I've found that Amazon (as well as a few other online retailers, but I have Amazon Prime so free 2 day shipping) has the best prices on hardware cloth. We just built our run and used the 3ftx50ft and it was only $54.99, if I remember correctly. Ended up having to buy an extra 10 ft roll at Rural King to finish up and it was almost $20. It's definitely much more expensive in retail stores, unfortunately.
Walmart online (free ship to store) and Amazon have some of the best online prices, if you purchase it locally around me the best deal besides a clearance deals will be Menards when they run their 11% on all purchases rebate weeks (usually once a month)...
Is it okay to use 1/2 inch hardware cloth instead of 1/4 inch? Smaller on just the bottom? Chicken wire for just the ceiling? (I'm leaning towards no...)
1/2" is fine in most all applications, chicken wire offers little to no large predator protection... It will deter raptors but not climbing or jumping animals like coons...
I used all 1/2" HWC. I think 1/4" would be overkill. I wouldn't go with chicken wire on the top since it would be easy enough for a raccoon to climb up there, chew through the chicken wire and drop down into the run. Welded wire might work if you don't have any predators that are small enough to go through it.
