A DIY lover has revealed how she achieved her epic garden transformation – and did everything herself.
Jenna Weir from Scotland decided to transform her lifeless new build plot, achieving a brand-new look with DIY and bargain finds from B&M and Poundland.
Now, four years on from getting the keys to the property, her garden boasts a ‘Scandi chic retreat’ complete with stylish decking, swinging chair and sofa area.
Jenna had been quoted between £7,000 and £15,000 to transform her garden, but by doing the work herself she managed to complete the work for just over £1,000.
Posting on her TikTok account @weir_home, Jenna shared a clip of the amazing renovations, admitting: ‘I can’t believe we managed to do all of this ourselves.’
Now, four years on from getting the keys to the property in Scotland, her garden boasts a ‘Scandi chic retreat’
Jenna Weir says she saved around £10,000 by transforming her garden herself. Pictured before
Jenna described how she managed to achieve the monochrome minimalist look without breaking the bank.
She and her partner Callum carried out all the labour costs themselves, including fitting and painting the decking, adding furniture and decorations.
The couple paid £200 for rolls of grass, and £180 for a new 6ft fence. The decking kit cost £550, but saved on manual costs by installing it themselves.
Speaking to Gardeners World, Jenna said: ‘A lot of my garden decor finds are from B&M and Home Bargains including the fence and decking paint which was from B&M.
‘Our glass solar fence lights were a find from Poundland and our beautiful U-shape garden set was from a business local to me called Modish Furnishings who regularly do sales.’
Describing the process of renovation, she added: ‘When me and my husband moved into our new build property, the soil in our garden wasn’t very good and the ground quickly became filled with weeds, so it needed a lot of TLC before we even started laying out grass.
‘As we didn’t have the finances at the time to start our garden properly, we opted to lay grass all over so we had a place to sit.
Jenna described how she managed to achieve the monochrome minimalist look without breaking the bank
Due to DIY and doing the work themselves, the couple managed to save most of their money for the decking area
‘We kept the original slabs the builder had laid for going in and out the back door and erected a 6ft fence for privacy to replace the 3ft one the builder had originally put in.
‘After having the grass for nearly a year, we then started our decking transformation.
‘The decking was erected at the top of the grass with a white stone border. We then began painting the fences with a stunning Cuprinol natural stone, as well as fitting a ‘green wall’ for more privacy in this area.
‘During the renovation, we discovered we had a dead patch which ran along the side of our patio doors so we replaced this with large white pebbles and topiary balls before finalising the rest of the garden furniture and decor– and I still love the way it turned out!’
Social media users rushed to express admiration for the beautiful new look – and how cost-effective it had been.
They wrote: ‘Looks amazing I can only guess how much you were quoted u’s have done brilliant’;
‘It looks fab!’;
‘Beautiful. Is this real grass?’;
‘Stunning great job’;
Jenna (pictured) felt her garden was lifeless before but now likes to host friends for BBQs and parties
The decking kit cost £550, but saved on manual costs by installing it themselves
She achieved style on a budget, adding a grass plant wall from Amazon, bringing colour back into her garden
Saving room on the essentials meant Jenna was able to customise the garden the way she liked
In the evening, the garden is now illuminated by lights the couple fit themselves
‘180 for a fence is great. the price of wood and timber is eye watering now’;
‘Absolutely love. This has given me so much inspo to do my garden so thank you!’
For the topiary section, Jenna used wooden edgings from Home Bargains for £4.99, pebbles from B&Q and £6.99 topiary balls, also from Home Bargains.
She achieved style on a budget, adding a grass plant wall from Amazon, bringing colour back into her garden.
Now Jenna is able to feel proud when she hosts parties and invites her friends over for a BBQ.
Starting the transformation in 2021, Jenna faced several delays due to Scottish weather.
However, she wanted to ensure that she took her time creating a garden that she loved and taking one step at a time also made her transformation more cost-effective.
A lot of her inspiration came from Instagram, before she began testing the colours of paint she would want.
Due to savvy shopping and DIY, Jenna managed to keep costs down and allocate most of her budget to the decking area.
Social media users rushed to express admiration for the beautiful new look – and how cost-effective it had been
She said: ‘We also have done everything ourselves and saved a fortune on the labour costs, it was just a case of buying the materials needed and allocating the time to do it all.
‘We made the biggest saving on the decking by installing the kit ourselves and then staining it a colour, to have it fitted by professionals or to fit composite decking instead would have cost thousands alone! We have also kept our original slabs and real grass for the time being.
‘Most of our budget went on the decking area, as we wanted a fairly large decking to sit out on and host guests.
‘We opted for white stones to elevate the look of the decking and have dressed it with a luxury rug, hanging egg chair and a modular rattan garden set which can be moved around.’
Even though there were some challenges along the way, Jenna is in love with her garden and how she has seen her ideas come to life and hopes she can add the final touches to her garden in the near future.
‘Make sure you know what you want and what will be the most practical for you too,’ she advised.
‘We live in Scotland so it is rare we get to sit outside without the rain, but when we do, we want to be able to make the most of it and maximise the areas which get the sun most.
‘Take your time and remember you can add gradually over the years too, just because you’ve “finished” doesn’t mean you can’t add new plants, pots and furniture as the shops seem to get better and better every year when it comes to garden decor.’