A savvy homeowner has revealed how she transformed her garden on a budget by sourcing wood from sawmills and seeking out cheap flowers on eBay.
Mother-of-three Becca Menzies, 44, from Sussex, transformed the area of ‘scrub land’ into a stunning oasis, complete with beautiful flower borders, pebble paths and a spacious chicken coop.
The hands-on mother kept costs down and managed to complete the project for roughly £1,300 by carrying out the work herself and saving money on everything from tools to materials.
Becca Menzies, 44, from Sussex, has told how she transformed a dull area of scrub land into a pristine garden. Pictured, before the transformation
The savvy homeowner told how she kept the cost of the project to a minimum and spent around £1,300 in total. Pictured, after the renovation
Becca began fencing the area she’d decided would be for her chickens (pictured after), before knocking in the posts and then adding the rails and chicken wire
Becca built the flower beds around the edges first, digging out and turning over, adding soil and planting up the flowers and shrubs (pictured, in her new garden)
‘It was just an area of scrub land previously so it had to be done,’ she said, speaking to money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk. ‘We wanted a garden that offered some privacy as our front garden is next to the road.’
Becca told how she started by clearing the weeds across the whole area, before trimming and mowing it back.
‘I built my flower beds around the edges first, digging out and turning over, adding soil and planting up my flowers and shrubs,’ she said. ‘I then rotavated the L shape around the outside which were to be my pathways.’
‘Once rotavated and levelled, I hammered in the edging for the plant borders and around the edge of where my lawn would go. I slowly shifted the four ton of stones to fill in the paths. Then came rotavating and levelling the area for turfing.’
She went on to say how it took her days and with a really rough area and only a cheap rotavator, it was ‘a labour of love’.
Becca told how she started by clearing the weeds which were across the whole area, before trimming and mowing it back. Pictured, the area of land before the transformation
The thrifty homeowner told how she and her husband both wanted a garden that offered some privacy as the front garden is next to the road. Pictured, after the transformation
Becca told how she achieved the project over the course of a three-week period while her husband was away. Pictured, before the transformation
‘Once done I then raced to lay the turf as it was drying out in the extreme heat of last summer,’ explained Becca. ‘Once laid, the turf needed to be watered regularly.’
‘I then began fencing the area I had decided would be for my chickens. I did this by knocking in the posts and then adding the rails and chicken wire and hung my gate.
‘The chicken sign I made with a wood burning tool – it cost just £20 from Amazon.’
‘I then used old hanging basket chains to link the three plaques together and hang. The small decked area was the last part to complete and my husband did that bit.’
‘We then erected our pool, then it was cue the wine and time to relax!’
Becca sourced the materials as cheaply as possible, using logs to create furniture and buying a rotavator for just £40.
‘I used a cheap £40 rotavator – that was the hard part. I literally started at the left and worked my way across,’ she explained.
‘I made a table using logs from the wood burner for legs, then just off cuts from other wood I used from the garden.
‘All wood was sourced from saw mills as cheaply as possible.
Becca revealed how she sourced the materials as cheaply as possible, using logs to create furniture and buying a rotavator for just £40. Pictured, the garden after the transformation
‘Four tons of 20m stones went into the pathways – they cost £30-a-ton. The log store I made completely myself using the timber I had left – the hardest part was not having anyone to hold the other end of the wood!’
She added: ‘All the plants I bought from eBay or for cheap online and were brought on in a tiny grow house before planting.
The full-time mum (pictured), who has three kids, used old materials and products ordered cheaply online to keep the prices down
‘I did most of this over a three-week period while my hubby was away working and it almost killed me!’
She continued: ‘The chicken area I just fenced with the cheapest timber I could source from the sawmill, and the fencing is also as cheap as possible.
‘We also reused the stone from the wall we knocked through to build a step into the garden, and I upcycled our old chicken shed and made a new one using the old door and roof.’
Savvy Becca is delighted with how her project turned out, and said the hard work made her fall in love with the garden even more.
‘I feel relieved it’s done, and I’m so delighted with how it turned out,’ she enthused. ‘Making something from scratch and investing your blood and tears is so much more rewarding than simply inheriting a garden.’
‘It’s so private and a lovely space for the children. I’m planning on making a little castle for my daughter this summer, besides enjoying a glass of wine while the sun goes down and plenty of dips in our little pool on hot summer days!’
‘My greatest pleasure is watching my plants grow, from the tiny twigs and cuttings I purchased to these magnificent blooms and shrubs that stand just a year on.’
And the thrifty mother says if you’re prepared to put in the hard work, you don’t need expensive heavy equipment.
Becca says she’s ‘delighted’ with the transformation and added: ‘It’s so private and a lovely space for the children.’ Pictured, after the transformation
Savvy Becca went on to say her greatest pleasure now is watching her plants from tiny twigs to magnificent blooms. Pictured, after the transformation
‘I could have hired a rotavator for a weekend at £200 but I persevered with my little £40 job and although it took twice the work and twice the time, I was able to achieve the results you see,’ she explained.
‘Also, shrubs and flowers are ludicrously expensive at garden centres. Hunt around! Facebook Marketplace often has nurseries that will deliver in bulk for a fraction of the price!
‘eBay too is an excellent place to buy bulk offers of mixed plants. Just a small grow house is all you need to bring them on.’
‘Sawmills are a great source for cheap wood – just ring around and get quotes for the cheapest prices.’
The thrifty mum told how she used logs to create furniture and purchased a rotavator at the bargain price of £40 (pictured, after the transformation)
‘Making furniture or chicken houses or log stores yourself can save hundreds of pounds. Regarding fencing, if you’re doing it yourself, dig deep for your supporting posts.’
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, commented: ‘If you haven’t had much gardening or DIY experience, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to overhauling your garden.
‘However, Becca’s garden’s incredible transformation just proves that you can do an outdoor renovation all by yourself, and it needn’t cost the earth! I recommend YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram for DIY tutorials and inspiration.’
Becca revealed she upcycled her old chicken shed and made a new one using the old door and roof (pictured, after the transformation)