Building a Chain Link Fence

Instructions:

1) Mark the End Posts
Drive a 1x2 stake firmly into the ground, marking each end of the fence line. Drive a small nail into the top of each stake marking what will be the center of the fence posts. Stakes typically project 4 to 6 inches above ground; however, taller stakes may be required for the string to clear low obstructions along the fence line.
Digging the postholes will obliterate all your layout marks. Erect batter boards to make it easy to re-establish them. To build batter boards, drive two stakes about a foot apart, a few feet beyond each corner stake. Connect them with a crosspiece. Stretch mason's twine from crosspiece to crosspiece, positioning it so that it crosses the nail on the corner stakes.

2) Establish a 90-Degree Corner
So that each corner of the fence will form an exact 90-degree angle, lay them out using the 3-4-5 triangulation method.
Begin with the side you have laid out, which has the corners A and B in the drawing. Put a batter board about 12 inches beyond the approximate location of the third corner and another one about 12 inches beyond the opposite corner – corner B in the drawing. String a line from crosspiece to crosspiece so that it crosses the nail in the corner stake at point B. From the same corner stake, measure out 3 (or 6) feet along one string and 4 (or 8) feet along the other, and mark these measurements on the strings.
Have a helper slide the string along the far batter board until the diagonal distance between the marks equals 5 (or 10) feet. Mark the string location on the batter board. Mark the location of the terminal post on the string, hang a plumb bob or use a level to transfer this point to the ground, and drive a stake at this point (C).

3) Establish Additional Corners
To enclose three sides of the property, run a second string out from a batter board at point A, attach it to another batter board, and repeat the above procedure. To form a complete enclosure (fenced on all four sides), drive two batter boards slightly beyond each of the corner locations, adjust the strings until they intersect at 90 degrees at all four corners, then drive stakes where strings intersect.

4) Locate Line Posts Between Corners
Once you've established the fence line with stakes and string, measure the total length of each side from corner to corner. Then, measure and mark the location of the center of each line post along the string, spacing them no farther than 96 inches apart or as specified in the manufacturer's instructions and local building codes. Also establish the placement of the posts for the gate, if any.