A mother saved £50,000 by taking on a major garden renovation herself. Charlotte Syeda-Aguirre, 36, managed to complete the makeover for £10,509, a fraction of the £60,000 quoted by professional landscapers.
Transformation begins
When Charlotte and her family moved into their home in Lambeth, Greater London, in May 2024, the garden was a significant drawback. With a crumbling patio, a mud-covered lawn, and hazardous steps, the space was unsuitable for their two young children, six-year-old Ruben and five-year-old Marla.
The transformation began in February 2025 and spanned five months. Charlotte and her husband Tomal, 37, drew inspiration from Pinterest to design a cosy, courtyard-style retreat for their two-bedroom terraced home.
DIY approach
Faced with limited space for machinery or skips, the couple manually excavated the garden and moved soil in bags to collection points. While they handled the bulk of the manual labour, they invested £6,400 in professional help for the paving and retaining walls.
The renovation was finalised in July 2025. Looking ahead, they intend to start a loft conversion this September to expand their home into a four-bedroom property.
Hard work pays off
Charlotte, who works in digital marketing, said: "We thought if we had £60,000 we would be doing an extension, not a garden. It just was not possible. Anyone can dig, it just takes a long time."
"The kids were out there digging with us, and we just dug and dug and dug for months and months. I wouldn’t do it again. Everything felt dirty and messy, constantly carrying bags through the house."
"It was really hard on our backs. After all the hard work, I absolutely love it. Before it felt really unloved and not usable, and now hosting garden parties is my favourite thing. It’s made such a difference to the way we live."
Cost-effective choices
The couple began by levelling the garden for the patio before tackling the walls and fencing. They received new plants from family, used paint donated by Wood Finish Direct, and only spent £45 to create a four-meter planter – saving them hundreds.
"I didn't learn to make the planters from anywhere as such, it was a trust the process DIY and luckily it paid off. I knew roughly how to make a box and just adjusted the measurements and style to fit," Charlotte says.
Finishing before the birthday
Their daughter Marla's fourth birthday party was coming up in early July, so they had extra motivation to finish. Charlotte said: "My husband would be out there in the dark with a head torch on, just shovelling mud. We were just so determined to get it done and we finished it three days before her birthday and we then had a nice garden party."
"We got some professionals in to build the retaining walls because we needed them to be safe. If you feel completely out of your depth, it’s a good time to get someone in. 90% of the time, we’ve been able to do it ourselves."
Joy and pride
The joy the garden has brought the family is endless, Charlotte says. "The striped planter with the discoball makes me very happy when I look out into the garden. The discoball was from facebook marketplace, which was such a great find. Our garden furniture is from Cult Furniture and our solar lights are from Amazon", she added.
"[Our friends and family] can't believe we did the bulk ourselves and how much of a difference it has made not having the garden in two levels. It feels so lovely when you hear nice things about something you have worked so hard on."
Cost breakdown
Digging out (skips, rubble sacks, tools, extra hands): £1,070. Materials (paving slabs, grout, builders sand, cement, thermalite blocks, PVA, ballast, timber, fence panels): £2,797. Drainage (manhole cover, drain channel): £242. Labour costs (digging out, paving, retaining walls, fencing): £6,400. Total: £10,509.
