An opaque fence around your property is a simple way to protect your privacy from prying eyes or intruders. If you choose the right material, installing the fence yourself requires only basic skills and a reasonable budget. Even a single person can attach colored corrugated sheets to a profile pipe frame.
Advantages of materials
Profiled steel sheet is a strong, durable, and relatively lightweight material. Galvanized steel, coated with several layers of polymers, is reliably protected from corrosion and mechanical damage. The external color coating, with a glossy or matte finish, can be solid or imitate natural materials. Curves in the profiled sheet add a decorative touch and serve as stiffening ribs without adding weight to the structure.
A frame made of profile tubing is impervious to weather conditions, including moisture and temperature fluctuations. It's easy to design and install. Connecting the vertical supports to the cross beams requires only basic welding skills. If welding is not feasible, bolted connections can be used.
Project development
To calculate the amount of material needed for your future fence, you can use one of the ready-made designs published online, or you can develop your own. When doing so, keep the following points in mind:
- the thinner the corrugated sheet, the more supports are needed;
- corrugated sheets with a smaller wave depth are easier to fasten;
- A fence that is too high will require additional supports and fastenings due to wind loads:
- When installing, the sheets must be overlapped by one wave:
- It is better to calculate the rolled metal for gates and wickets separately.
The distance between posts is typically 2-3 meters. For posts, it's best to use square tubing with a wall thickness of at least 3 mm and a cross-section of 50-60 mm. For gates and wickets, a pipe with a cross-section of 80 mm is required. For cross beams, rectangular profile tubing with a cross-section of 50x25, 40x20, or 30x20 mm is more suitable.
Installing the frame
The appearance and stability of the fence depend on the correct installation of the supports. They must be strictly vertical; a plumb line should be used to check the vertical. To prevent corrosion, the metal must be insulated from contact with the soil. To achieve this, a sand and gravel bed is poured into the bottom of the installation pit, and the surrounding space is filled with a concrete and crushed stone mixture after the profile pipe is secured.
Horizontal joists are welded to the posts on the sides or attached end-to-end from the outside using welding or bolts. When bolted, the joists rest on a support—a ready-made bracket or a small piece of angle iron of a suitable size.
After assembly, the frame should be cleaned of scale and painted to protect against corrosion. If the frame was assembled without welding, the joints should be especially carefully coated. To mark and align the horizontal crossbars, stretch a string and check it with a level.
Installation of corrugated sheets
To secure corrugated sheets to a metal frame, self-tapping screws with washers or rivets are best, placed on the concave parts of the sheet for the tightest fit. To ensure a strong and rigid connection, don't space the fasteners too far apart—it's best to space them every other wave of the sheet. If the fence is tall—2 meters or more—the fasteners should be staggered on two joists, alternating the wave patterns.
The most critical step in installing corrugated sheets is installing the first sheet. It must be secured strictly vertically, as this determines the position of all subsequent sheets. Each subsequent sheet overlaps the previous one with the first wave of relief, and the joints do not necessarily align with the posts.
The wicket and gate are manufactured separately. First, the frame is welded according to the drawing, and the hinges and corrugated sheet metal are attached to it. All panels must be checked for squareness by measuring the diagonals, which should be identical within each frame and for symmetrical parts. It is also best to use welded joints to attach the hinges to the support posts.
Corrugated sheets and profile pipes are not the cheapest materials for DIY fencing and enclosures. However, their strength, aesthetic appeal, and long service life—up to several decades—make them more cost-effective than more budget-friendly materials. All design and installation stages are within the capabilities of anyone with minimal engineering skills.