You can buy all materials at farm supply stores.
Supplies
1. Posts. Choose metal T-posts or wooden posts. You can get wooden posts cut to specifications. If you tell a store worker the size of your fence, they can tell you many posts you need. Generally, you place posts 7-10 feet apart.
2. Mesh cloth. It comes in rolls, in different strengths. Your fence will be stronger if you get a strong mesh.
3. Baling wire or metal ties to attach the mesh to the posts. Baling wire comes in a roll and can be cut into pieces. A heavy duty staple gun can be used to attach mesh fencing to wooden posts.
4. Concrete if setting wooden posts. Metal T-posts are also stronger if set in concrete. Ask store workers to advise you on how many bags to get for the kind of posts. One 40-lb bag of concrete can be used to set two posts.
5. Shovel or post hole digger if setting posts in concrete.
Thin mesh and T-post Strong mesh fencing
Instructions
• Decide where you want your fence to go. You can push wooden stakes in the ground where you plan to have the corners of your fence, and tie string from stake to stake. You can then place your posts along the string.
• Pound T-posts into the ground with a hammer or set in the ground with concrete. Wooden posts should be set in concrete.
• At least 1.5 feet of the post should be underground. T-posts should be put in the ground until the “V” that extends out from the post is covered.
• The closer you place the posts to each other, the stronger the fence will be. For instance, if the posts were 15 feet apart the fencing would sag in the middle.
• Attach the mesh to T-posts with wire ties or baling wire. Attach the mesh at the top of the post, in the middle of the post, and at the bottom of the post.
• Fencing can be attached to wooden posts with wire or with a heavy-duty staple gun.
• A gate will work best if attached to a post set in concrete. You can purchase gates at home improvement stores. You can also make a gate out of wood and mesh fencing.
The wooden gate is attached to the wood post with a door hinge. A slide lock was added to help keep the fence shut.A bike lock can be used to keep the gate shut.
Make Your Chain Link Fence Higher
Buy a roll of mesh fencing, also called hardware cloth. It is available at stores such as Home Depot and farm supply stores. Mesh cloth comes in different strengths. Some mesh is very thin and easy to bend (like chicken wire) and some is thick and sturdy. Buy some that is strong enough to stay upright at the top of your fence but light enough for you to bend it into place.
Roll out the fencing and attach it to the top of your chain link fence. You can attach it with lengths of pre-cut wire ties or pieces of baling wire. Baling wire comes in a roll and you can cut it to the desired length. Wire ties were threaded through the mesh, around the pole at the top of the fence, and twisted shut.
This project took just a few hours and it WORKED! The owner had a dog who always jumped the fence. After extending the height of her fence, the dog was no longer able to escape. A success!
If you can’t attach wire to the top of your fence, you can install tall T-posts every 6 feet along the fence. Then attach the mesh across the tops of the T-posts. You can hammer the T-posts into the ground with a sledgehammer.
For pictures, see www.unchainyourdog.org