A garden fence can quickly transform your backyard from a sterile eyesore into a backyard oasis where you and your family can enjoy the spring, summer and fall in style. The great thing is you don’t have to break the bank to do it – there are many inexpensive options to choose from that anyone with a little bit of basic DIY ability can do themselves.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to surround your entire property or you just want to grow a vegetable garden that’s protected from unwanted visitors, the ideas we’ll cover in this article can be applied in both circumstances. Here are our top 10 simple DIY garden fence ideas.
1. Split Rail Fence
A split rail fence is one of the simplest garden fence ideas for anyone with basic DIY experience, or even for the novice that’s willing to do a little bit of research first. If you happen to have a pile of old logs on your property you can repurpose them for the project. You start with the support posts dug into the ground and secured in post holes – reinforcing them with a concrete base is a great idea as well.
Each rail is then secured into the post using simple slots carved into the post. You can also use cross-sections for extra support is pictured in the image above, although these aren’t necessary. If you don’t have a ready supply of old logs, they can also be purchased at your local lumber supplier.
2. Covered Chain Link Fence
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones that take advantage of using the tools already available to you. If you already have an existing chainlink fence in place and you want an easy garden fence that also offers some privacy, you don’t have to tear out your old chain link fence and replace it. Many major hardware stores and online retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and Wayfair sell privacy mesh in rolls that you can simply attach to your existing chainlink fence with ties.
This is the kind of project anyone can do without any special skillset or any special tools. Even better, it’s a project that you can complete in an hour or two and then you can sit back and admire your work in your now private backyard.
3. Wire Fence With Wooden Frame
If your reason for building a fence is more about keeping critters out than worrying about who can see inside your yard we have a simple garden fence idea that’s perfect for you. The option we’re talking about is a wire fence with a wooden frame. You can use basic logs like those in the picture above and then simply fasten wire mesh along the poles using a staple gun.
The wire mesh is widely available at home improvement stores in a variety of styles and you can use basic chicken wire as well to save a bit more money. These simple fence systems require few tools and basic building knowledge and they’re highly effective at keeping local wildlife away from your veggie garden.
4. Inexpensive Pallet Fence
If you are interested in DIY projects, there’s a good chance you’ve seen old pallets used in a variety of innovative ways. There aren’t many easy garden fence ideas that are simpler to build than a basic pallet fence. The best part is you can often find old pallets available for free in your area with a simple internet search and all you have to do is pick them up.
Once you have your pallets the only thing you’ll have to spend a bit of money on is the purchase of some lumber for the posts that you’ll insert through the pallets, into the ground, so that the fence has stability. This project shouldn’t take you more than a few hours to complete and the end result will be pleasing to the eye. Consider adding a nice stain to the pallets to further enhance the look.
5. Classic Farm Style Wooden Fence
If you’ve done any travelling in rural areas then you’re probably familiar with the classic farm style wooden fence. These fences may help keep cattle penned in, but they don’t offer any privacy and they aren’t an effective barrier against most animals. What they do provide is an eye catching way to fence off your property and make your yard one of the nicest looking properties around.
This is another project that can be completed with old logs and a few fence posts purchased at your favorite home improvement store. Each cross-section can simply lay in slots attached to the posts – they don’t have to be nailed in.
6. Bamboo Fence
Bamboo fencing is one of the simplest options for a DIY garden fence and it’s also one of the most appealing. If you have an old fence in place such as a rusty old chainlink property divider, bamboo rolls can easily be attached to the fence to provide privacy and spruce up the look of your backyard.
If there isn’t an existing fence you will need to create a frame with posts and cross-sections for support to tie the bamboo too – it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just make sure the posts are secured in the ground. Bamboo fencing is widely available at both bricks and mortar stores and online retailers.
7. Galvanized Corrugated Metal Sheet Privacy Fence
Another great way to make your yard more private by modifying an existing fence is by using sheets of galvanized corrugated metal. These can easily be attached to existing wooden fences and chain link ones as well. You can also start from scratch if there isn’t a fence in the area you want to enclose yet, by building a basic wooden frame first with posts and cross sections and then attaching the corrugated metal sheets to the frame to provide the privacy you’re looking for. It creates a modern-looking decor in your backyard and it will impress your neighbors and friends when they stop by for a visit.
8. Simple Wooden Framed Lattice Fence
A simple wooden framed lattice fence is one of the easiest to construct in our entire list, but it makes for a beautiful addition to your yard. You can create a full-frame structure, or simply attach the lattice directly to your posts on either side to make sure the fence looks just as good on either side. The only drawback to this latter approach is that you may need to replace the lattice sections every few years as there’s no actual support other than the posts. Either way, you can be sure you’ll have a nice fence to admire and a lot more privacy than you had before.
9. Wooden Wattle Fencing
A wooden wattle fence is one of the most unique fence ideas we’ve come across. It’s not a new concept as rural communities around the globe have been building them for thousands of years, but they haven’t lost any of their appeal. Best of all you can build one without any extra expense if you happen to live in a rural area with access to some larger logs for the posts and some green branches to weave through them you have everything you need – no tools are required.
The posts need to be within 2 or 3 feet of each other and then the branches or simply bent and woven around them in overlapping sections. The finished effect is stunning and incredibly sturdy if built properly. This may not be the best choice though if you don’t have ready access to the materials needed.
10. Classic White Picket Fence
The classic white picket fence has never really lost its appeal and it isn’t difficult to build for someone with some basic DIY skills. The example above uses pickets of varying sizes for a nice effect, but you can use the same size pickets all along your fence if you want to keep things simple.
Your picket fence starts with posts secured into the ground, followed by cross-sections on the top and bottom and then you simply attach the pickets with nails evenly spaced along the cross-sections. Most homeowners like their pickets fences about waste high, but you can adjust the height to suit your own desired height.
Enjoying Your Handywork
The simple garden fence ideas we’ve tackled above offer a variety of different ways to transform the look of your garden, add privacy to your backyard or simply keep the pests out of your veggie garden. They’re inexpensive and they don’t require a lot of previous fence building experience ahead of time. Most of them can be built in a single afternoon, depending on the available free time you have to dedicate to the project.
If you’ve been holding off building that new fence because of cost or because you weren’t confident that you could build it by yourself, hopefully, these examples have given you the ideas you need to finally build that perfect new fence for your garden.
