HOME upgrades can be costly, but one woman’s workaround helped her keep unwanted guests off of her patio — all without breaking the bank.
Her makeshift renovation wasn’t only within budget, it was quick to accomplish as well.
“[I] was tired of people using my back condo patio as a place to walk through when there’s 100 feet or so of mowed field behind me,” said Redditor Catcatcatcubed.
Catcatcatcubed decided to take matters into her own hands to get her privacy back.
However, the price of fences can be costly and they can take a while to build.
She found a workaround that’s in budget and fits in well with the existing environment.
She purchased a few “cheap but large rectangular planters” and repurposed the rest of the supplies, making it a cheap home renovation.
“I weighed [the planters] down with heavy rocks [and] put leftover potting soil that was gonna go to waste in them,” she said.
Catcatcatcubed gathered “fallen sticks” from around her neighborhood, weaving them together with twine to create “dense bushes.”
Her DIY fence successfully kept strangers off of her property. She called it, “super fast and effective until you can afford something better.”
She eventually upgraded the look of her outdoor home project after finding it effective.
“Later [I] was able to afford dried bamboo poles and actual vine plants that made it look more purposeful,” she said.
Catcatcatcubed also shared a few tips for a successful job.
For the rectangular planters, she recommended getting deep ones.
She included a few necessary supplies to keep the DIY fence from toppling over.
She suggested rebar to stick into the holes of the planter and “small heavy rocks.”
“Or use the planters as a way to build a ‘fence’ (think British-like willow fence),” she added.
She shared yet another way to use the planters.
“Put in those fake hedge mats that you can tie to a frame (remember that some trellises can straddle two planters),” she added.
However, there was one downside to her DIY privacy solution.
“The planters will give the excuse for more height although they’ll also kill the grass,” she said.
She added that some HOAs may not approve, but advised looking at what other neighbors are doing with their outdoor spaces.
