San Antonio Expert Fence builds galvanized and black vinyl-coated chain link fences and gates for homes in San Antonio and the cities around it, to close off a yard without blocking the view.
San Antonio Expert Fence spells out four parts of every chain link price, because they decide which fence you're actually getting: the thickness of the wire, the size of the diamonds in the mesh, the weight of the posts, and whether the steel is plain galvanized or coated in black vinyl. Two chain link quotes for the same yard can look alike on paper and still be for quite different fences, so we tell you what each part gets you.
Chain link is a practical fence. It helps keep a dog or the kids in the back yard, it fences a long property line without walling the yard in, and you can still see across it. Whether that open look suits your yard is the first thing to settle, and if you'd like a bit more screening, you can get it without giving up on chain link.
Chain link looks simple, and it is, but a few parts decide how stiff the fence feels when you lean on it and how well it keeps its shape over the years. These are the words you'll see on a chain link price, in plain terms.
Gauge is the thickness of the wire, and the numbers run backward: the lower the gauge, the thicker the wire. So 9-gauge wire is heavier than 11-gauge. For a home, the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute recommends 11½-gauge wire for a fence 3 to 5 feet tall and 11-gauge for one 6 feet or taller. Those are the industry's recommendations rather than city rules, and heavier 9-gauge wire is there if you want a stiffer fence. On vinyl-coated chain link, the gauge is measured on the steel inside the coating, so the plastic doesn't make the wire sound heavier than it is.
Mesh size is the width of each diamond, measured as the gap between two parallel wires. As a general rule, the smaller the diamond, the stronger the fence. For a home fence, the manufacturers recommend diamonds no larger than 2⅛ inches at 3 to 5 feet tall, and no larger than 2 inches at 6 feet and up.
The posts at the ends, at the corners and on either side of a gate do the heavy work, because the mesh pulls against them. The industry's guidance makes those posts generally a size larger than the ones in between. The line posts along the run hold the mesh up, and the same guidance spaces them no more than 10 feet apart.
The top of the fence is finished one of two ways: with a pipe rail running along the top, or with a heavy wire run from end to end. A top rail gives the fence a firmer, more finished edge. The industry's own drawings show a wire along the bottom of the mesh either way, which keeps the bottom from hanging loose.
Along the top and bottom, the wire ends are either twisted together or bent back into loops, which the trade calls knuckled. The manufacturers say a home fence should be knuckled at the top and the bottom, and with kids and dogs along the fence, that's the finish we ask for.
The two finishes you'll be choosing between look quite different in a yard, and the difference is all on the outside of the wire.
Galvanized chain link is steel wire coated in zinc, which gives it that bright silver look. Vinyl-coated chain link starts with the same kind of metal-coated wire, zinc or aluminum, and adds a plastic jacket over it. The coating comes in black, green and brown.
Bright galvanized wire catches the light, so it reads as a fence from across the yard. Black mesh blends in against a lawn and trees, and the yard looks more open with the fence less noticeable in it. If the fence runs along a part of the yard you look at every day, that can make the coated fence worth the extra. For a back line behind the shed, where looks matter less, plain galvanized keeps the cost down. The coating also gives the wire a smoother feel to the hand than bare galvanized.
The manufacturers' institute says color coatings should be UV stable so they don't fade, which is worth asking about for a fence that sits in full sun. Coatings also come in more than one grade. Some are bonded to the wire underneath, and some are simply put on over it. When we price a coated fence for you, we'll tell you which kind it is.
If you like chain link but want some screening from the neighbors, privacy slats are strips that fit into the mesh to fill in the diamonds. They come in a range of styles and colors, and they go into galvanized or coated chain link alike.
These are typical installed costs at Texas prices for chain link fences and gates around a home.
| Item | Typical price | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Chain link fence, 4–5 ft galvanized | $13–$23 | per linear foot installed |
| Chain link fence, 6 ft galvanized | $15–$25 | per linear foot installed |
| Black vinyl-coated chain link | $18–$31 | per linear foot installed |
| Chain link walk gate | $90–$390 | each, installed |
| Chain link double swing gate | $170–$490 | each, installed |
| Old fence removal | $3–$4.75 | per linear foot |
The galvanized rows are plain silver chain link at each height. The black vinyl-coated row doesn't name a height. Privacy slats aren't in the table; they're priced separately, once we know how much of the fence you'd like screened. Try the cost calculator.
If you're fencing for a dog, chain link is a sound choice, and the manufacturers' institute recommends it for the back yard to better control pets and protect children. It's strong, it lets you see the dog from the house, and it lets the breeze through. On its own, it won't screen anything. The American Kennel Club points out that chain link adds no privacy, so a dog that reacts to people walking past will still see them.
