How to Reinforce a Privacy Fence

If protecting your privacy is worth a little elbow grease, follow these instructions for bolstering your fence.

Materials and Tools:

trowel
drill
level
2x4-inch board
sharpshooter shovel
rounded shovel
hoe
sledgehammer
hose
dust mask
gloves
safety glasses
drainage gravel
no-mix concrete mix
screws
fencing posts for stakes and support member

Steps:

1. Dig holes around the fence posts. Use the sharpshooter shovel to remove small amounts at a time until you have enough clearance to work.

2. Drive stakes into the ground a few feet out from the fence and attach support boards running to the fence. Use the level to move the fence until it's plumb, and then secure it temporarily with screws.

3. Use a 2-by-4 to tamp the earth around each post.

4. Fill the hole about 1/3 full of gravel, and tamp the gravel down. Fill the rest of the hole with a special no-mix concrete designed for use in postholes. Continue until each posthole is filled.

5. Mist the concrete with a hose and use a trowel to press concrete around posts. How much water you'll need to add depends on soil conditions. Follow the concrete manufacturer's directions.

6. Cover each hole with soil to hide concrete.