Mum creates amazing outdoor area in just two weeks on a budget

• Rochelle Dare, 31, totally transformed her outdoor area in two weeks
• Rochelle used leftover home renovation materials such as weatherboards, oak timber and recycled windows to upcycle the area
• She completed the project for around £1,000, a huge saving on hiring contractors

If you have a garden that needs a bit of extra attention, take inspiration from this stunning outdoor renovation.

Rochelle and Walter Dare, both 31, decided to spruce up their outdoor area, taking the job on themselves to save money just before Christmas to have a beautiful space for hosting before the festive season.

Rochelle, a graphic designer who lives in Tasmania, Australia, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "My husband and I came up with the idea to close the space in by using recycled weather boards from our recent house renovation.

"We then wanted to keep it open and airy and not put a roof on so we decided to use sheets of lattice for the roof and one wall to make it feel closed in but still have air flow. Eventually we want to grow olive vines through the lattice.

"Believe it or not, it took us only two weeks to complete as we were on a deadline to host Christmas dinner. All that was there originally was the brick pavers.”

Rochelle and Walter, who are parents to a two-year-old daughter, said that they spent around $2,000 (around £1,054) transforming their outdoor area, but added that it would have cost them a lot more if they hadn’t done it themselves.

"The materials used were a mix of recycled timber and windows from our renovation and new materials,” Rochelle adds. "The lattice took a full day to paint and all up we went though about 25 litres of white paint!

"We used left over Tas Oak timber floorboards to make the tabletop and a lot of the styling pieces, like the ladder and day bed, are hand me downs from family.

"Once we had the design planned, the first step was to dig the holes for the posts to hold the pergola up. Once the poles and rafters were in place it was just a matter of attaching the lattice and the timber to make the arches and bringing it all together with the weather board surround.

"Once it was all painted it was a matter of putting up the ladder, weaving fairy and festoon lights though the rungs and putting the plants and furniture in place. Once the heavy work was done it all came together pretty quickly in terms of styling. The fireplace was picked up second hand on Gumtree!

"The total cost would have been just over $2,000,” adds Rochelle. “We saved a lot of money on trades by doing the labour and painting ourselves. We felt very proud once it was completed as we did it all ourselves and we have spent so much time in the space already because we love it so much!”

Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, says: “The summer might seem very far away now we’re in freezing January, but Rochelle’s amazing summer garden renovation tips are making me wish for balmy May days even more. The transformation of before and after is just amazing - she should be very proud of her hard work, as anyone would be lucky to have a lovely outdoor area like this!"

Rochelle’s top tips:

• Pre-paint the lattice before putting it up. We used a spray gun from our local hardware store which made it much easier.
• Make sure your posts that hold the structure are solid and square, that way everything else should fall into place nicely.
• Don’t be afraid to use recycled timber, especially if you are painting it!
• Olive and lemon trees are affordable and look great in any outdoor space!
• Add some sort of straw mulch on top of the soil on all your potted plants to tie them all in and give a country cottage feel.
• Don’t be scared of a few days' hard tiring work! It will all pay off in the end!

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