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TIL i was overbuilding my pergola posts for no reason
I spent 2 years digging 4 foot deep holes for 6x6 posts because I thought that was the only safe way. Then my uncle who builds decks in Arizona showed me a 15 year old pergola he set with 12 inch sonotubes and 4x4 posts on gravel pads. Has anyone else found that building codes in your area are way stricter than what actually holds up?
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roses6917d ago
okay but 12 inch sonotubes and gravel pads? i mean i guess if you live somewhere with zero frost heave and no wind ever that might work for a while. but out here in the northeast we get frost that goes down 3 feet and if you dont go below that your pergola is gonna be a lean-to by spring. i replaced a fence post that was just set on gravel and it was tilted so bad i couldnt even hang the gate on it. so yeah maybe codes are overkill for some places but theyre also there for a reason when you live in a real winter zone.
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the_emery17d ago
How deep is your frost line where you're at? Just curious if those 3 foot holes actually get you below it or if you're adding a safety margin.
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