How to Make a Fence
My husband and I got lucky. We got a few hundred feet of welded wire fencing and a bunch of t-posts donated to us. That’s why we were able to build a fence as early as we did. We didn’t have to spend more time saving up money. We were going to build a privacy fence this winter once we had the money, but when in Rome. So how do you build a fence with welded wire fencing and t-posts?
The Build Process
Once you’re sure that’s what you want, figure out exactly where you want the fencing to go. Figure out where the corners are going to be, and measure out how long the whole fence is going to be. You need to know how much material to get. Anywhere the fence begins, ends, or has a corner, you’re going to want to cement a few post into the ground like this:
This is because you’re going to be pulling the fence tight. If you don’t have supported corners, the corner will collapse. Same for the beginning and end. We were using what we had, so we personally didn’t do those corners. But if we make another fence again in the future when we have more money, we’ll definitely make reinforced posts.
While those are drying, you install the t-posts. I recommend to get t-posts that are two feet taller than your fencing; one foot isn’t enough for it to stay super secure. Slam the t-posts into the ground roughly 6-8 feet apart, give or take, as level as possible. If you’re doing more than just a couple hundred feet of fencing, I recommend renting a powered t-post slammer. It’ll save you a lot of time and energy. Also if you don’t have rough hands, it’ll save you a bunch of blisters.
Once your cement is fully dry, it’s time to start with the fence. At the beginning, wrap your fence around the post and connect it to itself, kind of looking like an eye bolt. Also staple it to the post and this will give you an incredibly strong starting point. Pull the fence all the way out straight, a little separated from the t-posts. The best way to pull it tight, if you don’t have an excavator or a backhoe, is to use a comealong attached to a tree or a vehicle if it’s possible, like this:
With two 2×4’s bolted or clamped tight on either side of the fence. You may have to install a whole new post just to have something to pull it tight, if you don’t have anything to attach the come along to. We used ratchet straps like in the picture, but a come along is better for this job.
Pull the fence tight, staple it to the post, and just like at the beginning you’re going to wrap it around and attach it to itself. There are some great youtube videos that go over this if you’re more of a visual learner. The whole process is straightforward, but it will take a lot more time than you anticipate. Once we finished, we also installed landscaping staples to the base to help prevent the bottom from moving and to keep our dogs in.
We also installed a baby gate on one side of the back deck so we can just let our dogs out the back door and they can run free. Now we can work on removing stumps and leaves, and putting in grass, maybe a fire pit. It’s functional now, so it’s time to start making it functional AND beautiful.
Here are some of the things I have on my shopping cart for making this space better and have it ready for all those fall campfires. And super excited for planting grass next year too!
