If you do it right, installing your own chain link fence can save you labour costs. Here’s a helpful guide to DIY chain link fence installation.
How to Prepare
Before starting, take these steps:
Call 1-800-242-3447 or email info@albertaonecall.com to have someone check and mark the buried utility lines on your property.
Use string and batter boards to lay out your fence.
Mark fencepost locations 60 to 90 centimetres apart with spray paint.
Measure for chain link mesh and decide on the height; chain link mesh rolls are available in a range of heights from 3-feet to 12-feet.
What You’ll Need
When you’re ready to buy materials, here’s a helpful list:
Chain-link fabric
Post caps: one line-post cap for each line post, one end-post cap for each end post
Top rails: enough to cover the entire length of fencing
Rail ends: one for each end or gate post, two for each corner post
Tension bar
Tension bands: three for each end or gate post, plus six for each corner post on a 1.2-metre fence, eight each for a 1.5-metre fence, and 10 each for a 1.8-metre fence
Tension wire
Tie wire
You may also need:
Top rail sleeves if multiple top rails are required to span the fence length
Brace bands to hold the rail ends
Gate materials: pre-assembled gate, or two to create a double opening, gate-post and gate-frame hinges
DIY Fence Installation Steps
Follow these steps to install your fence:
Install posts. Dig the holes three times wider than the post diameter and about 60 centimetres deep or below your frost line. Add a layer of gravel for drainage, insert the pole, then fill with concrete. Brace posts to hold them straight until the concrete cures. Cover the dry concrete with dirt.
Install fence hardware. Add tension bands, flat side facing outward, then install the top rail bands, caps and bolts.
Hang the fence mesh. Unroll the fabric on the ground and weave a tension bar through the top row of diamonds. Secure the tension bar to each terminal post. Stretch the mesh so that the diamond pattern is even, with enough give to squeeze the diamonds about six millimetres.
Finishing touches. Remove excess mesh. Ensure the tension bars are secure. Using tie wire, attach edge diamonds to the hardware, spacing 60 centimetres apart on the top rail and 30 to 40 centimetres apart on the line posts.
Chain Link Fencing Supplies in Edmonton and Throughout Alberta
Duraguard Fence Ltd. manufactures and supplies all the materials you need for your DIY chain link fence in ready-to-install kits, including posts, fittings, pipes and mesh. Pickup is available at our Edmonton office. Contact us to place an order and get started on your chain link fence installation.