For a dog that digs, the AKC says chain link needs a barrier along the bottom to stop the dog digging out, and for any fence it suggests burying strips of metal, cement or large rocks below the fence line. The wire along the bottom of the mesh isn't a dig barrier by itself. If your dog is a digger, tell us, and we'll plan the bottom of the fence around it.
The AKC also notes that jumpers and climbers may use the links in the fence to get up and over. A climber changes how we lay out the fence, and that's much easier to plan for before the fence goes up than to fix after the dog has found its way out.
A broken piece of chain link can cut a dog, the AKC warns, so a fence that stays whole matters more with a dog that hits it hard. One price guide suggests heavier wire for dogs, and if you have a large dog that jumps up on the fence or leans its weight into it, heavier wire is worth pricing alongside the standard kind.
Send the form with where the fence would run and who it needs to keep in, whether that's a dog, the kids or nobody in particular, and we'll call you back to set a time to come out.
We measure the fence line, mark the corners and the gate openings, and note anything along the way, like a slope, a pool or a neighbor's fence the new one will meet.
We go over the wire, the mesh, galvanized or coated, and the height with you, inside what your city allows.
You get one price for the fence, the gates and taking out any old fence, and nothing is ordered until you've said yes.
Once the permit is in hand, the posts go in, and the mesh is stretched onto them after they've set.
We check the mesh, the ties and the fittings along the whole fence, and we look it over with you before we call it done.
Chain link is on the city's list of fence materials, so in an ordinary back yard it's held to the same rules as any other fence. A few situations bring rules of their own, and these are the ones that come up with chain link.
Out front, a solid fence stops at 3 feet, and an open fence like chain link can go up to 5. The city's own permit FAQ even uses a 5-foot chain link fence as its example.
If your home is in one of San Antonio's historic districts, the city's historic preservation office has a fences guide, and it says chain link should be avoided. An existing chain link fence on a historic property can be replaced with a fitting fence, but not rebuilt or extended. If that's your street, we'll go through the fence types the guide does name with you before you settle on anything.
Around a house pool, the city allows chain link as the pool barrier, and one of its rules for it is that the openings be no bigger than a 1¾-inch square. The diamonds in ordinary home chain link are bigger than that, so a standard back-yard chain link fence doesn't meet the pool rule as it comes. If the fence you're planning will close off a pool, mention it at the start, so the fence is right from the first roll.
The city doesn't allow barbed wire on a home fence, so it isn't something we'll add to yours.
If the fence is for a business rather than a home, it goes through a different city application, with its own height table. That's all on our commercial fencing page.
The length of the fence comes first, because chain link is priced by the foot. After that it's the height, the finish and the gates. Black vinyl-coated mesh costs more than plain galvanized, heavier wire and smaller diamonds cost more than the standard kind, and each gate is priced on top of the fence. If an old fence has to come out first, that's priced by the foot as well. Once we've measured your yard, you'll have a price for your own fence.
Galvanized chain link holds off rust with its zinc coating, but scratches and everyday wear can let rust start in time. A vinyl coating adds a layer over the metal-coated wire, and the manufacturers say the color coating helps keep the fence from rusting, though the plastic itself can break down or tear eventually. Over the long run, vinyl-coated chain link generally outlasts plain galvanized.
Six feet along the sides and back, which is also the tallest galvanized row in the price table. Some lots can go to 8, like one with an alley along the back line, or a pool in your yard or the one next door. The nearby cities set their own heights.
Yes, for a new chain link fence, the same as any other material, and for replacing more than a quarter of one that's already up. When we build your fence, the permit is part of the job.
Yes. Texas law lets an HOA regulate the type of fence, so yours may allow chain link, limit where it goes or set its color. Your HOA's rules and the city's both apply. If your board wants to see the fence first, we can give them a drawing with the wire, the posts and the finish spelled out.
A walk gate is sized for people, a wheelbarrow and a push mower going in and out. A double swing gate has two halves that open from the middle, which gives you a wide opening for a riding mower, a trailer or a car. If there's a chance you'll want to get something big into the back yard, it's simpler to put the double gate in with the fence than to cut one in later.
We take chain link fence jobs in San Antonio and in the nearby cities below. Those cities write their own fence rules, and they don't always match San Antonio's, so if your home is in one of them, the fence is planned to that city's rules.
If you know roughly how far the fence needs to run and who it has to keep in, that's enough for us to start. Send it along, and we'll be in touch about seeing the yard.
San Antonio Expert Fence is a fence company in San Antonio, Texas, for homes, businesses and HOAs. We repair fences and build new ones, and every job starts with a free visit and a written price.
Each city around San Antonio writes its own fence rules, and we plan every fence to the ones where your home is.
