A mum-of-one who had been planning a garden renovation for a long time saved thousands by deciding to get stuck in herself.

Deborah Williamson, from Cumbria, knew the project would be a lot of work, due to the size of her generous garden. 

But after getting a quote for £7,500, the 49-year-old was determined to take the makeover on to keep costs down.

‘I knew I wanted a low maintenance garden, especially as I was diagnosed with degenerative spinal conditions which will require surgery, so this kick started my garden project,’ Deborah tells LatestDeals.co.uk.

The mum decided to break the makeover down into sections. Firstly she sketched up some ideas for the decking, pergola, fire pit, arches and lights. Then, once her ideas were on paper, she wrote down what was needed and the costs, before setting a budget.

Key worker Deborah then got to work sourcing the materials – which was particularly difficult with certain shortages. 

‘The patio was originally going to be wood, but then there was a shortage, so I had a look on Amazon for alternatives. Composite decking tiles caught my eye, so I decided this would be a good option,’ she adds.

‘I paid £33 per box of 12 and used five boxes, but I got a 6% off deal as I was a first time buyer.’

The total cost of this was £155.10. Deborah also saved money on her decking by using shed base boards, which came to £128.45, and membrane at £87.40.

Up next was the pergola, but the mum-of-one managed to bag a discount on this too, getting one down from £350 to £93 with a coupon.

Deborah then upcycled some bits and bobs she already owned, to give them a new lease of life in her garden.

‘The cabana I made was a gazebo that I’d had for over three years,’ she continues.

‘It was sitting in its box in the shed so I decided I’d make it to fit the top decking. I also had some lights that I’d bought and forgot about, plus some ivy which I’d originally bought for another project. 

‘Therefore all I needed was four shower curtains and tie backs. The curtains were £3.99 from Amazon and the four tie backs from B&M were bargains at £1 each – the total was just £20.’

With the garden now taking shape, the key worker decided to raise and level the top part using paving slabs – although this would be the most expensive part of the project.

Gavel and sand from B&Q came in at £36 a tonne – so with 13 tonnes of gravel and three tonnes of sand this came to £576, plus a £30 delivery charge.

She also bought 50 paving slabs which added almost £200 to the overall cost.

After making wooden lights out of free pallets from Facebook Marketplace, Deborah then turned her attention to plants and flowers.

‘I picked up seeds and bulbs which ranged from 25p each to three bags of bulbs for £5. In total, I spent £12.25 on these supplies. I made plans for the plants I want next year with a greenhouse from Wilko which cost just £12,’ she says. 

‘I’ll have a go at growing vegetables in my raised beds which were also made out of the free pallets.’

Following 15 months of hard work, Deborah is now thrilled with her handiwork and loves how her garden looks – particularly at night time. 

In total, the mum spent almost £1,650 – a hefty saving on the original £7,500 quote

She says: ‘If I could have done this project differently I would have started this many years ago and I would have planned for a summer house.

‘However, I now have a gorgeous low maintenance garden to relax, unwind and recuperate in.’

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