Chain Link to Privacy with Gate - DIY Chatroom

mtnmchgrl · 11-03-2009, 11:28 PM

My back yard currently has an ugly chain link fence around it. Towards the front, directly in front of the driveway we have a simple gate. We are going to take the front section of fence + gate out in a few weeks when we get a new patio installed (we currently just have a simple walkway; that will be ripped out and a large section of concrete will be poured). While the concrete is being poured, we toyed with switching out the front part of hte fence to privacy for a few reasons. 1) It is really the only piece of the fence that is truly visible from the driveway/road. 2) We are hoping it will deter the dogs from parking when they can't fully see out towards the road. 3) It will give us further privacy.
My husband wants to do a double gate instead of the single chain link one we had. We had our fence professionally installed but we are trying to do this portion of the project by ourselves to save money and i'm not really sure a fence company would do something so small anyway.

I'm not really sure where we need to start. I know where the fence section of Lowes/HD is but I have no ideas of how to actually construct the gate. Any tips for how we should measure and what to buy?

gma2rjc · 11-04-2009, 08:42 AM

I think Lowe's or Home Depot has a book that gives step-by-step directions on fence building.

Allison1888 · 11-04-2009, 10:40 AM

Here's another how to that can help:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2woodfence

My husband did ours at a previous house and it turned out fine, but it does take much longer than you expect. If you're doing a tall fence, see if there's a friend (or your spouse) who can help when you're setting the posts and initially installing it, as they are heavy and awkward to maneuver. Check into how deep you need to set the posts based on your climate-- don't skimp on that part, as it's important for keeping it in place for years to come. Good luck!

mtnmchgrl · 11-04-2009, 10:55 AM

Thanks for replying guys! I will go to Lowes (or HD) tomorrow and check out what they have. I sent that link to my husband for him to peruse also. I don't think he took into consideration about the climate and other things like that. We live in the mountains in NC so it does get cold and that could affect things.