Weekend Projects for Your Knoxville Home

As a homeowner, it is common to get bored with your home and want to switch things up a bit. Thankfully, there are projects you can do on your own that are cost effective and will give you the “newness” you are looking for at home. While large projects like remodeling the kitchen are best left to professionals, there are a variety of projects you can complete on your own. Common home projects include a back deck, fountains, and putting up fences and gates. The Knoxville local movers want to ensure you are prepared to tackle these home projects and that you take necessary factors into consideration. Read on to learn about our tips for setting posts—a required step whether your desired project is a fence, deck, trellis, or arbor. Before beginning, visit www.quikrete.com/calculator to learn how much concrete you will need.

Required Materials:

Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix - poured dry from the bag and into the hole
Quikrete All-Purpose Gravel or crushed stone
Plumb line or level
Shovel or post hole digger
Pressure treated wood posts or galvanized steel posts
Wood braces and nails (if needed)
Deck or fencing hardware (if needed)

Hole depth should be 1/3 the overall post length, plus 6 inches (150mm) for the gravel base, and should be 3 times the post diameter. When the post is to be used for structural support, such as for decking, the hole must extend at least 6 inches (150mm) below the frost line. Deck hardware, should also be kept away from water as a safeguard versus rust and other corrosives.

Pack the sides and bottom of the hole until firm and place 6 inches of gravel in the hole to aid in drainage and help as filler. Tamp it down with the post, a 2 x 4 or tamping tool if you have one.

Position the post, checking that it is level.Pour the concrete mix dry from the bag into the hole until it reaches 3 to 4 inches from the top. Recheck the post for plumb and brace as needed.

Pour water onto the dry mix and allow it to soak in. Depending on soil conditions, you will need about 1 gallon of water for each 50 pound bag of concrete mix placed in the hole. Dig larger, dish-shaped holes for posts set in loose or sandy soil. Fill the remainder of the hole with soil dug from the hole.

The concrete sets in 20 to 40 minutes. Wait 4 hours before applying heavy loads to the post, such as a basketball backboard. If the temperature is below 72 degrees, additional time for curing will be required. Patience is important in projects like this, it is better to wait longer than rush it and risk ruining it. Imagine when you put glue on something—you don’t expect it to immediately try and be adhesive—it needs time to dry.

Once the posts are dry, you can begin the next phase of your project, whatever it is you are choosing to add to your home!