My new fence will several L-shaped returns, requiring 100×100 posts to be square and aligned in two planes. Instinct suggests this might be difficult using Metpost spikes. Sticking wood in a hole in the ground also has it’s drawbacks but seems to offer more bodge-ability. Opinions (informed or otherwise) please…

I tried spikes – chances of getting them in straight and where you want them is dictated by presence of roots, bits of brick etc and it was all a bit hit and miss as to whether they ended up where you wanted them.

Concrete posts in postcrete for me next time.

Ideally both! My previous house owner installed a load of trellis and fencing with both and **** me…it was a bugger to get out!

Dig holes – make partial fence sections lying flat – lift and drop into holes – connect other partial sections to form the “L” shape – level with blocks under bottom rails – fill holes with concrete at your leisure – as long as you make the sections parallel and level the fence will be spot on.

Concrete posts in postcrete

This.

This:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/wiM3iB]Concrete Spur[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

Having just done our fence, we started with Metposts & ended with postcrete.

The spikes went back for a refund. They were rubbish.

-1 for metpost, sounds like a good idea, utter arse to get in straight, worked loose in wind, end result was a bendy floppy fence.

Replaced (most of) them with postfix/postcrete/postcement, far better job.

Current joint has concrete posts set in concrete, that fence ain’t never going nowhere.

Don’t think postcrete will me more/harder work.

Did a short run of straight fence all on mine own using postcrete.

With two it would have been a piece of pee.

Loads of youtube vids showing you how.

I’d second footflaps. That’s what we did and it makes putting the fence up very straight forward.
I fastened the wooden post to the concrete post before concreting. Then pinned some battens to the wooden post that then ran to the ground (at 45 deg) whilst it went off.

To hide the concrete post just put them on the neighbours side…..

I’m with footflaps on this, I’ll never stick a wooden post in the ground again.

if you have done these are very handy: http://www.postbuddysystem.com/

Fixed my flappy fence in 15 minutes.

$DEITY! How many screws per side on those postbuddy stakes?

Concrete posts and concrete. Looks a bit council estate but you only do it once.

they now do ‘covers’ for wood posts that go from above to below ground lvel(sorry crap explanation) – I went for them

this is what I could find – I’ve seen two – 4″ post with a hard plastic sleeve and a sort of bitumen looking plaster like below

http://www.postsaver.com/Postsaver-Fence-Sleeves.html

*you can do a cheaper postbuddy with old angle metal – the old bedstead angles were deal

I used wooden posts in concrete with the part below ground painted with bitumen. Still good around 15 yrs on. On the second set of panels.

Something I tried out of desperation, which worked well, and which I’d use again…

http://www.metpost.co.uk/mp_repair.html

… set in concrete.

That Postbuddy thing is such a bodge! I’d rather spend the hours taking out the old post and fixing with a concrete spur.

concrete post or spur in hole with a dry mix of sand and gravel and cement, no need for supports and erect the fence as you go