How to build an inexpensive railing for your driveway

Many driveways have an area that requires some form of safety railing to prevent vehicles from driving off the driveway in bad weather or perhaps just due to driver error. Metal railings can be quite expensive and require a one pound truck to put up the railing posts. With a little sweat and a lot of effort, you can build a railing for almost no money. Electric and telephone companies continually replace their poles on a regular basis. This may simply be an upgrade to a pole to carry new transformers or to raise a section of cables for vehicular traffic etc.

These companies must pay to dispose of these old posts and that’s where you come in. Contact your local power or telephone company and ask where they store damaged or old poles and tell them you’d like some. In almost all cases, they will be happy to get rid of them. It saves them money. Of course, you can’t haul full-size poles, so you’ll need a chainsaw with some old, worn chains to cut the poles into manageable six-foot-long sections. Note that I said old, worn chains for your saw. Sharpen before you cut, but be prepared to discard them when you finish cutting the posts. Power poles are often full of nails hidden from your neighbors posting their garage sale signs, but they’re also littered with screws, pins, and all manner of metal items. Any and all metal parts are death to a chainsaw chain. You can of course visually scan these elements before cutting, but the hidden ones are the problem. Be sure to wear thick work gloves when handling these posts as there will be splinters galore and any sharp objects will tend not to cut or stab you as easily. Be careful while working and always wear eye and ear protection.

A railing will need a post every six to eight feet and of course at any point where the railing turns a corner. A twenty-four foot straight railing with posts on six foot centers would need five posts. Also a reminder that power poles are coated with creosote, so wear old clothes when handling them. You’ll also need the longest pieces you can handle for a top rail. A top rail will provide much better protection, but simple posts close enough together can also provide very good protection. With all the post and rail pieces now home, lay out the centers of each post. Remember to measure from the leading edge of the first post and not from the center line. Intermediate posts are measured to the center line and the last post is the farthest edge of the first post.

This is where you need to decide if you want to dig the post holes yourself or hire someone with an auger truck to do it for you. Its labor is free but time consuming, auger truck is quick and easy, but cost some money. If you’re short on time or help, the auger truck can be a good investment. With the holes dug, set up your starting post. Once in the correct position, make sure the post protrudes a minimum of two feet above the finished grade. Refill the post by tamping the material into place as you go. Now continue with the rest of the posts making sure each one is on the proper center line and height.

A good trick here is if your railing is in a straight line, place the first and last posts first. Put a nail in the center of these two posts and put a line between them. Now you have a quick guide to both the axes and the heights of all the intermediate posts without having to measure each one. Once all the posts are in place, let them sit for a few days and hopefully some rain will fall to further settle the soil around the posts. If you have a water source nearby, a good soaking of fill soils will speed up the settling process. Clean up around your stalls removing all rocks and excess loot and maybe throw in some grass seed to restore the area. It’s much easier to do this before you attach the top rail. Raking under the railing and going up and down on it wears out very quickly.

Once you are ready for the top rail, place the top rail next to the posts in the ground with one end hanging a few inches above the first post. Mark the top tail for both sides of all post locations. Once marked, you must carefully cut a two inch deep notch to receive the top of the post once the rail is positioned on top of the posts. Try to be as neat as you can but you’re cutting with a chainsaw. A notch a half inch wider is not a big deal. Place the cut top rail on the posts. I use sixty cent galvanized landscaping spikes to attach the rail to the posts. You may want to pre-drill the holes in the top rail and you’ll need at least a five-pound hammer. Two spikes on each post should be enough. Once all of the rail is in place, you can simply let it age naturally or add a fresh coat of stain or sealant.

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