Garden fence installed by contractors

WelshGaz79

Hi, not sure if this is the right place for this thread.  I've recently had 20m of 6ft featheredged fence installed at a cost of around £2k.  A few days after it was installed I noticed that there was quite a bit of movement in it i.e. blowing back and forth in the breeze (not particularly strong wind). All the posts apart from 1 had movement at the base. I contacted the contractor and he came back out, poured more post create and chippings around each post and used a tamper to tamp around them. They are now a bit more solid but there's still movement. I can shake the fence with my hand. He's told me that this is nothing to worry about and its "not going to fall down". Am I worrying about nothing or am I right to think that these posts should be solid with no movement?

sk2402005

It certainly shouldnt be moving.

There might be some flex in the post at 6ft, but it shouldnt be moving at the base.

There should be around 2ft concreted into the ground.

tacpot12

What are the posts made of? if concrete, then you have a serious problem. If wood, then it's less serious, but the posts shouldn't move with a gentle push. Your fence will not withstand any sort of high winds. The chippings will not provide any support. Only postcrete in sufficient quanity will do. This webpage says that you should have 100mm of postcrete all around the bottom of the posts to a depth of at least 550mm: Hard Landscape Features - Fences | Pavingexpert

I would intpret this requirement as being necessary regardless of the type of post used, as the main force you are trying to resists is the wind acting on the fence panels (and this doesn't change based on the type of post). 

Do you have home insurance, and if so, do you have legal expenses cover. If the posts are concrete, I'd recommend calling the legal helpline immediately, as concrete posts could collapse and kill someone.

You could try to get a local contractor that does commercial work to review the installation and give you a written opinion on the quality, in case you need evidence to sue the original contractor. 

You have left yourself exposed if you did not require the installation be in accordance with BS 1722. 

WelshGaz79

Hi thanks for the replies. The posts are duraposts (steel channeled). I watched the installation and they are set about 2ft into the ground. But the holes were quite wide and the postcrete was put in dry and wetted from above with a hose.

ThisIsWeird

WelshGaz79 said:

Hi thanks for the replies. The posts are duraposts (steel channeled). I watched the installation and they are set about 2ft into the ground. But the holes were quite wide and the postcrete was put in dry and wetted from above with a hose.

And have you had the hot, dry, sunny weather we're having?!

Dry concrete doesn't really soak up water that well - I wonder if they added enough.

I think you can be assured that it won't actually fall down - that would require a 2' section of buried post to tear itself out of the ground. Not going to happen. But, if it's loose now - ie there is a gap forming around the post and the concrete - then expect it to keep on wobbling, and for the panels to be steadily pulled apart.

When you wobble it now (I hope you left it long enough for the concrete to actually set before wobbling it?!), can you see a gap, or is the post just flexing?

WelshGaz79

ThisIsWeird said:

WelshGaz79 said:

Hi thanks for the replies. The posts are duraposts (steel channeled). I watched the installation and they are set about 2ft into the ground. But the holes were quite wide and the postcrete was put in dry and wetted from above with a hose.

And have you had the hot, dry, sunny weather we're having?!

Dry concrete doesn't really soak up water that well - I wonder if they added enough.

I think you can be assured that it won't actually fall down - that would require a 2' section of buried post to tear itself out of the ground. Not going to happen. But, if it's loose now - ie there is a gap forming around the post and the concrete - then expect it to keep on wobbling, and for the panels to be steadily pulled apart.

When you wobble it now (I hope you left it long enough for the concrete to actually set before wobbling it?!), can you see a gap, or is the post just flexing?

Yes, left it a couple of weeks before checking dor movement as we've been on holiday. The posts are on the neighbours side (I've got the flat side of the fence). What I'm thinking of doing is possibly adding another six timber posts along my side of the fence as most high winds we get would tend to blow the fence against the proposed posts. Hopefully that will help strengthen it. I dont know what to do other than taking everything down and redoing it.

Eldi_Dos

If the posts where moved while concrete was at the green stage you will always have movement in them.

To secure they need to be done one at a time, dig down and expose concrete then hammer and chisel concrete off and remove.

One stabilising method is to wrap chain around post and tamp down before pouring new concrete, do not let anyone give then a shake to test until you are really sure concrete has set.

Do them one at a time and give them plenty of time to set before starting another.