How To Ensure Consistent Height When Installing Fence Posts

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Fences offer an effective barrier for yards and are available in several different types. Most commonly, fences require the use of fence posts to connect and anchor the fence as a whole. Fence posts are almost always anchored in the ground with either concrete or sand footings. It is easy for these posts to become uneven during the installation process. Ensuring consistent height of fence posts can be made easy through just a few simple steps.

Step 1

Drive the wood stakes into the ground with the small sledge hammer. The stakes should be driven into the ground at both ends of the fence line.

Step 2

Tie the mason line to the stakes 6 inches above the ground; any measurement will work, but 6 inches will ensure that the line will keep clear from any ground-level obstructions. You can use the 4-foot level to ensure the line is level when working on an even grade.

Step 3

Make a pencil mark on the fence posts, measuring the desired post height (minus the mason line height from step 2) from the top of the posts (toward the bottom) with the tape measure. When finished, all posts should be marked at the same measurement.

Example: For a desired post height of 36 inches, the pencil mark should be made 30 inches from the top of the posts (if the mason line was set 6 inches from the ground).

Step 4

Install the fence posts (may vary depending on fence type), lining up the pencil marks made in step 3 with the mason line set in step 2.