Putting Up A Chain Link Fence

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SumoNinja

SumoNinja

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 9, 2007
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Hey guys, this is my next project. This is my first time doing this and I'm a total noob. I have a slope in my backyard and there's just dirt. I want to fence it off to keep my kids from going down the slope and playing in the dirt. I already layed some concrete so the kids have an area to ride their bikes. I just got a 15 ft trampoline and have an area for a swing set (to be purchased after the fence goes up) and so far, the kids will play where they are supposed to until they get bored and just wanna go down the slope and run around in the dirt and chase the chickens around.

I have a few questions for anyone with experience doing this. It's gonna be 5 ft tall. I'm gonna have 1 double gate and 1 single gate.

I can just as easily go ask someone at home depot, which I will too, but I also wanna hear from those with experience to give me an idea or maybe give input that I need to be aware of.

I know the end posts, corner posts and gate posts needs to be the bigger posts. They are like 3" or something like that. Then there are the posts in between those posts that are smaller.

My questions are, how long do the poles need to be if I'm doing a 5 ft tall fence?

how deep and wide of a hole do each kind of post need and how much concrete do they need?

once posts are in place, how long do you wait before putting up the chain link fence?

any other thing I need to be aware of or put into consideration? Thank You!
 
stretch good tight ground level wire so the kids can't scoot under the fence so easily.
;-)
 
The first thing you need to figure out is do you need a building permit to put up a fence. Last time I built one I had to buy a special fence permit that cost me like $15. When you go in with your plan all sketched out they will tell you if it's ok or not, IE are the posts long enough and far enough under ground(below the frost line if applicable). I built a privacy fence out of wood so things might be a bit different but I dug 12" holes for the 4"x4" posts because I was advised to have the hole 3X as wide as the post. It might be different for chain link though. The amount of concrete per hole will depend on how wide and deep it is so you'll have to figure that out on your own. If you use quick-crete then it will set hard enough in 24 hours for you to put the link up. I built mine from breaking ground to fully complete in a 4 day weekend, and I could have gotten it done a bit sooner if I really wanted to.
 
For privacy I always go 3' deep and 12" holes then let the concrete set for a week so that is nice and hard before I start hammering. I only did 1 chain and kept 3' deep but went with 6" holes, chain doesn't catch the wind like privacy so you don't need as much weight but you still need depth to keep it true. I would still wait a week for curing, when you go to stretch the fence you're going to apply so force anf you don't want to disturb the concrete. When fencing string is your best friend, keeps all your posts aligned and easy to 3-4-5 the corners to make them square.
 
Chain Link fences are a 2 man job if you take the fast route. 2-3' deep hole (3' is best) and rent an Auger from Home Depot. Have concrete mixed and a Level on hand. Use Tape for correct height. Add Concrete and let sit for 24 hrs (if you have small/med rocks you dont want, toss them in to get rid of and/or to dispose of them haha). The rest is fairly easy buddy. Just start out with a Blueprint b4 you start digging haha. Might consider asking your local water to come out and mark your pipes so there are no accidents, other than that its a straight forward job.

I've made a Chain Link fence or two in my construction days.
 
thanks for all the input guys

I have 18 holes to dig and about a foot down it gets really hard so I will have to go rent an auger.

I guess I will be getting 8 ft poles and putting them in 3 ft deep
 
It's not as hard as you're hearing it is. Dig the holes, put the pole in the hole, and just dump a bag of dry quickrete in the hole, then spray it with the hose and move on. The concrete mix will soak up ground water to harden itself. You don't want the concrete to come up to ground level, instead keep it a foot down. That gives you a hole that's 3' deep with 2' of concrete at the bottom. Also a 12"x3' hole with concrete is a pot footing, not necessary for a fence, that would be something you build a deck on top of, and is wayyy overkill. I agree with the 3' depth, but only 6-8" width is necessary for wind load on chain link. You will however need a couple ratchet straps to stretch the fence while you tie it up.


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Like stated above 2' -3' in depth, 3' feet seems to work better for you since you are going for 5' in height. I also agree with 8" diameter for the holes. I would get the end and or corner posts set first. Make sure they are plumb. Then you pull a stringline along the bottom a couple inches off the ground from end to end. This way all the posts will be in a strait line. I would space my posts 8' apart and use upside down marking paint for this, first make marks every 8' with a mark perpendicular to the string. Now mark parallel to the string, this mark will be half the diameter of the posts away from the string as the string runs down the side of the posts. Dig all your holes, after you have dug the holes I would pull another string 3" from the top of the corner posts and make a mark on the remaining posts 3" from the top. This mark ensures that the top of the fence will be strait.Now with both strings in place take the other posts and place them in the holes one at a time. The post should sit next to both strings with the mark at the topeven with the top string. Sometimes it maybe necessary to adjust the hole side to side because the hole was dug a little off, also you can add a little dirt to the hole or remove a littlte to get the height right. When it comes to setting the posts I to use drypack concrete, I put a couple inches of water in the hole, then the post in the hole.
 
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