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Real estate signs

Signed Out

Signed Out

New Member
pic.jpg
Have a real estate company that isn't happy with their current site signs. On windy days they sometimes blow over They are 4'x4' signs on 2 3.5" posts driven about 2-3 feet into the ground. They want us to provide them with a better solution, they have 30-40 of these signs up in our area, and they will have to be relocated as different sites go up for lease.
I'm thinking 2x4's on both sides of the posts, about halfway up the posts, and then to the ground at a 45* angle. Then drive wood stakes into the ground and screw to the new supports. I've seen them done like this, just looking for opinions. We would be relocating the signs so I'm looking for an effective and efficient way of doing this.
Also some of these signs are an hour or two away, normally we just bill out travel time at our shop rate but I'm thinking a per mile charge would be better for this.
 
B

benupp

New Member
ok if you're digging the holes 2 to 3' down just some stone big size stone and put in the hole as well use a piece of 2x4 board to ram down the stone and then fill it up back with dirt that will hold it good
 
Mosh

Mosh

New Member
watsons signs said:
i'm trying to figure out how a sign dug that far into the ground is blowing over?
Click to expand...

That what I thought..3' deep is what we do to get below the frost line.
Are the sure that they are not getting knocked over, I have loads of 4x8's
up the same way with no problems...

BTW a 3.5" x 3.5" post is called a 4x4.....LOL
 
Pat Whatley

Pat Whatley

New Member
30" deep holes, keep your holes as small as possible. Pack your backfill in as you put it in....not after you fill the hole up with it. You shouldn't ever have a problem with the sign leaning unless you're installing in some really, really soft dirt or the ground stays saturated. Most of the time I had leaning sign problems it turned out to be my installer not digging his holes deep enough.

(get ready for people to call me an idiot but this is great for those temporary real estate signs that you know you'll be moving) Another option is to wrap the ends of your posts with a couple of layers of old backing paper. Dig your holes (again, as narrow as possible), stick the post in, pour quick-crete into the hole and pack it in. Make sure to not overfill the hole, leave the quick-crete about 6" below the surface. Dump water on it if it makes you feel better but I personally never worry about it. When you have to go move the sign you can usually slide it right out of the concrete because the backing paper keeps the concrete from bonding to the post. Dump a bucket of dirt into the hole to bury the concrete and you're done. Again....the first method is easier and works.

You can to the angled braces if you really want to but I think they're butt ugly and not necessary.
 
Signed Out

Signed Out

New Member
Thanks for the responses. We didn't do the signs originally, so I don't know exactly how deep the holes are. I could move the sign back and forth easily with my hands, and I stuck a stick in the hole about 18" but figured the hole must be deeper than that. The real estate company is looking for a "better" way to install the signs. My other thought aside from the braces would be to fabricate some round steel discs maybe 16" dia with a square hole and sleve. Slide the discs on the posts and screw together so the disc would be about 1'-18" in the ground when the posts are 3' deep, backfill and tamp. This would probably be more work but I think it would get the job done and not look as ugly as the braces. Does this seem logical?
 
d fleming

d fleming

Premium Subscriber
All-SignZ said:
View attachment 80669
Have a real estate company that isn't happy with their current site signs. On windy days they sometimes blow over They are 4'x4' signs on 2 3.5" posts driven about 2-3 feet into the ground. They want us to provide them with a better solution, they have 30-40 of these signs up in our area, and they will have to be relocated as different sites go up for lease.
I'm thinking 2x4's on both sides of the posts, about halfway up the posts, and then to the ground at a 45* angle. Then drive wood stakes into the ground and screw to the new supports. I've seen them done like this, just looking for opinions. We would be relocating the signs so I'm looking for an effective and efficient way of doing this.
Also some of these signs are an hour or two away, normally we just bill out travel time at our shop rate but I'm thinking a per mile charge would be better for this.
Click to expand...
Looking at the pic provided I see 4 feet of pole out of ground to bottom of 4x4 sign. That means the pole has to be 11 feet long to be three feet in the ground. My bet would be the signs are not installed deep enough. The installer also apparently does not use a level to install those seriously bent 4x4's..
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
We've gone as deep as 42" and 48"... and without using cement, they can start to twist, lean over and sometimes fall over.

In our area of the state, we have towns called Stonersville, Stonetown, Stoney Creek and so on. The earth is filled with rocks and these little buggers keep surfacing and rearranging the soil and can easily push up 4" x 4" posts in their way, unless they're cemented in.

You can do as you figured out by supporting them with about a 6' or 7' runner and spiking it in the ground.... or just make sled signs and stake them in the ground and forget having to dig. Pre-make the sleds, take a trailer and do a few a day. Cost of lumber and labor is almost better then digging holes and setting signs in cement.
 
Signed Out

Signed Out

New Member
Is there a going rate for installing this type of real estate sign? Not the cost of the sign or travel time, just the install of the sign( 2 4x4 posts 3' in the ground).

Also does anybody think my idea for the discs in post #7 is a viable option?
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Your post #7 is kinda like using rebar, but a bowl instead. It sounds like it would work, but the bowl should be connected to the posts or it will just shift around down there and eventually all come loose as it is doing presently. The theory behind rebar in cement is to keep things from moving around down there. It's more of a permanent idea. Most real estate signs are considered temporary signs. 6 months, a year or two, so you want to be able to remove them sometime in the near future.

Like I said, sled signs are quickly becoming the way we do it. Ask Baz on here. He helped us make 4 of them last month.


I'll look for some photos of them.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
WeekendDirectionals said:
Yes, thoughts?
Click to expand...


If that's what you're getting and you're feeling good about those prices.... go for it.

I care not to discuss pricing out here in the open forums area, where any end-user can see this, but if you feel comfortable discussing your pricing in front of possible customers.... do it to it.

  • Do you have customers complaining about your prices being too high ??
  • Do you have customers complaining about your prices being too low ??
Only you know what you need to get to keep your doors open, not someone who has a totally different operation going from you..... and yours is unique.

If you're swamped and no one's b!tching about price.... I'd imagine you're too low and could increase a little. If people are complaining about high prices all the time, some are leaving you and you have it from more than 2 or 3 customers, I'd re-think my pricing structure.
 
FireSprint.com

FireSprint.com

Trade Only Screen & Digital Sign Printing
Pat Whatley said:
30" deep holes, keep your holes as small as possible. Pack your backfill in as you put it in....not after you fill the hole up with it. You shouldn't ever have a problem with the sign leaning unless you're installing in some really, really soft dirt or the ground stays saturated. Most of the time I had leaning sign problems it turned out to be my installer not digging his holes deep enough.

...

You can to the angled braces if you really want to but I think they're butt ugly and not necessary.
Click to expand...

This. It always used to work for us here in the Heartland, but our dirt is different here. Any way you slice it though, keep your hole as small as possible.
 
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