The garden fence is the figurehead of every property and is one of the most preferred fences for enclosing private and business properties. Whether to demarcate a parking lot, to protect against unauthorized access to company premises, to separate your property from that of the neighbor so that your dog cannot escape from the garden or you want to know that your children are safe on the property, the classic chain link fence can be used in many different ways. It is easy to set up without a special talent for craftsmen. But don’t just buy the first chain link fence that comes along. If you do some thinking before you buy and pay attention to important details when buying, you can set up your new chain link fence yourself in no time at all and you will enjoy it for a long time.
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planning
The first consideration you should ask yourself is what purpose the chain link fence is intended to serve. Basically, it is advisable to buy the chain link fence higher, so that it still offers sufficient protection for the most diverse requirements in a few years.
Before purchasing a chain link fence, ask your municipality or city whether there are any special regulations for erecting the fence in your region. So it can happen that you are tied to certain heights or have to maintain a minimum distance to the neighboring property.
And so that things also work out with the neighbors, brief information about your project will certainly be seen as positive. Maybe you’re lucky and your neighbor will even share the costs, because he gets the practical benefit of putting up a chain link fence just like you.
Choosing the right chain link fence
With the chain link fence you make a choice that allows you to easily set it up as well as create a closed area that you can then decorate with numerous decoration ideas. When choosing the right wire mesh fence, you should not only pay attention to the right height to protect against entering or leaving the property, but also consider your decoration ideas and any privacy or wind protection. If you want tendrils or similar to grow on the wire mesh fence, the fence height should be selected accordingly, so that your plants come into their own.
The fence, also known as “Evergreen”, has a weather-resistant plastic coating that protects the wire mesh of the fence against all kinds of possible damage. The metal chain link fence without a coating tends to rust and could become unsightly after just a few years. With the costs you have to calculate around 100 euros per roll.
Depending on what you need the fence for, you should also pay attention to the mesh size. Small four-legged friends in particular slip quickly through the mesh, so the mesh size should be adapted to the purpose.
Basically, the chain link fence, the cheaper it is, the lower the quality. The quality is characterized, among other things, by the stability, which is particularly noticeable during later tensioning. The braid is regular, the coating is undamaged and even. A high-quality chain link fence has a solid wire that can only be bent with a certain amount of force. If you choose quality, you will be rewarded with ease of care and durability.
Pros and cons of chain link fence
The wire mesh fence offers an optimal but particularly inexpensive solution for enclosing a property. The comparison to wooden, plastic or metal fences shows how expensive these fences are. In terms of design, the chain link fence does not offer a large selection, but with other materials you will often be asked to pay a noticeable fee, especially in terms of color or individual designs.
It is characterized by its particular robustness and has a long service life. It requires little care, impresses with a high degree of protection and can be individually designed with planting. The wire mesh fence is not only used to enclose the property, but with the right planting it can also be used to protect against privacy, wind and noise. The disadvantage, however, is that there are hardly any plants that are actually opaque on the chain link fence. This means that the wire mesh fence is only suitable to a limited extent as wind, privacy and noise protection.
If you put the chain link fence a few centimeters into the ground, you will even prevent some rodents from entering your property and destroying your vegetable gardens or beautiful flowers.
Another advantage is the space-saving installation. While other fences often have to be connected to large posts, the chain link fence only takes up a small amount of space.
The construction is also possible for non-craftsmen without any complications.
A disadvantage turns out to be when the chain link fence is set up directly on lawns. The grass grows into the mesh and is difficult to remove with a grass trimmer. Manual work is often required here to keep the lawn on the chain link fence tidy and to free it from lawn or weeds.
Design ideas with plants
To give the fence a special touch, planting the wire mesh fence is a good idea. Due to the translucency, shrubs can be planted on both sides, which, above a certain height, simply make the chain link fence “disappear”. Only the green of bushes and shrubs remains visible, which gives gardens in particular a natural charm. Climbing roses, which turn the simple chain link fence into a real eye-catcher in summer, are also particularly pretty.
