Installing Mesh Fencing up to 1.4 m

The job is priced per linear metre of finished fence. It usually includes running and tensioning the line wires, unrolling the mesh, tensioning it with tension bars and tying it to the wires and posts. Setting the posts, concreting them, fitting struts, gravel boards and gates are normally separate items in the price list. Before you sign a quote, check exactly what the price per metre covers and what will be charged on top.

"Up to 1.4 m" refers to mesh in the usual roll heights, for example around 1.0 m, 1.25 m or 1.4 m. If the mesh sits on top of a gravel board, the total height of the fence is a little more. For the labour, the height of the mesh itself is what counts.

The price list also has installing mesh up to 1.8 m and installing mesh over 3.0 m. Each has its own page and its own price, because the amount of work, the equipment and the risks are different.

• Up to 1.4 m: the whole job is done from the ground, without a ladder. The rolls are lighter, and two people can carry and tension them easily. Three line wires (bottom, middle, top) and shorter posts are usually enough. The fence catches less wind, so the demands on anchoring ends and corners are somewhat lower. It suits gardens, front gardens, boundaries between plots and runs for small animals.
• Up to 1.8 m: a typical perimeter fence for a family house, when you want a fence people cannot simply step over. The mesh is heavier, the top wire is tensioned from a step or low ladder, the posts are longer and set deeper in concrete. The struts and their anchoring must take a greater load.
• Over 3.0 m: sports pitches, playgrounds and ball-stop fences. These need stronger posts, more line wires, work from scaffolding or a platform, a larger crew and proper design for wind loads. It is a different category of work altogether.

How do you decide? Think about what the fence has to do. If it should mark the boundary and keep in children, chickens or a small dog, up to 1.4 m is usually enough. For a larger dog that jumps, or if you want to make it harder to climb over from the street, choose the 1.8 m variant. In practice it often happens that people install a low fence and a year later find the dog clears it. Raising a fence afterwards means new posts, so it pays to think the height through at the start.

The boundary and your neighbour

A boundary fence should follow the boundary as it is legally defined, not an old peg or "where it has always been". If you are not sure where the line runs, have it confirmed by a surveyor. If the fence is shared with a neighbour, agree in advance who pays, which side the posts go on and who will maintain the fence. Putting it in writing saves arguments later.

Permission and local rules

Whether a fence needs permission depends on where it stands, how high it is, whether it faces a road or public footpath, and on local building regulations. Low fences are often exempt, but do not take that for granted. Conservation areas, listed buildings, estate covenants and rules for front boundaries can all apply. Check with your local building authority before you order materials. If you live in a flat or on a managed development, also ask the building management or owners' association, because shared gardens often have their own rules.

Posts and ground

The mesh goes onto posts that are already in place. They must be in line, plumb and firmly set in concrete. The concrete needs time: the wires are usually tensioned only after several days, once it has hardened enough, and in cool weather or depending on the concrete mix this can be about a week. If you tension too early, the end posts lean and the fence loses tension.

You should also have ready:

• A cleared strip along the fence line, free of shrubs, weeds and old mesh
• Struts fitted to the end, corner and gate posts
• Gravel boards in place, if the fence has them
• All materials on site: mesh, line wire, tensioners, tension bars and tie wire or clips
• Access along the whole length of the fence for people carrying rolls of mesh

Chain-link mesh

The most common type. The wires are woven into diamond-shaped meshes, usually around 50 mm. Chain-link is flexible, follows gently uneven ground well and can be tensioned neatly. It comes galvanised or plastic-coated, most often in green or anthracite. Plastic-coated mesh lasts longer, provided the coating is not damaged during installation. For a low fence a thinner wire is often chosen, which is usually adequate for a garden fence.

Welded mesh in rolls

The wires are welded where they cross, and the meshes are rectangular. Welded mesh is stiffer and bends less, but it follows the ground less easily and is harder to tension into a perfectly flat surface. It suits level ground and places where you want smaller openings, for example to keep in poultry or small animals.

Stock fencing

Used for orchards, paddocks and animal enclosures. The openings are smaller near the ground and wider towards the top. It is unusual around a house garden, but on long runs across open ground it makes sense.

The fittings that decide the quality

• Line wires: usually three for heights up to 1.4 m. They carry the mesh, so they should be thicker than the mesh wire and have the same finish.
• Tensioners: ratchet or bolt type, at the ends and corners. They let you tighten the wire again later.
• Tension bar: threaded through the end meshes and fixed to the end post, so the pull is spread over the full height.
• Tie wire or clips: join the mesh to the line wires. They should be the same material as the mesh, so they do not start rusting before it does.
• Struts: on end and corner posts, and on long straight runs also at intervals, usually roughly every 20 to 25 m.

