Mum Saves £3k On DIY Garden Makeover With Pergola & Play Area
- Martine, 41, wanted to turn her garden into a fun space for adults and kids
- She saved £3000 by building decking and laying turf herself
- The area now comprises seating, a play area and a colourful garden bed
It’s easy for gardens to look neglected or overgrown over time, but with the warmer weather upon us it makes sense to spruce up our spaces.
One savvy mum of 2 decided to do just that - and by going DIY, she managed to save £3k on an ambitious project featuring a pergola and play area.
Martine Thompson, 41 from Bracknell who works as a project manager, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I wanted to make my garden more of an inviting space but I knew I had to do it myself on a tight budget.
‘I knew I wanted a seating area in the sun, and for the garden to be split into an adult area and kids area. I also wanted some plants and a nice lawn.
‘I had seen people doing their own decking using pallets on some of the garden DIY Facebook groups, which is where I got that idea from.
‘When I was planning out the areas, I decided to place the decking in the spaces which generally get the best sunlight.
‘Once I had an idea of what I wanted to achieve, I began shopping for supplies. I got most of what I needed cheaply or second hand. For example, the decking was built with free pallets from the local trading estate.
‘I bought the boards second hand. They cost me £40 from Marketplace. I had to do two trips to get them all home in my car!
‘The wood chip was £40 from a local tree surgeon, and most of the play equipment was second hand from Marketplace.
‘The swingset cost £25 and I painted it to spruce it up. I already had the other bits for my two children.
‘The turf had to be bought from the garden centre and cost £140. The other big spend was the pergola, which was new from Amazon. It was originally £225, but they took £30 off as some of the pieces were damaged.
‘I bought solar lights instead of wired post lights for the low wall. This saved me money as the wired ones were at least £26, but the solar ones were £13 each from Aldi.
‘Finally, I picked up plants and flowers from Lidl and Aldi. They cost between £2 and £9 each.
‘If I had hired professionals to do this project it would have cost me around £3,000 more. For example, I know decking can cost between £1000 and £2000.
‘I have also had new turf laid before, and it cost £2000 for a professional job. I had less than £1000 to play with, so I knew I had to do it myself. In the end I only spent about half of that.
‘The first job was to clear the area. This involved getting rid of a lot of weeds, plus ivy and leaves from the neighbouring trees. This was the hardest part.
‘The lawn wasn’t grass anymore and had instead become moss, which I had to pull out. Plus, as the tree roots ran through the garden, it was quite difficult turning the ground over.
‘The previous owners had a pond some time ago and hadn't really filled it in properly, so I had to level the garden. I used the soil which I had dug up from the decking area and moved it to fill in where the pond had once been.
Next, I separated the garden into different areas, then worked on each area at a time.
‘First I tackled the bedding area, then the play space. After that I laid the turf. The decking came last, before I jet washed the patio areas.
‘To create the playspace, I measured out an area which would fit all of the equipment. I put down a weed membrane which was £25 from Home Bargains.
‘Then I used a log border which came from the same place. They were £5 for a roll of 1.8 metres, and I needed 7 in total. I then laid the woodchip.
‘The decking was created with some old paving slabs that I found. These helped to level the pallets, which I had treated first. I connected them together, before putting the boards around the frame and on top.
‘This project didn’t come without its challenges. It took four weeks overall and I was dealing with lots of thorn splinters, blisters and poor weather. Plus I needed to juggle looking after my two children.
‘I also don’t have direct garden access, so I had to go a long way around to carry supplies in.
‘However now that I am done I’m proud of the hard work I put in. I’m looking forward to many summer days and evenings spent out in this peaceful and pretty space!’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Martine has done really well to save £1000s on this makeover. She has turned a garden which was looking neglected into a stylish space for both herself and her children to enjoy for many years to come.’
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