Fencing in the Yard

[fm2176]

When I first moved back to my home, I fenced in a small area behind the house, big enough for the dogs to go outside without having to put on the leashes.  Nothing fancy or permanent, just few pickets and some wire weld fencing, and to be honest I never even finished putting on the fence retainers.  Speaking of which, those were my most recent penny deal at Home Depot.

 

With retirement and disability pay soon to hit, pending updates to the house are imminent, but besides what needs to be inside I really need to fence in a larger area.  Simply put, the part of the yard the dogs regularly access looks the part, with dog toys strewn everywhere, holes dug for long-forgotten chews and bones, and of course pet waste.  

 

My neighbor put a section of privacy fence up when he had his pool installed in 2009, tying into it with twisted wire horse fencing.  I don't know how much it cost, but it was cheaper than chain link and has held up well over the years.  I'm thinking of doing something similar, maybe spanning the side of my house with a privacy fence tying into his, with either wire or chain link surrounding the remainder of my backyard.  I'd say I'm looking at about a half acre; my property is just under an acre with a big front yard.  

 

Does anyone have suggestions or comments as to what type of fencing I should consider?  I like chain link, but besides the cost I always think of how shoddy they can get with lack of maintenance or abuse: rusted, broken or missing pipes, etc.  A full privacy fence is pretty expensive as well and I'll eventually have to deal with warped or broken boards.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone sharing their opinions and/or experiences.