On a typical garden fence the work runs roughly like this:

1. Checking the posts. The crew checks that the posts are in line, plumb and solid. A crooked or loose post is dealt with before tensioning, not afterwards.
2. Running the line wires. The wires run from one end post to the next end or corner post. The bottom wire sits just above the ground or the gravel board, the top wire a few centimetres below the top edge of the mesh, and the middle one roughly halfway. On intermediate posts the wires are hooked into brackets or tied on.
3. Tensioning the wires. The wires are tightened with the tensioners, top first, then bottom and middle. The aim is a firm wire, not an extremely tight one. Too much force bends the end posts even when the struts are good.
4. Fixing the start of the mesh. A tension bar is threaded through the first row of meshes and fixed to the end post along its full height.
5. Unrolling and pre-tensioning the mesh. The mesh is unrolled along the fence, resting against the wires. At the far end it is pulled tight by hand or with a temporary bar and a strap so it does not ripple.
6. Tying to the wires. The mesh is tied to the top wire at least at every intermediate post and at regular intervals between them, then to the middle and bottom wires.
7. Joining rolls. If one roll is not long enough, the next is joined by weaving the edge wire through both, so the join is not visible and does not create a weak spot.
8. Finishing and final tensioning. At the end of the run the mesh is cut to length, the second tension bar is fitted and the whole panel is tightened once more. Cut wire ends are bent inwards so nobody gets scratched.

On level ground with posts ready, a crew of two can usually install several dozen metres of fence in a day. It takes longer with many corners, gates, slopes or a connection to an existing fence. With low mesh there is no ladder to move around, so the work goes faster than on the taller variants.

The price per metre depends mainly on how many awkward spots the fence has and how easy it is to reach. The job is easier with:

• Level ground and long straight runs without interruptions
• Posts set precisely in line, with concrete that has hardened enough
• A clear strip along the fence
• Materials delivered right to where they are needed

The job is harder with:

• Slopes, sudden changes in level and steps, where the mesh has to be adapted
• Many corners, gates and short runs, where the end anchoring is repeated each time
• Dense planting, a hedge or stones right next to the posts
• Removing old mesh and wire, if the crew does it
• Connecting to a neighbour's fence, a wall or a dwarf wall

On a slope, low mesh is usually run parallel to the ground. Chain-link copes with this well and welded mesh less so, so on sloping ground chain-link is usually the safer choice.

• Tensioning too soon after concreting: the end posts lean into the run, the wires slacken and within a few weeks the mesh sags.
• Missing or weak struts: the corner post twists and the fence ripples at the corner. The fix means untying the mesh and tensioning it again.
• Mesh tied only at the posts: "bellies" form between posts, the mesh bulges and is permanently bent when someone leans on it.
• Damaged coating on plastic-coated mesh: rough handling with pliers scrapes off the plastic, the wire starts to corrode and rust spots show after a few years.
• Mixing metals: plain black wire on galvanised mesh rusts and stains everything around it.
• A gap at the bottom: if the bottom wire is too high, a dog or a fox digs underneath. A gravel board or a lower bottom wire solves this.
• Badly joined rolls: if rolls are overlapped instead of woven together, the join is visible and the mesh pulls apart there over time.

Mesh up to 1.4 m is a job a handy homeowner can manage. You work from the ground without a ladder, and with a helper it goes quickly. You will need work gloves, pliers, wire cutters, tensioners and ideally a temporary bar with a strap to pre-tension the mesh. Watch out for wire ends springing back and wear safety glasses while tensioning. If you plan to dig holes for new posts, first check whether any underground services run there. If you suspect a gas pipe, do not dig and contact the gas network operator. If you smell gas, leave the area and call 112 or your local emergency number.

1. Check that the posts are plumb and in line and that the concrete has hardened enough.
2. Clear a strip along the fence of plants and old wire.
3. Fix tensioners to the end and corner posts at the height of the bottom, middle and top wires.
4. Run the line wires, hook them onto the intermediate posts and take up the slack slightly.
5. Tighten the wires with the tensioners, starting with the top one, and keep an eye on whether the end posts move.
6. Thread a tension bar through the end meshes and fix it to the end post.
7. Unroll the mesh along the wires and pre-tension it at the end of the run with a temporary bar.
8. Tie the mesh to the top wire, then to the middle and bottom wires, at regular intervals.
9. When joining rolls, weave the edge wire through the meshes of both rolls.
10. Cut the mesh to length at the end, fit the second tension bar and tighten the panel.
11. Bend cut wire ends inwards and check the tension along the whole length.

After a few weeks, once everything has settled, it is worth tightening the wires slightly at the tensioners.

Walk the whole fence, ideally in daylight. Look along the line from one end, which shows up any ripples clearly. Press gently on the mesh in the middle of a panel: it should give a little and spring back, not stay bent.

• The mesh is evenly tensioned, without ripples or bulges between posts
• The top edge runs in a straight line or follows the ground smoothly
• End and corner posts are plumb and the struts are firm
• The mesh is tied to all three line wires at regular intervals
• The tension bars are fixed along the full height of the mesh
• Roll joins are woven together and do not show as a weak spot
• The coating on plastic-coated mesh and wires is not scraped
• Ties and clips are the same type of metal as the mesh
• There is no gap at the bottom that an animal could get under
• Wire ends are bent in and nothing sticks out
• The site is tidy and offcuts of wire have been taken away