Details, Details, Details By: Jacob Mayer, P.E., Settje Agri-Services & Engineering, Inc. Last issue we talked about transferring the ideas for your new working facility out of your head and onto paper. Now that we have our bar napkin sketch, it is time to refine those ideas into drawings that can be used to obtain bids for construction. Filling in that gap can be tedious and time consuming, but diligent planning on the front end of the project always pays dividends in the end.
One area that seems to cause a lot of grief, if not given thorough attention, is proper post placement. Because some or all of the area around this facility will be a poured concrete slab, it is important that we get our fence posts in the correct spot the first time. To get it right we need to answer a few questions: 1. What type of fencing materials are you going to use? Oil field pipe is the most common, but there are other options. 2. If you choose pipe, what is the diameter? This usually depends on price, availability, and if you need or want overhead braces for gate openings greater than 18-20 feet. 3. Are your 16-foot gates exactly 16’0” long, or are they 15’8” long so they fit a 16-foot opening? The decisions these questions trigger are typically based on personal preference, formulated from years of experience in the industry, and tailored to meet the specific goals you set in the early stages of planning. In this case there is no right or wrong, just right for you.
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