Post in ground construction, also called
earthfast or
hole-set posts, is a type of construction in which vertical, roof-bearing timbers, called
posts, are in direct contact with the ground. They may be placed into excavated post holes, driven into the ground, or on sills which are set on the ground without a foundation. Earthfast construction is common from the
Neolithic period to the present and is used world-wide. Post-in-the-ground construction is sometimes called an "impermanent" form such as for houses which are expected to last a decade or two before a better quality structure can be built.