Fencing Basics: The Complete Walkthrough

This guide covers fencing basics, rated a moderate task, typically taking 1–7 days.

Our printable card on fencing basics covers the essentials at a glance — here's the fuller walkthrough, with the reasoning behind each step.

Before the step-by-step detail, here's why this is worth learning in the first place. At a glance, it's rated moderate, with a difficulty of moderate; time of 1–7 days; cost of moderate–high — details that matter more once you're actually planning around them than they do on a first read. The rest of this article works through exactly what each of those means day to day, in more depth than a single printable card has room for, and with the reasoning behind each recommendation rather than just the recommendation itself.

How This Applies Across Property Types

This skill applies whether you're working with a suburban block or a larger rural property, though the scale and specific materials will differ. Where climate or regional conditions change the approach, that's called out in the method above rather than assumed — but as a general rule, Australian conditions (heat, water restrictions in many areas, and UV exposure on materials left outdoors) are worth factoring in even where a source guide doesn't explicitly mention them.

Posts set firm, wire strained tight

Good fencing comes down to two fundamentals: posts set deep and firm enough to resist pressure, and wire or mesh strained tight enough not to sag — skimping on either undermines the whole fence.

What You'll Need

Worth paying attention to:

• Posts (timber, steel, or a mix of strainer and standard posts)
• Wire, mesh, or electric fencing appropriate to what you're containing or excluding
• A post hole digger or auger
• A wire strainer for tensioning

Getting these details right matters more than it might seem — posts (timber, steel, or a mix of strainer and standard posts) A wire strainer for tensioning Treat this list as a routine to build rather than a one-off checklist, and it becomes second nature within a season or two.

How It's Done

Keep these points in mind:

• 1. Plan the line and mark corner and strainer post positions.
• 2. Dig and set corner/strainer posts deep and firm — these bear most of the load.
• 3. Set standard posts along the line at consistent spacing.
• 4. Attach and strain wire or mesh tight between posts.
• 5. Add any specific features needed — electric wire for extra deterrence, buried mesh for digging animals, or gates for access.

Each of these compounds over a season — small misses early tend to show up later — 1. Plan the line and mark corner and strainer post positions. 5. Add any specific features needed — electric wire for extra deterrence, buried mesh for digging animals, or gates for access. Treat this list as a routine to build rather than a one-off checklist, and it becomes second nature within a season or two.

Troubleshooting

Worth paying attention to:

• Fence sagging over time — usually under-strained wire or insufficiently firm strainer posts; re-tension or reinforce posts.
• Animals pushing through or under — check for gaps at ground level; consider a buried skirt of mesh for persistent diggers.
• Posts leaning or loosening — insufficient depth or firming when set; corner and strainer posts especially need to be set deep and well-compacted.
• Electric fence not deterring animals — check the fence is actually earthed and charged correctly; a weak or faulty circuit won't work.

Getting these details right matters more than it might seem — fence sagging over time — usually under-strained wire or insufficiently firm strainer posts; re-tension or reinforce posts. Electric fence not deterring animals — check the fence is actually earthed and charged correctly; a weak or faulty circuit won't work. Treat this list as a routine to build rather than a one-off checklist, and it becomes second nature within a season or two.

Timing and Maintenance

Best time. Any time, though avoiding very wet or frozen ground makes post-hole digging much easier.

Duration. A simple garden fence can be a weekend project; larger paddock fencing takes considerably longer.

Maintenance. Check tension and post condition periodically, especially after storms or ground movement.

Signs of success. A fence that stays taut, upright, and effective at containing or excluding what it was built for, season after season.

Taken together, these are the details that separate a smooth result from a frustrating one.

Tips & variations

A few notes worth having alongside the method above: Building a Chicken Coop, Under-setting corner and strainer posts, which bear the most load, Skimping on wire tension, leading to a sagging fence within a season. These come from the same printable card and are easy to miss on a first read.

Related Guides

A few related guides worth reading alongside this one:

• Building a Chicken Coop
• No-Dig Gardening
• Pruning Basics
• Raised Bed Building

For the condensed printable version, head to the main guide page linked below. If something's already gone wrong, our Troubleshooting Directory indexes common problems by symptom across all 219 guides. As with every guide on this site, this is general information based on our own research and experience, not professional advice — your specific soil, climate, and circumstances will always vary from ours to some degree.

Our Homestead Block Planner is a useful companion to this specific skill.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ View the printable A4 guide for fencing basics