A woman decided it was high time to change her dull garden, and she had plenty of ideas on how to turn it into a relaxing space. Unfortunately, the quotes she got were just too expensive for what she had in mind, so she took matters into her own hands.
Not only does her garden look unique, but she could also save more than half the price by doing things her way.
What are the details?
Alex Lawson, 26, from Aberdeen, Scotland, managed to redo her dull garden and saved $8,000 without letting creativity go.
The woman spent months transforming her garden into an amazing outdoor living space, but, in the end, her efforts paid off.
"I moved in September, and the garden was put on the back burner. Before I moved in, I had never even put up shelves, let alone tackled a huge garden project," Alex shared with The Epoch Times.
Once she realized she needed a makeover for the whole garden area, she tried to find out how much that would cost her. So, she started getting quotes, but they all came close to $14,500. At that point, she realized she would have to do it herself. Alex set to work on redoing her garden, and she ended up spending only $6,500.
Alex, who works as an engineer, began her creative project with plenty of excitement, and she kept working on it for more than a year, adding extra bits until she was completely satisfied with the final result.
"I'm a very hard-working and independent person, so I knew for sure I wanted to try to do it myself, and it absolutely paid off," Alex said.
The woman is also a DIY passionate and an interiors blogger. She lives by herself, and as she remade the garden, she focused her whole energy on creating something wonderful.
She did the bulk of the renovation by herself.
"A handyman came in and did the decking, but other than that, it was all me," she added.
Alex spent $4,600 to hire a company and complete the grounds work. After that, she refurnished the patio with a painted stencil design for $80 and added horizontal fencing for $970 by herself.
Alex also kept her costs low by scouting for the best bargains on Facebook Marketplace. She chose the pieces for her outdoor furniture from stores like Aldi, Asda, Home Bargains, or Amazon.
"I added a small bar complete with a champagne bucket and a table that I found on Facebook Marketplace, then a pergola with a hot tub from The Range, a canopy, a seating area that's got a fire pit from Amazon, a lot of lights and decorative pieces. I just waited for offers to come in and got the best deals for things; the hot tub was $492, and the fire pit was $310," she explained.
And it's not like she was experienced in that type of project. The woman simply had a lot of curiosity and energy and felt like redoing the garden would make her smile more. So, she didn't think twice and dived right in. Alex learned her DIY skills by watching videos and tutorials, and she got inspired by several posts on social media.
Working from home also meant extra opportunities to finetune her project.
"I could work from home so that I could get more done, and I had more free time at the weekends," Alex added.
The crafty young woman used to help out her dad with several home improvement projects when she was a kid, but this was the first time she had a project all to herself.
She has since gathered plenty of fans on social media, and she constantly shares tips on buying homes and how to change each different space with her community of 13,000 dedicated followers.
"I'm an Engineer in the energy industry by day & an avid DIY-er at night. I'm a huge cat lover, but I long for the day I can have a little blonde dachshund. It's all go here over the next few months with garden projects, dining benches & a new nursery for friends! Glad to have you here for the journey; I'd love to know more about your next DIY project," is her encouraging message to everyone looking to make their homes or outdoor spaces feel different.
Are you interested in DIY? What would you improve in your home or backyard?
Sources:
https://www.instagram.com/casalawson/
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