Replacing Chain Link with wood

I have a 4 foot chain link fence around my house. I have no privacy from my neighbors behind me, who also have a chain link fence. There is an alley running between our homes.

I would like to put in a 6 foot wood fence to block the lovely view of them peeing in the alleyway when they have parties (which is fairly often). I was wondering how I remove the chain link fence? It's cemented into the ground, right? Or should I just strategically place the wood fence INSIDE the chain link fence, so they see the chain link in front of the wood fence and from inside my yard I can only see the wood fence....

What is the concensus here?

~ Kelly

 

The fence in a fence doesn't sound that good, it doesn't look that good which doesn't seem like a big deal now because it wont affect you but it lowers the overall showing of the home if you ever want to sell it, just something to think about.

If the posts for the chain link are in cement that you cant pull out you can always use a "sawsall" with a steel blade and cut the posts off just above the ground and put the fence above that, but if there is cement there you might not have any way to mount the new fence posts.

If you remove the chain link fence and then cut the posts off about 2-3 feet above the ground you can use some brackets and attach your new posts to the old ones, not that professional and the old posts might not be strong enough to hold your new fence but you can check it out.

One thing to be careful of is that you dont build the fence off your property, when you sell you might have to tear out the fence if the new owners do a survey.

 

I've pulled 8' wooden corner posts with ease using the draft links on my tractor. A Bobcat would probably work too. The only thing is you'd have to figure a way to keep the chain from slipping up the post--maybe a saddle clamp or something you could bolt on good and tight.

 

I pulled some chain link posts a while back with a handyman jack and three peices of 4x4s to stradle the area where the cement and post will come out and set the jack on. I used a chain around the post with a bolt to clamp it tight. I also put a screw in the post to have something for the chain to catch because it tends to slide. Also, soaking the soil around the posts with water the day before really helps.
Rudi

 

Never thought about using my jack for that. Great idea Rudi and cheaper than renting equipment! I think I paid around $50 for mine last year at Orscheln.

 

I,ve personlly didn,t want the trouble of removing the metal posts wrappred with concrete 3'x8".I removed the top rail of the fence.Slid them down the vertical poles.Cut them to the proper height to accept a 6' privacy fence.You're local hardware store will have clamps(braces) to convert the rest with wood.

If your rails don't fit you can also buy poles to slip over,remember the cost effective between time that would take to pull the posts out.

I also cut a slit3or4"down the rail as far as a hacksaw would cut.
Then cut a peice as wide as the pole bracket.Of course the poles aren't wide enough .So you've cut a C out the rail.Spread it and slide it between the brace and the pole.I also bought shorter bolts to make the clamps tighter.The poles don't
look that bad.You can paint them to get a more uniform pole.
Here are other ways to hide them

I've personnaly put a good neighbor fence which is criss crossing the panels so every other panel is facing you.As long as you start with a picket that over laps the pole.

The other simply build a box around the pole,which is talked about on another forum on tihs site.

So a little time,but you will get faster.Just more options for people who are loking for them.