Cheapest type of fence to install

When constructing the wood fence, consider the local laws concerning how high a fence should be and remember that the size and height will determine the amount of lumber, labor, and consequently, the price. Wood fences take some time before a complete fence installation occurs but can last a lifetime.

The cheapest way to create a fence for your home is by getting one made from PVC. Such fences substitute wooden pickets and stakes to offer your protection from the outside world. PVC sleeves improve the stability of wooden posts used as a fence, reducing the cost of material and the labor used. Furthermore, PVC stakes can be attached to crossbars with adhesives and screws.

PVC fencing is highly resistant the elements such as snow, rain, and sunlight, ensuring it serves your home for years.

Wrought iron is a durable and strong fencing material that withstands harsh weather conditions with minimal repairs. Wrought iron fences are popular gothic and centuries-old look creates an aesthetic appeal while offering sturdy security for most homeowners. Relative to other types of fencing, wrought iron repainting and custom make makes it a bit expensive. Besides being cost-friendly, vinyl fences flexibility, strength, and resistance to paint make it an attractive choice for most homeowners.

Some experts argue that vinyl fencing is approximately four times stronger and flexible than wood fences. Vinyl fences are easy to maintain because you can clean graffiti and other stains using soap and water. The long life span and low maintenance expenses make vinyl fences cheaper than other types of fences. Chain link fencing is a cheap fencing type that can serve your home for many years.

The material is highly durable cheap and requires little maintenance. However, chain links are susceptible to rusting and do not offer any privacy to your home. You can grow rapidly growing vines, shrubs, and flowers on the base of the chain link fence to slightly increase privacy. Electric fencing installed by a fence contractor is popularly used to deter human and animal intruders at a low cost. The electric fence has a simple setup with a receiver, transmitters, and several wires strung between upright wooden posts.

This living fence works best in areas with plenty of moisture as willow is a water-loving plant. Here are some instructions.

The ancient art of hedge laying goes back centuries. The basic premise is to find a thick-growing species of shrub or tree, grow a line of them along the desired boundary, and carefully prune and weave them into a fence shape. Over time, the trees will continue to grow. Guided by a careful hedgelayer, the branches will eventually form a formidable, impenetrable, and incredibly long-lasting fence. I first saw the ins-and-outs of this process in the fantastic documentaries Tales from the Green Valley and Edwardian Farm.

In many cases, multiple plants are used in concert to provide a fabulously multiuse structure. Combine holly, hazel, ivy, and bramble, for example, and enjoy the following blessings. In Great Britain, hedges have a longstanding tradition, and some have survived centuries to be actively used today.

Not all traditional European hedge plants grow in our varied American climates. The next three native to America trees, however, have been used with great success. The Osage tree grows dense, strong wood, and the branches bear sharp thorns. The trimmed wood from hedge maintenance has the highest BTU value of any wood, so your living fence can double as a long-lasting source of prime firewood as well. You can buy Osage orange saplings to shave some years off of the process, but if you want a hedge as cheap as possible, take a late-fall drive and collect the bright-green fruit of this bizarre plant yourself.

A winter of fermenting in water-filled buckets will yield a pulpy slurry that is jam-packed with seeds for spring planting. Just be sure to collect from as many different trees as you can to ensure there are viable seeds in your batch.

Also bearing thorns, black locust produces beautiful, edible spring flowers and hard, durable wood. It is not very tolerant of shade, so plan accordingly with your locust hedge placement. Additionally, even though it is a native plant, it is considered invasive in some states so check before you plant. If you do decide to partner up with this useful tree, you can also benefit from the relatively unknown fact that it is a nitrogen fixer that will help improve your soil quality.

Not thorny like Osage or black locust but able to produce an abundance of wood and delicious nuts, hazelnuts are a useful tree to consider for hedge laying.

You can even choose to coppice some of your hazelnut trees to provide ample material for a wattle fence elsewhere, adding to the value of every hazelnut you put in the ground. You may be able to find saplings at a reasonable price from your local department of conservation.

In our state, hazelnuts are less than a dollar per sapling as long as you place your seasonal order in a timely fashion. What cheap fence ideas have you used on your land? Do you swear by one type, or make a patchwork of different methods across your property? What suggestions have I missed? Let me know in the comments below! Great piece of information over here. Corner posts and line posts are more significant than a fence board and cost more.

A fence with multiple corners and little out-of-the-way areas is appealing to the eye, but more costly too. Gates can be useful or decorative, or both. Return to Top. Many fencing companies now have apps available on their websites, where you can plug in your details, and it will spit out an estimated cost of building your fence.

