher right around the post. It’s just my way of doing it. Just remember level and plumb. Good luck.
Interesting work, I agree with the other comments on brackets above the ground to fix timber and try vitamin B tablets for the mosquitoes, they really don"t like your smell after taking these.
My last post I coated with tar from the bottom to about a foot and a half above ground level hoping to slow ground level rot. I set inside tubes with concert and mounded up so water would run away from the post they've only been in the ground a couple of years now so no ideal how they'll do.
I have some 4x4s just tamped in dirt for a grape vine arbors that have been set for 30 years now with minimal rot we have very sandy ground.
I live in the West coast of Scotland, aways mix my own 5-1 concrete mix damp and tamped in, keeps the post firm to work on, then water in at the end. Say hi to Hunter, you should have him help you I'm sure he would keep you right. Love the videos keep them coming.
Haha on the garbage day sprint!! Been there!! For me 3 bags per hole. With a 12 sono tube and cap the post with concrete up 4 inches? Post holding for 20 yrs so far?
Over the last 40 years or so, I've found that painting the post from about 4" below the soil line to about 6 inches above the soil line with spar varnish dramatically slows down the deterioration of the wood. But you are absolutely right that when wood post rot, it will beat the soil line.
Iv pulled post up and knocked the concrete off the poles and they looked brand new on a few of the post the weakest spot was ground level but the majority was in great shape being 25 years old
I put 1/2 bag in each hole to give a stable footing. The next day I set the posts and pour enough concrete so that it fills the hole completely, as it’s drying I try to slope it away from the post so rainwater will run away. I also mix my concrete with water in a wheelbarrow first and dump it in the holes with a shovel, this ensures consistency
Mike when I did the cabin it's on post. We tared the post to above the ground. They still went bad at ground level. It took 25 years to do it
We dip the ends into a wood preservative. My kids will have to tell anyone how long they will last, I will be gone.
I have put tar on my wood or metal post and it seems to help when using concrete to set.
I use aluminum foil to cover and gorilla duct tape to seal the post from across bottom to 2 inches above ground level. Poured dry concrete until it was above the ground and sloped away from post. I also used treated posts. I have done this with my front porch steps 10 yrs ago and there is no sign of rot and they are still as solid as they where when the post where installed. I had removed posts that where set on brackets that where in bedded into cement that where 5 yrs old (the bracket rusted thru on 2 post and 3 posts where rotting at the bottom.).
We tamp rock around the base of the first post and get it level, then go to the other posts, get distance measurements and tamp rocks into the other holes to hold and level. Then we pour bags of concrete in and let it do what it does. Sometimes we will set the posts with rock and then screw 2x4’s up high to hold it while the concrete sets(Incase of wind and weather.
I hunt out of a tower blind in Benezette Pa and it’s hard to beat, especially when it’s freezing cold and windy so you just turn around and put another log in the wood burner