Chain link fence.
Galvanized or black vinyl-coated, 4 to 6 foot. The cheapest way to close a yard, and the one most likely to be installed badly by somebody else.
- Galvanized or black coated
- 4 to 6 foot
- Corners and ends braced
- From $14 per foot
Woven steel mesh stretched between terminal posts and tied to a top rail. It contains a dog, marks a boundary and keeps kids in the yard for less money per foot than anything else we install.
Two finishes. Galvanized is the bare silver mesh — the cheapest fence on this site. Black vinyl-coated is the same fence with a bonded coating over the wire; it costs more, and it more or less disappears against a tree line instead of flashing silver across the back of the yard. If the fence is going somewhere you will be looking at it, the coating is usually the upgrade worth paying for.
The part that separates a chain link fence that lasts from one that leans is the corners and ends. Every terminal post gets braced and the mesh gets stretched properly before it is tied off, so the fence does not go slack in the middle.
Heights and gates
- 4 ft is the standard residential height for a back yard or a dog run
- 5 and 6 ft where you want a real barrier, or for a commercial boundary
- Walk gates on a welded frame, swinging clear of the grade
- Double drive gates with a drop rod for a trailer, a mower or a dumpster pad
- Self-closing, self-latching hinges on any gate that encloses a pool
Common add-ons: privacy slats woven through the mesh where you want a screen without going to a solid fence, and a bottom tension wire to stop a dog pushing underneath. Both go on the estimate as their own line.
What moves the price
- Black vinyl-coated instead of galvanized
- Height — 6 ft uses noticeably more mesh per foot than 4 ft
- Mesh gauge and framework weight, which is where a low quote usually hides
- Every gate, and whether it is a walk gate or a drive gate
- Tear-out and disposal of the existing fence
- Number of corners and ends, since each one needs a terminal post and bracing
Chain link is the one material where two quotes can look identical and be a different fence. Ask what gauge the mesh is and how the corners are braced — on our estimate both are written down.
Life and upkeep
There is nothing to do to it. No staining, no sealing, no painting. Galvanized mesh will dull from silver over the years and coated mesh keeps its colour longer.
What shortens a chain link fence's life here is damage rather than weather — a plough or a vehicle into a run, or a tree limb coming down on it in a storm. A damaged section is usually repairable in place without redoing the whole fence.
Where it suits, and where it does not
It is the right answer for a dog run, a back boundary, a garden, a ball field, a utility enclosure or anywhere the job is containment rather than appearance.
It is the wrong answer if what you actually want is privacy. Slats help and they are not the same thing — if you need to not see the neighbours, price cedar or vinyl instead and do not talk yourself into slats because the per-foot number is lower.
Chain link is the floor, not the only option.
If the yard needs a screen rather than a boundary, the money is better spent elsewhere. Compare the six, or have us walk the property.
Get a number on the yard.
Free on-site estimate, usually the same week. We measure the run, count the corners and the gates, and the gauge goes on the sheet.
Rather talk? (814) 555-0143
Free estimate
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