I have an entranceway between my house and a wall. There's a concrete walk in the center with small patches of dirt on each side. I want to put a wooden gate across with the posts sunk in the dirt. This morning I dug down on the wall (hinge) side and hit the wall's footings 9" down. The above-ground height is 45", so I was hoping to get down 24". I also read two experts' opinions that concrete isn't necessary and can increase the chance of rot. I'm using cedar 4x4s and planning on attaching them to the walls (stucco) with lag bolts. I'm in Southern California, so no frost line. I estimate the gate will weigh 35-40 pounds. My question is: if I pack the post in gravel and bolt it to the wall, will 9" be deep enough to keep the post level?
What depth does a gate post need
gate-postinstallation
Related Solutions
My first thought is a guy wire from the top corner of the post, with a turnbuckle in the middle to tension it up and pull out that lean in the post. It seems that if you don't do something like this, the only alternative IS to reset the posts, which is a lot of work. Hope this helps.
This is what a turnbuckle looks like:
I don't know where you would buy it but it would be really easy to pour it. Just build a box the size you want the post to be. You could put any kind of medallion or symbol at the top of it. Pour the appropriate amount of concrete in (probably 2 bags?) Then run a vibrating sander over the outside of the form or box in order to get any air bubbles out. Let it dry and pull the form off.
Best Answer
The really professional way is to set a bracket in concrete, then bolt-through the posts to the brackets. While slightly more $ (cost of bracket and bolt) and more effort, this will give you a long life solution that is easy to maintain over time. The concrete for the bracket should be 24-30" deep, 8" diameter for posts of this size.
Setting the post in concrete will give longer life than simply setting teh post in the dirt. It is good to slope the top of the concrete away from the wood post so that rain does not puddle next to the post.
Some of us (who have been doing this for years) now also trim the top of the post at an angle, so that water is more likely to run off the top of the post rather than puddle.