How to Plan a Chain Link Fence
If you have children or pets you want to keep inside your yard--or if you want to keep other people's children and pets out of your yard--you need a fence. A chain-link fence is a popular option. But before you start digging post holes, give some thought to where you want the fence to go. And do your homework to make sure you are not digging into underground utilities or violating a local ordinance. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Locate your property lines, so you are sure to put your fence on your own property.
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2
Contact your county or city offices to ask if there are any restrictions for fences in your neighborhood.
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3
Call 811, the national "Call Before You Dig" line. When you call 811, your yard will be inspected and all utility lines will be marked for free.
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4
Identify where your fence is going to start--probably at your house or garage, or at another fence. Mark this location with a yard stake.
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5
Tie your string to the stake, and stretch it out so it's loosely perpendicular to the house/garage/structure from which your fence will start.
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6
Measure roughly 4 feet of string from the stake, and mark it using a permanent marker. Then, measure 3 feet from the stake on the house or other starting point, and mark that spot, too.
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7
Start your tape measure at the 3-foot marker, and extend it toward the 4-foot mark on the string, making a triangle. Continue moving the string until the distance between the two marks is 5 feet. Put a stake at this spot; it is perfectly perpendicular to your house or other starting point.
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8
Mark the position of your first post at the spot you marked in Step 7. Then continue to mark with string the dimensions you want your fence to be. Use stakes to keep the string taut. The string will be the outside edge of your fence.
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9
Mark the position of each post with a stake or a ribbon. Mark the center of the post.
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Tips & Warnings
Some yards aren't completely level. If you want to put a fence on a yard that slopes downhill, you can have the tops of the sections follow the slope of the hill, or you can keep the fence sections level and step the fence down at each post. According to Hometown, a home improvement television show, if you want a step-down fence: "Determine the height difference between the top of the hill and the bottom, and divide that number by the number of sections. This will be the amount to step the fence down at each post."
References
- Photo Credit fence image by EvilGirl from Fotolia.com