Or you can do it the old-school way—with a tape measure, a pencil, and some graph paper. It would be easier to call and get an estimate from a fence installation company. Always get at least three estimates from three different companies. Any fencing company will give you a free estimate on HomeGuide. Many fencing companies have online estimators or calculators that you can use to plug in your measurements, and they will email you an estimate.

There are apps free available that allow you to draw your fence on your property via Google Earth and the app will also let you know what you need to build a fence. The next cheapest fence to build around your yard would be a chain link fence. The cheapest way to build a privacy fence is with recycled materials. If you know where to look, you can often find low cost or even free materials to build your privacy fence. Consider why you need or want a fence and then look at the different options available.

You might find your needs will be met with a cheaper type of fencing than you initially thought. There is so much information and so many options available when it comes to building a fence that it might be a good idea to approach this project over a few months rather than on a long weekend.

Get all your ducks in a row—measure out your area, get permits, follow HOA guidelines, and study zoning laws first. Once you have a plan, be sure to get at least 3 estimates from local contractors. Having a professional fence installer do the job will be faster and more economical in the long run. Get free estimates. How much will your fencing cost?

Pros and Cons Pros: Affordable and secure. Cons: Not so attractive, can rust, and not a good DIY project. Pros and Cons Pros: Gives privacy, strong and versatile. Cons: Can be expensive, needs yearly maintenance. Pros and Cons Pros: Strong, durable, eco-friendly, easy to install, and private. Cons: Not the best choice for security. Pros and Cons Pros: Easy to install, durable, little to no maintenance. Cons: High initial cost. Pros and Cons Pros: Affordable, decorative, pre-cut panels are easy to use.

Cons: No privacy and does not keep out small animals such as mice. A roll of ft. Pros and Cons Pros: Perfect for containing animals, and more attractive than the barbed wire option. Cons: More difficult to install and maintain.

Pros and Cons Pros: Secure for animals, cheap, lightweight. Cons: Not always secure for humans, can easily be cut, may be dangerous to kids, and unattractive. Pros and Cons Pros: Lightweight, easy to shape and install.

Cons: Not secure or strong. Pros and Cons Pros: Economical and strong. Cons: Can be tricky to install. Pros and Cons Pros: Lightweight, economical and appropriate for a large number of applications.

Cons: Not as durable as wrought iron. One major consideration between the two methods between panels or picket slats is whether you have a lot of contours bumps and dips in your lawn. Whereas, the pre-assembled panels are fixed at 8ft wide and do not allow for the variation, and therefore a tighter tolerance to the slope of your yard.

The picket method is the cheaper fence installation. In lieu of pre-assembled fence panels, you install individual slats pickets one by one. This is also the preferred method for un-level or uneven ground, as you follow the contour of the land more closely.

Keep these measurements uniform throughout the entire fence installation. Lastly, install the horizontal middle rail — directly between in the middle of the top and bottom rails.

They take longer to install, but hold longer than nails. Also, an excellent tool to have on hand is a 4 ft. Level; this will help make sure that you keep the pickets plumb and even the whole way through. Now set your first picket on top of the spacer, level it plumb, and fasten it to the top rail with 2 nails or screws side by side, then making sure it is still plumb, attach it to the bottom rail.

Put two nails or screws through the picket or fence panel and into each railing. Finally, fasten the picket to the middle rail. And also, wood tends to swell and contract depending on the weather. Usually, pressure-treated lumber shrinks as it dries, so you should have a little tolerance for expansion after the wood has dried in the sun for a few weeks. Acclimation to the climate will allow you to keep the picket slats tight, avoid the spacing, and maintain more privacy.

However, to protect your new investment — start to research the best wood finish for your new fence. In almost every case, we recommend a really good transparent wood stain or clear coat finish.

There you have it; now you know how to build a cheap privacy fence in your own backyard. Answer: There are a large number of options when it comes to building the cheapest privacy fence; including height, design, type of privacy fence — panels or pickets, as well as the type of wood to use: Pine, Cedar, Redwood, etc.

Have them estimate the full list of materials and fence cost — two ways:. B With Pickets that you install one-by-one. This way you can choose the best option to match your budget! The height of each picket will also be set accordingly. Finally, plan on a little upkeep and wood fence maintenance. We understand that this may seem obvious for purposes of preserving and maintaining your new fence, but it also displays good manners.

After a while, wooden fence slats can begin to warp, twist, split, crack, and shrink. The bottom line, wood is a difficult material to control, but thankfully there are some ways to mitigate this problem.

Getting pressure-treated wood will help it withstand extreme and varying weather conditions for a lot longer than it would otherwise be able to.