If you want to use the chain link fence as a plant wall, there are numerous plants such as vetches, clematis or Virginia creeper. But when choosing the planting, keep in mind that some varieties lose their beauty and density in winter, so that the chain link fence presents itself as a transparent enclosure again. Evergreen plants, such as ivy, offer a better alternative for frosty times.
Course of the chain link fence
Required material:
- a guideline, each end tied to a stake
- a ruler or other measuring instrument
- a spirit level
To buy the right length, you need to determine exactly where the chain link fence is to be placed. Then determine the length and add one meter. You need this as a margin. Because if you have miscalculated, a division on a straight line is possible, but optically it takes the expression out of every chain link fence.
Mark the beginning of the course of the fence with a guide line and tighten the guide line up to the planned end of the fence. You can use a spirit level to determine the straight alignment. Make sure that you keep the minimum distance to your neighbors or do not exceed your own property line.
Set the posts
Materials needed:
- Sufficient number of fence posts
- fast-setting ready-mixed concrete
- spade
- level
- bucket
- Groups
- water
- Kiessand
- Zollstock
- 2 side struts for the start and end posts and another strut every 30 meters
To set the posts, you have to dig a hole every 2.50 meters with a depth of between 40 and 50 centimeters, depending on the length of the post. Here, too, care must be taken to ensure that the posts do not cross the property line.
Now mix one part ready-mixed concrete with six parts gravel and add enough water until you get a mushy consistency. Insert the post into the hole, pour in the concrete mix and now straighten the post in all directions. A spirit level ensures the accuracy of the alignment.
You then have to tamp down the concrete, check the post again for straight alignment and correct it if necessary. Then let the post harden in the ready-mixed concrete for around 1.5 hours and start with the next post. Use a folding rule to measure the height of the first post and how far it protrudes from the ground or is embedded in the ground. This is the measure for all subsequent posts. The first and last post is provided with a strut that goes off at an angle. Depending on the length of the fence, you should place another strut about every 30 meters. If you want to lay the fence around the corner, a second strut is required on each corner post.
The strut is only briefly pre-assembled on the post, in order to then dig a hole here as well and concrete the strut in the same way as the posts. The strut is screwed properly to the post while the concrete is still wet.
Mount and tighten the chain link fence
Required material:
- Chain link fence off the roll
- Spanndraht
- screwdriver
- wrench
- at least six wire tensioners
- mesh tension rod
- tongs
- wire
Before installing the chain link fence, connect the guy wire holders to the first and last post. For this purpose, one tension wire holder is screwed close to the ground, one in the middle and one at the top of the post. Then cut the tension wire three times to the required length, adding another meter here to have more leeway if you have miscalculated.
Now insert the tension wire into the existing mandrel on the first post and turn it over the mandrel using a wrench. Repeat this on the other two spikes.
Now pull the tensioning wire to the following fence post and place it there in the wire holder. When you have reached the last fence post, proceed in the same way as with the first fence post and place the tension wire around the mandrel. Make sure that the tension is not too high, otherwise the wire could tear.
Only now do you put the chain link fence on the fence posts. To do this, unroll about 1.5 meters from the roll and start with the starting post. Take the netting tension rod, insert it into the first row of mesh netting and connect it to the fence hooks.
Now unroll the roll along the entire length of the fence and lean the fence against the posts. Start again at the starting post and bend open the top and bottom wire. Then place this around the respective tensioning wire and fold the edges tightly with pliers. Then attach the chain link fence to the center wire with loose wire. This prevents the chain link fence from buckling and gaining stability. So now proceed from post to post. At the end post, proceed in exactly the same way as you did at the beginning post and connect the mesh tension rod to the fence hooks.
Conclusion
The wire mesh fence is the ideal alternative to expensive fences. It can be set up quickly without requiring extensive specialist knowledge or manual dexterity. With a little creativity, the wire mesh fence can be beautifully decorated with flowers, shrubs or tendrils. A plastic coating of the so-called “evergreen” fence protects against rust, while the zinc version withstands long-term weather influences.
