A fence marks a boundary, adds security and shapes how a property feels. When it comes time to build one, the first fork in the road is whether to do it yourself or bring in a professional. Both are legitimate choices. Which one is right depends on the site, your time and how much risk you want to carry. Here is the honest version, including the errors we most often get called out to fix.
The appeal of doing it yourself
The pull of DIY is real. The obvious draw is cost: with no labour fees, more of the budget goes into materials. There is also the satisfaction of building something with your own hands, and full control over the timeline. You work at your own pace and adjust as you go. For a small, simple boundary on clear, level ground, and if you have done similar work before, a DIY fence can be a rewarding weekend project.
The drawbacks that catch people out
The trouble is that fencing is more demanding than it looks. It is genuinely hard physical work, digging post holes, mixing concrete, wrestling heavy materials, and without the right tools it can overwhelm a first-timer, particularly on a larger run.
The bigger risk is error. A poorly installed fence leans, sags or fails, and the repair or rebuild usually costs more than the original materials. What started as a money-saver becomes a slow, expensive fix. There are legal traps too: build over a boundary or an easement and you can be ordered to remove the fence at your own expense.
The common DIY mistakes, and what they cost
These are the ones we see repeatedly when repairing amateur installs.
Not confirming property lines. Far too many fences end up resting on a neighbour's land or on public property. On public land especially, the fence has to come out at the owner's cost. Have the boundary confirmed by a licensed surveyor before you dig. Property pins go missing and easements are not always visible.
Skipping the underground services check. Water, gas, electricity and comms lines run beneath most properties. Digging blind risks an outage, expensive damage or a genuine safety hazard if you strike a live cable. A professional job handles this as standard preparation before any post goes in.
Post holes that are too shallow. Posts give a fence its structure. Set them too shallow and the whole fence loosens, leans and eventually fails. Depth depends on soil type and fence height, but as a general rule posts should go no less than around 600 mm deep, with concrete footings where the ground is loose or wet.
Anchor posts treated like line posts. The posts at corners, ends and gates carry the tension of the whole fence. They should be larger and set deeper than the line posts. Rush them and the fence sags from the ends in.
Spacing posts too far apart. Wide spacing saves on materials and buys you flexing panels and sagging mesh. Chainwire generally wants a post about every three metres, with diagonal bracing at corners and gate openings. Wind and soil load punish an under-posted fence.
Poor gate placement. A gate put where it is easy to install, rather than where it works, causes endless trouble: gates in low spots that pool water, or too close to trees and driveways. Plan for the traffic through it, measure the swing or slide clearance, and drain the ground beneath it.
Skipping chainwire tensioning. Chainwire looks simple but needs proper tensioning to stay tight and upright. Without straining tools, turnbuckles and the right fittings the mesh goes slack and loses its purpose. Secure the base against lifting and brace the corners.
Our walk-through of the parts of a chainwire fence is a useful primer if you want to understand what each component is doing before you start.
What a professional brings
Hiring a professional buys more than muscle. It buys experience across different materials and ground conditions, the specialised tools that make the job faster and more precise, and familiarity with council rules, permits and standards, so the fence is compliant and stays put. Most professional work also carries a warranty, which is peace of mind you cannot give yourself. On uneven or sloping ground, a tall or high-security fence, or a job on a deadline, the professional route is almost always the better value once you account for avoided mistakes.
A quick way to decide
Ask yourself:
- Do I genuinely have the time for this?
- Do I own or can I affordably hire every tool needed?
- Is the site simple and level, or awkward and sloped?
- Do I understand my boundaries and the local rules?
- Am I confident with heavy physical work and solving problems as they come up?
If most answers are yes, and the fence is small and straightforward, DIY can work. If several are no, or the job is large, high or on tricky ground, a professional will save you money in the long run rather than cost you.
The bottom line
DIY can be satisfying and cheaper up front, but it carries real risk. Professional installation costs more at the start and delivers a stronger, compliant, longer-lasting result with far less chance of an expensive redo. Weigh your site, your time and your appetite for that risk honestly, and the right choice for your project usually becomes clear.