Savvy DIY family transform their patio under lockdown for under £750

• Clare Clitheroe-Park, 33, renovated her patio alongside her family
• The modern, stylish space is the perfect place for her family to get some fresh air during the lockdown
• Clare bought bargain items from B&M and ebay to add finishing touches

Those of us who are lucky enough to have outside space are enjoying it more than ever thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown that means we need to stay at home.

So one creative family decided to take on a DIY project during the lockdown to transform their patio from an uninspiring space into a stylish outdoor area.

Clare Clitheroe-Park, 33, a support worker for adults with learning disabilities, completed the project alongside her husband Jason, 50, a bricklayer, and their two kids Joshua, seven, and Alexis, 11.

Clare, from Accrington, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "We decided to create a calming space as we have two children and both work full time so we wanted somewhere where we could just chill out and relax at night.

"My husband did the decking and my stepdad did the roof a couple of months ago, but we put in the finishing touches since the lockdown.

“My husband made the flooring by making a frame out of wood for the base to level out the floor then put decking on top. We then painted it with Ronseal dark oak.

"The roof was just a frame made out of wood and corrugated plastic screwed on top and then flash band around the edging to make it watertight.

“When the lockdown started, we were bored and decided to paint this a warm cream colour with masonry paint as we already had this in the shed. Once it had been painted I then decided to go for a neutral classy theme and came across some fab bargains at B&M.

"The sofa set was £200, the hammocks were £9, and the hanging plaques on the wall were between £2 and £4 each.

“The decking was about £350, the roof was £100 and the furniture was £200 - it cost around £750 for everything, including paint and solar lights as well.”

The transformation of the patio was a project that kept the whole family busy during the lockdown, and Clare is delighted with how it turned out.

"We now have huge pride in our garden and love relaxing out there,” she says. “Our children helped paint the walls and loved getting out and helping - we had a brilliant family afternoon and really bonded.

"We now love sitting out there with a glass of wine, music and being able to relax. This was helpful during the lockdown as it kept us and the children both busy and gave us all a family project to do.

“Because it's such a small space, you need to keep it bright and minimal. The hammocks are amazing as we just unhook one side and we have a clip to attach it to so it gives more space.

"Local shops such as B&M, Poundstretcher and Home Bargains have some amazing stuff in at a really cheap price! Amazon and ebay have fantastic bargains which means you can order everything straight to your home without having to go out and break the terms of the lockdown.”

Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Anyone with a garden, balcony or patio will be using it more than ever now that things we used to take for granted like sitting in the park are forbidden.

“If you’ve been looking around your garden and feeling it could do with a refresh, take inspiration from Clare’s renovation and order budget supplies online to pep it up.

“A garden mirror and a lovely furniture set can work wonders - and like Clare, get the whole family involved to create some great memories!"

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