Chain Link Fence Project

Do you have a chain link fence that could use a face lift?

Do you need to add privacy to your yard?

This project is cheaper than replacing the entire fence and only require basic skills.

About 6-7 years ago, I had to do something about our chain link fence. 

At 4ft tall, one of our dogs would clear it and get out all the time.

We weighted our options, but nothing was fitting in our budget. 

Replacing was not an option, either wood or vinyl was too expensive.

But I found this 

reed fence at HD. 

At about $23 for a 6'x16' roll, we knew this was the best option for us.

So I came up with this idea.

First of all, I had to raise the height of the fence, from 4 to 6ft.

I used 6ft metal stakes. 

These are flat, and I weaved them into the existing chain link fence (the bottom part)

I then added metal wire connecting the poles/stakes to give it extra stability.

At this point we were ready to attach the reed/bamboo fence. 

We used zip ties. (you can find a bag of 100 of them at $tree). 

This part goes up pretty quickly.

My husband helped me, as it is best to have 2 people.

He held the reed roll on the outside (we used a 2x4 wood scrap to keep the fence off the ground).

I attached the zip tie from the inside. making sure the wire on the fence was attached to either the chain link fence or the new stakes/metal wire.

This process goes pretty fast. 

We randomly attached the zip ties, looking for any weak spots.

We have 3 gates, so around the gates I left a few inches extra. 

This made a "flap" to cover the poles.

Our fence was up for 6-7 years, and held up well.

This Summer we started to notice some parts were just falling apart, while other parts were still going strong. 

That said, we ended up replacing the entire fence.

old fence

This time, all we had to do was cut the old zip ties, remove the old reed fence and attach the new one.

For the price of the material, this is by far the most cost effective and the least "invasive".

For about 192 linear feet we spent around $260 in material.

To that you will add the one time cost for the metal wire ($10-20 according to how many feet you need), and the extra flat poles for the height (if you are going from a 4ft to a 6ft fence. If your chain link fence is already 6ft tall, than all you have to do is attach the reed fence to the existing chain link).

The metal stakes are around $5 a piece. We spaced them out as needed (about every 4-5ft).

To another 7 years.

Stay Frugal,

Daniela