DIY and Installing  Lamppost
For illuminance and ornamental upshot, set up a lamppost at your front walk or drive. Tools: shovel, pliers, pipe wrench, screwdriver, brace and bit, garden hose, paintbrush. Materials: lamppost kit, premixed concrete mix, gravel or flat rocks, underground cable/conduit (check the electrical codes in your area), sheet plastic film, short piece of 1 x 3, two pieces of 2 x 4 x 8, wood preservative, wire nuts. Time : 1 day.

Caution: Follow the electrical codes for your area when installing a lamppost. The lamppost retailer will probably know code restrictions; if not, check with the city electrical department. Although connections to house power are fairly simple and instructions for this are usually included with the kit, don’t try to make the connection if you don’t know how; install the lamp and have it connected by an electrician.

Buy an exterior lamppost assembly in kit form, with all necessary parts included. Lampposts are available in a wide variety of styles to fit into the architectural and landscaping plan of your home.

To install the lamppost, dig a trench for the power lines, from the power source to the lamp itself. To protect the lawn, spread sheet plastic on the grass next to the trench and pile the dirt on this plastic. Dig the trench 18 inches deep-check the electrical codes-and just wide enough to hold the cable/ conduit. Set the cable/conduit into the trench; do not connect it.

If the cable/conduit must go under a walk or driveway, use a garden hose to make a pathway under the concrete. Dig a hole at the edge of the walk or driveway, 6 inches below the slab’s bottom. Dig another hole to the same depth on the opposite side of the slab. Then insert a garden hose, with the nozzle turned on full blast, under the slab, and turn the water on. The hose will act as a water ram as you push and pull it through the earth. When the hose appears in the opposite hole, turn off the water; then fasten the cable/conduit to the hose and pull out the hose with the cable/conduit attached. Set the cable/conduit into the trench; do not connect it.

Dig the hole for the lamppost-about a third of its length, or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cover the bottom of the hole with gravel or with a layer or two of flat rocks, for drainage.

If the lamppost is wood, give it at least two coats of clear, paint table wood preservative before setting it into the hole, even if the post has been pressure treated with preservative. The extra effort and slight cost  will add from 5 to 10 years to the life of the post. Let the preservative dry completely.

Connect the electrical wiring to the lamppost after the preservative is dry, and before setting the post into the hole. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for connecting the wiring to the lamppost.

With the wiring connected, set the lamppost into the hole. The lamppost should be set in concrete; you’ll need a helper to hold the post while you pour the footing.

With your helper holding the post, pour a third of a sack of concrete mix into the hole. Add water to the mix, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir and tamp the mix with a short piece of 1 x 3. Add another third of a sack of concrete, and repeat the mixing procedure. At this point, plumb (vertically level) the post. Then fill the hole with concrete mix and water and stir. Crown the top of the concrete with the back of a spade to slope the concrete away from the post ; the crowned concrete sheds water like a roof.

Brace the post with 2 x  4’s until the concrete sets about 2 hours. Keep the concrete damp for a week to help it cure properly.

To complete the job, fill the cable / conduit trench with dirt and connect the lamp to the power source.

If you’re replacing an old lamppost with a new one of if three’s an available outside junction box the connection is easy. Caution : flip the circuit breaker or remove the fuse that controls the outdoor junction box. Remove the cover to the junction box  and connect the box’s wires to the lamp’s wires, following the lamppost manufacturer’s instructions. Use wire nuts to make the connection.

If there is no available outdoor junction box. Have an electrician install the proper wiring.

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See also:

Select your Roof and consider climate
Roofing shingles