Deirdre O Meara 
A couple from York has shared their DIY garden renovation on TikTok, which has gone viral, gaining 763,900 views, 18.1k likes, 495 comments, and 1,005 shares. Lauren Jackson, a 30-year-old dental nurse, and her husband were quoted between £5,000-£7,000 by various landscapers to create their garden. However, as new homeowners, they couldn’t afford that and decided to do it themselves with a helping hand. The couple saved themselves £2,250 by ripping up their dull new build garden and giving it the ultimate glow up.
Lauren documented each stage of the process on TikTok, sharing the step-by-step process of her garden overhaul. In the clip, Lauren’s partner began by digging, saying goodbye to their old patio. Once the patio had been ripped up, Lauren added, “Prep all done for the new patio to be laid.” As the patio was being installed, Lauren continued, “First row of porcelain tiles going down.” The couple mapped out the curve for the patio to really wow with their garden. She explained, “The scary part, time to cut it to shape.” Once this was done, Lauren shared, “Charcoal bricks placed as a border.”
Following this, the couple had their striped turf delivered and laid. At the end of the clip, Lauren shared a variety of pictures of her garden glow up, saying, “The (nearly!) finished result. This cost £2,750, saving us at least £2,250.” Lauren later revealed, “I didn’t do a great deal myself – I helped digging and rubbish removal, but my husband did near enough everything apart from laying the new patio.”
Social media users were left open-mouthed at the couple’s DIY work, and many claimed that they would be better than a professional landscaper. One person said, “Done a better job than most landscapers.” Another added, “Fantastic that! Been landscaping 6 years and that’s fantastic. Put a lot of landscapers out of business.” Whilst a third commented, “You’ve done amazing!! 10/10.” Another user posted, “You smashed it, looks great, love the patio edge blocks.”
Lauren’s clip has clearly impressed many, and it shows how people can save a significant amount of money by doing things themselves. The couple’s DIY renovation is a testament to the fact that with a little creativity, hard work, and some help, people can create their dream garden on a budget.
