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[crokett™]

10 post holes dug and posts set and concrete poured yesterday. It's the beginnings of my pool deck. The first 2 I did were through moist clay, no rocks, i didn't really need the digging bar, just the post hole digger. The next 5 were rocks, old tree roots, you name it if it was hard to dig through it was there. At least in NC a lot of the 'rocks' are some weird orange colored stuff that if you have enough determination you can bust em with a bar.

[Phil Thien]

How about the last three, were you into bedrock or did it get easier?

[Guest]

We had five holes dug for the posts supporting our screen porch. The contractor brought in a Bobcat with an auger. Three of them were through broken up limestone and some bigger rocks. Likely the rock that was chiseled out for the foundation. On two of the holes they hit solid rock about 4 inches down. Had to jack hammer them. After going down about a foot on one of them, they hit clay. The other one went down 4 feet and never came out of the rock. If we'd known that, we could have skipped making that hole. I'm glad I didn't even try with a post hole digger on any of them.

[EricU]

I would hate to try that in my backyard.  There is a sheet of shale down a foot or so.  I know you can break through it with hand tools, because the guy that put in our deck was out there with a bar for a couple of weeks beating the shale into submission.

[Robert Adams]

I planted 4 new boxwood in front of the shop last night. Took less than an hour just fiddling around and enjoying the nice weather. Dug all of it with a flat nosed shovel. Course we are in the freak area that's all sand... Everywhere else in DFW it's all hard as rock clay, Caprock or both. Course that means I have to water every day because the water goes right through the soil back to the well.... 

    At my parents house I have dug holes using an air hammer and then a shop vac to clean the hole... unfortunately I have to put in new fence posts there very soon... He used wood and they just rot and get eaten by bugs.

[crokett™]

How about the last three, were you into bedrock or did it get easier?

Those got easier. Not as easy as the first 2, but easier. One of the holes yesterday, about 14" down I hit some kind of sheet metal. This was the posts close to the pool. The posts around the outside of the deck I have 20 holes to do. If I can get a helper, Im going to get my dad's tractor with the auger. I didn't want to use that close to the pool.

[EdL]

One hole on our pavillion went right into the exact spot where they buried all the leftover foundation rocks.  


Ended up with a 3' x 3' hole for the post.  


Ed

[daddo]

We wanted a privacy fence along one side that required about 24 post holes. After spending all morning digging only 2 holes through massive roots and rocks along the existing horse fence, I hired the "fence people" to do the whole thing.

[Cooler]

I think I was in Maryland when I read this.  A local builder built a entire development of homes on an old shopping center parking lot.  But instead of ripping up all the old black top he just broke away the sections where he needed to pour foundations.    Then he trucked in 4" of top soil and put down sod.

The home owners found out about this when they went to dig for planting bushes and accent trees.  They dig down 4" and hit pavement.  Rude.

[Robert Adams]

I think I was in Maryland when I read this.  A local builder built a entire development of homes on an old shopping center parking lot.  But instead of ripping up all the old black top he just broke away the sections where he needed to pour foundations.    Then he trucked in 4" of top soil and put down sod.

The home owners found out about this when they went to dig for planting bushes and accent trees.  They dig down 4" and hit pavement.  Rude.

On the other hand scrape off 4" of soil and there is your driveway..... Would be a big problem when it rains as the asphalt is impermeable and flooding would be much worse.