Another Fence

[FastWalk]

Looking to build about a 100 meter fence wall,   maybe 2 meters high.  Just along one side of a property.

What are the good choices,  how have you done it,  how,  what worked well,  any mistakes I can learn from?

First iteration I did was local chain link and large sticks for posts.  Along with heavy/tall concrete gate and corner post.  It was quick/cheep and effective.  Over time it does not hold up and does not stay effective.  No surprise about this.

The idea now is to replace with hollow block.  Starting first with a concrete skeleton using preformed post that I will make spaced about 9+ meter apart.  To have one hollow block in the ground along entire length.  The entire length is very flat,  no hills or slopes.  Also not trying to fill either side of the fence.  It is in a farm setting,  so no need to make it pretty.

Anyone have alternate ideas for building a durable fence of this size that would be more cost effective?  How much did you spend when building boundary fences?   And for what type of fence?


Thanks,  any ideas or thoughts are helpful.

[RUFUS]

Hollow block is forever, but it does not allow the breeze through.
Something to keep in mind if you want airflow from that direction.
My BIL has his property walled in on all 4 sides with hollow block and it is hot as hell over there!

[JoeLP]

A guy from Finland did something that I thought was cool when it comes to a large "fence wall" that allows air through.  He was able to get large bamboo poles and he did the "hollow block" posts where he stacked them the 6 feet or so but did two of them with a gap about 8 inches between at every point along the property line then slide the ends of the bamboo poles between them.  He put a 2x8 right up the middle between the blocks and attached the poles spaced out with about 6" gaps between them.  He also would use the bamboo pole ends he cut off in the middle of the bamboo poll lengths. 
Allowed air in on this asawa's garden(about 2 hectares big) yet is sturdy.  I arrived here 6 years ago and it was up....and still looks good.  He got the bamboo "prepped" for him.  Have no idea what that means, but it was brown when I first saw it.  I no idea the real age of it. 

[FastWalk]

Hollow block is forever, but it does not allow the breeze through.
Something to keep in mind if you want airflow from that direction.
My BIL has his property walled in on all 4 sides with hollow block and it is hot as hell over there!

I know what you mean,  our main house in a different area is like that, that whole area is like a collection of walled yards,  with either glass or spikes at the top. 

[FastWalk]

A guy from Finland did something that I thought was cool when it comes to a large "fence wall" that allows air through.  He was able to get large bamboo poles and he did the "hollow block" posts where he stacked them the 6 feet or so but did two of them with a gap about 8 inches between at every point along the property line then slide the ends of the bamboo poles between them.  He put a 2x8 right up the middle between the blocks and attached the poles spaced out with about 6" gaps between them.  He also would use the bamboo pole ends he cut off in the middle of the bamboo poll lengths. 
Allowed air in on this asawa's garden(about 2 hectares big) yet is sturdy.  I arrived here 6 years ago and it was up....and still looks good.  He got the bamboo "prepped" for him.  Have no idea what that means, but it was brown when I first saw it.  I no idea the real age of it.

This is an interesting idea.  It sounds less expensive.       

[JoeLP]

This is an interesting idea.  It sounds less expensive.     

That's about the only "great" thing about it.  Even when the bamboo ages and needs replacing, it's just the bamboo that'll need replacing and it'll be less expensive.
But, people who want to "peek" into the back yard can through all the 6" gaps.  And if someone wants to do some B & E all they need to do is climb the wall.  Their feet should fit easily in those 6" gaps.  But the guy keeps all his stuff(and his asawa's garden stuff) in a hollow block shed locked up tight.  His logic he told me was "If someone wants in my back yard, they'll get in no matter the wall.  So keep it cheap, let people know where my property starts and ends, and then keep all the things I want kept safe locked up."  He also talked about the costs being saved with this system.  He said he saw something like it in Bahol.  But the hollow blocks were replaced with vertical bamboo poles. 

[lost_in_samoa]

Looking to build about a 100 meter fence wall,   maybe 2 meters high.  Just along one side of a property.

Yeah the entropy of the tropics is a bitch!

We've built about 400 meters of fence.  Right after we first moved here our neighbor rented out an adjoining plot.  The tenant thought it was ok to graze his Carabao on the organic rice we had in the field.

Our first iteration was large bamboo poles and barb-wire.  The poles lasted about a year.  At the end of the lifespan we would go down the fence line and re-sink the poles. 

But that was an awful lot of hot, hard damn labor that must be done every year.  That sedimentary maintenance requirement  builds up real fast.

Few years later we replaced the Bamboo with cast concrete fence posts.  We also replaced the bottom three strands of B.W. with cyclone wire.   That lasted 2 years before the cyclone rusted out and gave up the ghost.  A lot of the posts broke.  Seems they were cast from the same weak a__ mix that local hollow blocks are. 

Hate to disagree with you Rufus ..... but around my barangay ..... hollow block has about a 5 year lifespan before it goes mouldy and weak.

Our back perimeter fence is good.  Severely over grown but still strong.  It is cast concrete columns about 12" on a side with 9 strands of B.W..  8 horizontal.  The ninth zig-zags vertically and ties the other 8 into place.

The oldest fencing I've seen, is around the Tarlac orchards.  It is cast in place concrete posts with cast cement panels running horizontal.

I don't have a good solution to fencing.  And it's something that I gotta solve.   

[FastWalk]

Few years later we replaced the Bamboo with cast concrete fence posts.  We also replaced the bottom three strands of B.W. with cyclone wire.   That lasted 2 years before the cyclone rusted out and gave up the ghost.  A lot of the posts broke.  Seems they were cast from the same weak a__ mix that local hollow blocks are. 

I was planning to cast the post to be about 8 feet long,  6 inch on three sides and 4 on the forth,  together with three pieces of steel.  Only one steel on the 4 inch side and tie/weld the steel in a couple places within.  As it is a number of post,  I was planning to cast them in a reusable form.  The four inch side being down in the form and 6 at the open side so the release will be more consistent.  I still need to discover the right concrete mix.

[lost_in_samoa]

discover the right concrete mix.

{hijack}

Right now I'm installing a ferro-cement canopy on the dome house. 


We have been casting a bunch of planters.  Up to 25 or so now.  The planters for sale in our area are crap,  or too expensive.   Most of the times we use up that little bit of extra cement you get when you mix up large batches.

Here is where I got the idea from.

"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLJeS1a0mtk   "

{/hijack}

We use  2 parts small pebbles/clean sand  : 1 part Portland cement.  So far its working out pretty well.

We powder grind up all of our garbage plastic and incorporate that into the mix.  Same as a local additive called "Sahara".  Put the garbage back to work,  water proof the posts a bit over normal,  and lowers the materials costs. 

About 10% plastic by volume of sand.  More than that and the mix loses cohesiveness. 


I've got a few posts we cast that use strips of bamboo instead of rebar.  So far those are holding up really well.  If they have as long a lifespan as metal then we will switch to that.

I made up some square forms out of plywood.  4 inches on three sides, 3.5 inches on the 4th.  Makes it easier to get the post out. 

Notched in the appropriate places to hold the rebar.  Then for each post grease the hell out of the form with waste oil.  Gotta have a releasing agent.

Here is a link that ought to help out.

"  https://archive.org/search.php?query=concrete%20fence%20posts  "