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Help - Anchoring Columns

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2K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  CraigInPA 
#1 ·
I have 4 6 foot tall columns. 12" square. Made of OSB and hollow on the inside. Top and bottom has 2x4 wrapped around to add some dimension. I also have some really cool fixtures on the front that I would hate to see crushed by them falling over.

These columns will also attach to a fence made of pallet wood. They are fairly heavy, but because of the vertical height, it is rather easy to push them over with a little force near the top. I would imagine that a heavy wind or some punk kids would have no trouble knocking them over. The fencing will be staked and since that attaches to the columns, it should provide some support.

Anyhow any suggestions on what to do to anchor these down would be much appreciated.

Sorry I dont have pictures. As soon as my wife gets around to uploading them, I will have lots to share.
 
#2 ·
I have two columns that I attached a pvc pipe to the wooden frame on the inside. I then hammer a large piece of rebar into the ground and place the columns (with the PVC pipe) over them. That has worked really well for me. Hope that helps.
 
#4 ·
How do you attach the PVC?

Also on both posts. Could one just sink one of these staked items in the corners?

Also ever have concerns about power lines? One of my fence columns will sit rather close to our power box. I have read that power lines are generally at minimum, 2 feet down. So would burying a stake no more than a foot going to give enough hold?
 
#3 ·
Fence stakes

Ive used green fence stakes in the past. They are about 4 feet tall and have a heavy green coating. they are made to hold up mesh fencing. You can find them in the wood section of Lowes or HD. They have holes in them that you can drive a screw through, and a flange at the bottom that keeps them in the ground after you drive them in.
 
#5 ·
Metal Stakes

The flange on the green stake is only about 8 inches from the base of the stake so you shouldnt have to drive it too far down. They are really sturdy and take a bit of wiggling to get out of the ground due to the flange.

Goto Home Depot.com and look up the MAT U Style Fence Post. They are $4.45 ea for the taller ones.
 
#6 ·
Inside the hallow column install two screw in C-Hooks (one on either side), then add a sand bag or large landscaping roman brick (something heavy that fits) and then attach rope or line from the weighted item to the hooks, should work like a charm!
 
#8 ·
I left the back side on the bottom open and have a piece of wood going from one side of the frame to the other I place two or three of those cement retaining wall block on the wood brace and it works like a champ had some high winds several years ago and they never moved. Best of luck with what ever you use.
 
#9 ·
This is what I use to ensure that they don't fall over. Its an 80 lb bag of concrete with angle iron. Space the angle iron the same width of the inside of your column. Slip your columns over the angle iron and throw in a few bolts on each side and you should be good to go. My columns are 6 ft tall and have a gargoyle which extends them up about an additional 2 1/2 ft. good luck
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy172/patiwatty/DSC01412.jpg
 
#11 ·
Man that is some serious anchoring! Guaranteed no one is knocking those down!

Bubbels, I made some entrance column last year out of OSB and 2x material also, although they were a bit wider and taller. Anyhow, I ended up drilling some holes in the 2x4 band at the bottom of the columns. I then hammered a large nail, well more like a spike, through the holes into the ground. I think I got mine from Lowe's and the nail is like about 12" long or so.

I was going to use rebar originally but couldn't really come up with an easy solution to keeping the column from lifting directly up, though I don't think that would even matter if the rebar stakes were driven in at an angle all the way around. The problem there with the rebar stakes is that the tops would be protruding, posing as a potential impalement hazard for those with less than perfect senses of balance. Thus in turn you would have to come up with a cap or cover of some sort, more work ... and I'm sure you have enough work stacked up on your plate already.

I do like the sound of JohnnyAppleseed's idea. A 8x8x16 block should fit in your column if you stand the block vertically. I think they weigh some where in the neighborhood of 35 lbs a piece and should be a $1.50 or less. Correct me if I'm wrong but that would require an access panel to be cut in the rear of the column if one wasn't already present.

As far as power or water lines I would call my electric company of your intentions before you start pounding any stakes near any electric boxes. I could have sworn someone said something to the effect that if you call them they will mark the lines because they don't want to have to send a repair crew out. Speaking of that, I should probably call my electric company too.
 
#12 ·
As far as power or water lines I would call my electric company of your intentions before you start pounding any stakes near any electric boxes. I could have sworn someone said something to the effect that if you call them they will mark the lines because they don't want to have to send a repair crew out. Speaking of that, I should probably call my electric company too.

that is right. It's "611" around here...same in CA and in SC when I lived there. You can look up "dial before you dig" in your local phone book, but I'm pretty sure its uniform everywhere. Each of the utility companies will come out to your property and mark (with spray paint) the location of water, electric, cable, and sewer. Very useful for landscaping, though I would recommend using a fogger to cover up all the spray paint lines that will be on your lawn!!

-dk
 
#10 ·
This may be overkill, but I'm very paranoid about my columns falling on someone or a car. I attach a 2x4 across the base to keep the column from moving left to right. I then attach a 3' piece of 2x4 to each side of the column. The pieces start at the front of the column (i.e. against the 2x4 across the front of the column) and go back about 2 feet behind the column. I then attach a piece of plywood across the two pieces. I then place a bag of Sakrete in a black trash bag and lay it on the plywood. Oh, and all the wood is painted black to make it less noticeable.

My columns were a little over 7' tall last year, not including the gargoyle, and I had not trouble with multiple days of strong winds.
 
#13 ·
I use a 6 foot long 4 X 4, buried about two and a half feet in the ground INSIDE my wooden columns. The inside front wall of the column rests against the 4 X 4, then I use small sections of wood and long screws to bolt it all together.
Might be overkill, but someone tried to topple one a couple of years ago (unsuccessfully). With these 4 X 4's they don't budge at all!
 
#15 ·
As someone mentioned, the flat (mostly) green fence posts made of steel available at your local home center make excellent stabilizers for the *inside* of your columns. Buy the taller ones, pound them in (they only need to go 18" or so). Drop the column over top, and run a screw through a hole on the post into the inside of the column. Two posts per column are more than enough to make it stand up to high wind and jostling by people.

Alternatively, install a brace across the center of each column near the top. Buy a 60 pound bag of sand and some 1" rope. Tie the rope around the bag. Put the bag into the bottom of the column when the column is laying on the ground. Thread the rope up to the top of the column. Upright the column. Pull the rope up a few inches, making it taunt and slightly lifting the bag. Tie it to the brace.

Good luck,

Craig
 
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