Mum Saves Over £4000 On Epic 'Dinoland' Garden For Son
- Kellimarie, 33, wanted to create a larger dinosaur-themed space for her son
- She sourced bargains from Facebook Marketplace, which were either cheap or free
- After saving money by applying artificial grass herself the project cost just £222
Plenty of kids out there will be dreaming of walking with dinosaurs, but one mum has managed to make her son’s fantasy come to life by creating his very own Dinoland.
Kellimarie House, 35 from Weston-super-Mare, who is an assistant practitioner for the NHS, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I made a small Dinoland for my son Bryson when he was two as he has always been obsessed with dinosaurs.
‘Back then we made a little square for him with 2 by 3 wood joined together. We painted it and filled it with compost and an upside down plant pot painted black. We sanded it off to give it a volcano effect, and I got herbs for 50p each in Asda. I added glass stones which were recycled from my wedding bowls, and we also collected wood from the beach and woods.
‘He has since grown out of it now that he’s 5, but I soon came up with an idea. My decking area had rotted underneath, giving me a 12 by 12 foot area to play with, so I decided that I was going to make him a bigger Dinoland to play in.’
Some of Kellimarie’s inspiration came from browsing Facebook groups. ‘I saw that people had begun hanging shower curtains up in their gardens for decorative effect, and I thought they must sell dinosaur ones. Fortunately I was able to find some amazing dinosaur shower curtains for just £12 each.’
The rest of the supplies were also cheaply sourced. ‘I collected a load of stones for free off Facebook Marketplace to use as drainage, and I managed to get sand from Marketplace as well for just £20. The rockery and edging stones were from Facebook too, free to collect.
‘The four garden dinosaurs were just £16 from Olive and Sage. They came under a ‘buy two get one free’ deal. Unfortunately some are now out of stock, so I couldn’t purchase them all or I would have! They are great value for money.
‘I bought my two Phoenix palms from B&Q. These were also a fantastic deal, as in most places they are sold for over £30 each. I got mine in a 2 for £14 offer.
‘I created the planters myself by recycling my old decking. This saved more money as I only had to buy the screws.
‘The most expensive part was the grass. I got the Orlando variety from Grass Direct and it cost £160. However, I wasn’t too concerned about that price after I spoke with the lady I collected the stones from off Facebook. She said she had been quoted £4000 for her artificial grass to be applied!
Creating the floor space was Kellimarie’s biggest task. ‘First I cemented in the edging stones, then I filled in the area with stone and levelled it off with sand before I laid down the grass.’
Now Kellimarie has an exciting outdoor space for her son, with over 15 dinosaurs of various sizes roaming the area and a backdrop of even thanks to her shower curtains.
The area also features a collection of rockery, which some of the dinosaurs are climbing, and an egg chair complete with blanket and cushions for relaxing in the sunshine.
There is a selection of herbs growing in a planter to the side, and various plants and bright flowers complete the overall look.
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Kellimarie should be proud of what she’s achieved - what a fantastic space. Any child would love to go out and play here!
‘The savings on laying down artificial grass yourself can be huge, as Kellimarie has proven. Here are my top tips for doing a professional job on your own at home.
‘1. If you need to remove your old lawn and it’s still in good shape, get hold of a sod cutter so you can give it to someone else.
‘2. Make sure the area is properly levelled out. The standard old-fashioned gardening tools are necessary here - a shovel, gloves and wheelbarrow.
‘3. If you’ve having trouble with levelling, try putting down a layer of sand or crushed stone to speed up the process.
‘4. Look into getting some weed control landscape fabric if you are concerned about weeds growing through the lawn, as these can create lumps and bumps after all your hard work levelling it out!
‘5. If your artificial grass does not have a soft and solid base attached, invest in an underlayment in order to ensure the lawn has a porous layer underneath it.
‘6. If you need to lay down multiple strips, ensure all of it is facing the same direction and take care to place each strip directly next to the preceding one.
‘7. Secure your lawn with galvanized nails, also known as lawn spikes. Use a hammer to get them into the ground and make sure none of the metal is exposed.’
Save More With These Discount Codes