Just learned from a city inspector that Edmonton's frost line depth is 1.8 meters, which is way deeper than I thought.

Found this out when I was planning a deck footing and it completely changed my material list and digging schedule, so has anyone else had to adjust a project for our local ground freeze?

3 comments

3 Comments

caseyc302mo ago

My neighbor's fence posts started leaning after one winter because he only went down a meter. That frost heave is no joke around here, it basically acts like a slow jackhammer. Definitely worth renting a power auger for that depth.

riverf348d ago

Honestly, "slow jackhammer" is the perfect way to put it. A meter is basically begging for trouble in heavy clay soil or anywhere with a high water table. I've seen posts that were only a foot deep pop right up like a mushroom after one good freeze-thaw cycle. That's why I always go for a full 1.2 meters and throw in a bag of quickcrete at the bottom for good measure. The auger is a pain to handle, but it beats having to reset half a fence line every spring. And if you hit a rock, just dig around it and break it up, don't try to muscle the auger through.

leor372mo ago

Yeah, I had to go that deep for a shed base last fall. Rented a two-man auger and it was still a full day of hard work. Saved me from a cracked foundation come spring though.