Hot take: I don't think hitting 500 fence posts is worth bragging about

I see folks on here celebrating hitting 500 or 1,000 fence posts installed like it's a big milestone. But after my last project on my property in Ohio, I only set 47 posts total and they look better than any row of 500 I've seen. Number of posts doesn't matter if half of them are crooked or rotting in 5 years. Why do so many people here think bigger numbers mean better work?

2 comments

2 Comments

keith2647d ago

Start bragging about your 47 posts and watch everyone's eyes glaze over like you're telling them about your golf swing. Numbers are just numbers, man. I've seen people flex about 500 posts and half of them look like they were installed by a drunk toddler with a level. Quantity over quality is how you end up with a fence that leans more than the Tower of Pisa by year two. Plus, who actually counts fence posts anyway? That's like bragging about how many times you clipped your toenails last month.

sarahpatel7d ago

That line about the fence leaning like the Tower of Pisa really hit home for me, @keith264. I've been installing fences for over a decade and I can't tell you how many times I've had to tear out a whole section because someone rushed through the post holes to hit a number. What people don't realize is that a solid fence starts with digging the hole right, which takes way longer than just setting a post in dirt. I always tell folks to measure twice, dig once and put a bag of concrete in each hole, even if it cuts your post count in half for the day. A few solid posts will keep your fence straight for years, but a whole bunch of shaky ones will just make you miserable come the first big windstorm.