Cheap Fencing Ideas

DIY fencing ideas for your home or homestead. Here’s some affordable options to help fence your backyard, fields, garden, and more!

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Sometimes it feels like we’ve tried every kind of fencing on the market. We started with smaller scale fencing at our old house, but since moving to our new home, we’ve done so much experimenting with different types of fencing for our 8 acres property. We need to keep our dog in, keep other farm animals in their respective fields, and keep deer out of the garden.

It has been an ADVENTURE.

I’ve purchased the wrong fencing on multiple occasions… which has ended up costing me more money and time. I discovered that electric fencing works really well for us; I particularly like that I can install it myself in an hour or two.

My husband will tell you that fencing is his LEAST favorite project at this point. “Get all the animals you want, but PLEASE don’t ask me to put up another fence.” Fortunately, I think we have a pretty good idea what we want now.

What is the Cheapest Fencing?

Cheap is relative. The cheapest fence for goats is not the same as the cheapest fencing for keeping deer out of a garden. Some types of fencing don’t last long for their intended use so it’s important to chose the right fence.

For livestock, I have found that electric fencing can be the easiest to install and most affordable option. They tend to respect it and the posts are less prone to damage from large animals rubbing against them.

For a garden, chicken wire can be an affordable way to keep rabbits out. Unfortunately, deer can jump large fences. Some people run clear fishing line around their gardens so that deer run into them, get confused, and avoid the area.

In term of fencing a backyard, I really like these metal fence panels that don’t require digging.

Wire fencing with T posts can work well, depending on your intent. Here’s a video showing some different types of wire fence.

How Can I Save Money on Fencing?

Want to save money? Honestly a big part of the cost of fencing is labor costs. It’s time consuming to do fencing right, and wood prices are fairly high right now. But if you’re willing to dig your post holes by hand or rent the right equipment, you can save a lot of money on labor. Renting a fence post driver can be a HUGE time savings. Just make sure you set aside enough time and get a partner to help you; otherwise you’ll end up spending a lot more in rental costs if you keep the equipment for a month.

Sometimes you can find people who are selling used fencing or fence posts. This can save money, but ensure that you’re buying a quality product that won’t break down quickly. It’s time consuming to install fencing.

I’ve heard some people are able to source used telephone poles from their utility companies to use for fencing. Our local company doesn’t offer them, but this would be a great way to save money.

Can I Install a Fence Myself?

The short answer is YES, you can install a fence yourself. It requires a lot of manual labor, but it’s feasible and a reasonable DIY project. Some fences are easier than others to install. A full panel vertical wood board privacy fence is more complicated than placing portable panels.

In some areas with rocky soil, installing fence posts can be extremely difficult and expensive if you break equipment.

Can You Build a Fence Without Digging Holes?

Yes! One of my favorite fencing options are these “no dig” fence panels; you simple hammer some spikes into the ground, then insert the metal fence post into the hole in the center of the spikes. They go up quick and they look nice.

Do I need a permit to put a fence around my yard?

Depending on your location, you may need a permit to put a fence around your yard. You’ll need to check with local zoning laws, plus check with your HOA if you have one.

If you plan to dig, you need to call Ms. Utility to determine where you can safely place a fence post there. They will come and mark the areas where there are electric, gas, or cable lines under the soil.

How Far Should Fencing Be From the Driveway?

We have electric and cable wires running underground on one side of our driveway which limited how close to the driveway we could place fence posts. We had the choice between putting the fence very close to the driveway or 6-7′ from the edge.

The winning choice was 6-7′ and it feels much less claustrophobic. If you put the fencing too close to the driveway, you have nowhere to pull over if there’s another vehicle coming. You also won’t have anywhere to push snow when plowing.

 

Here are some different fencing projects I’ve done, as well as information on different types of options for fencing. I tend to err on the side of cheaper fencing types; we DIY most of the projects so they need to be relatively easy to complete too.