GARDENS aren’t always an easy place to make pretty. They’re often used for storage and, before you know it, they’re disorganised chaos. Thankfully for those who are looking to spruce their outdoor space, one woman has revealed how she completely transformed her backyard with a £7 hula hoop. Dianne Francis, a 56-year-old activities coordinator from […]
GARDENS aren’t always an easy place to make pretty. They’re often used for storage and, before you know it, they’re disorganised chaos.
Thankfully for those who are looking to spruce their outdoor space, one woman has revealed how she completely transformed her backyard with a £7 hula hoop.
Dianne Francis, a 56-year-old activities coordinator from Wales, has revealed how she managed to turn her chaotic garden into a relaxing hideaway.
She told LatestDeals.co.uk that she had the idea to transform the garden after she saw pictures of people’s gardens in a Facebook page called Gardens On A Budget.
“I liked the idea of getting a gazebo but thought it might be too big for my garden. I was happy to find a 2.5 metre one on Amazon which came with net curtains and only cost £200,” she said.
Once Dianne cleared her garden, she had a patio with a gravel border and a path leading from the back door to work with. As all of the walls are white, she made sure to purchase a cream pergola to match the existing colour scheme.
As she lives by the sea, Dianne had to make sure her garden was wind-safe. While windy weather isn’t always ideal for a pergola, her husband figured out a way to secure it.
“My husband clamped three poles to the walls and screwed the fourth pole to a paving slab to secure it. Fortunately, he is quite handy at DIY so we didn’t need any professionals in,” she explained.
“Overall it was pretty easy to do. The next step was for him to put brackets on the wall so the TV could be slotted in. If it rains we can just lift the TV out of the brackets and store it in the shed, which is where it was living before we found it a home. We already had an outdoor plug for our hot tub so it’s waterproof in that respect.”
Dianne used inspiration from the Facebook page as well as her own ideas so that this creation could come to life. She was after somewhere where she could sit in the shade where she could also make use of her old furniture.
The 56-year-old explained that she wanted the space to be used for a variety of activities. On sunny days she wants to be able to sit in the pergola and watch TV or her family can sit out on the table and chairs nearby.
If this isn’t quite what they fancy, her family can also sit in the hot tub to relax, which isn’t covered by the pergola.
Dianne made use of some creative money-saving hacks to decorate the space once the pergola had been erected.
She continued: “I made the light fitting from black tape, ribbon and a child’s hula hoop. I found the idea online and it was simple to create – I entwined fairy lights through them which I already had and hung it on the ceiling of the pergola. All in all the supplies only cost me about £7.”
The other supplies she used were also affordable, as she bought some small Moroccan lamps from Amazon for £10, which she put plastic tea lights in. She also purchased a rug from Home Bargains for £12.99.
“My piece of heaven cost me under £250 and I still have space for the other garden elements I love such as my hot tub, small table and chairs out back,” Dianne added.
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk explained that the hula hoop hack for making chandeliers is quickly becoming a popular choice for gardens.
“All you need is a small hula hoop, a few strings of fairy lights and some tape. If you get the lights from a bargain store then they only need to set you back a couple of pounds,” he said.
“Simply wrap the fairy lights around the hoop and secure with tape in the colour of your choice. Let some of them dangle down in a chandelier style and fix it to the ceiling of your gazebo or pergola. It’s much cheaper – and sturdier – than the light fixtures you can get elsewhere!”
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Here’s how to nab high street brands for a fraction of the price with this simple charity shop hack.
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