That one job in Boulder where the ground fought back for a full day

Got a call for a simple 50 foot privacy fence replacement in Boulder last fall. The old posts were rotted, easy pull, right? Wrong. The third post from the corner was set in what felt like solid rock. Started with a manual digger, then a gas auger, then finally a mini excavator rental. The rock was this weird, flat slab about two feet down that just would not break. We tried chisels, a demo hammer, even a sledge with a pointed bit. What should have been a half day of pulling and setting new posts turned into a full 8 hour fight with that one hole. The client thought we were nuts, just staring into a hole for hours. Ended up having to angle the new post next to it and pour a bigger concrete collar to make up for the offset. Anyone else run into a hidden slab that just laughs at your tools?

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3 Comments

derek997mo ago

Finally rented a rock saw and cut a slot for the post.

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robert_rodriguez666mo ago

Rented a rock saw" is the move right there. I used to be the guy trying to chisel or hammer-drill my way through stuff like that, which is just a brutal way to spend a Saturday. That clean cut you made is going to save so much headache when you set that post. It's one of those jobs where the right tool doesn't just make it easier, it makes the whole result way better.

3

nguyen.dylan7mo ago

Yeah, heard a story like that where they ended up just pouring a concrete pier right over the slab.

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