I ditched landscapers and saved £1,000 by transforming my tiny, ugly, average garden – I don't care if trolls hate it

The Sun

29-05-2025

A DIY enthusiast has revealed that rather than splashing the cash on getting the landscapers in to sort out her garden, she and her husband did it themselves.
In a bid to cut costs and save money, Hollie Baxter and her partner got to work on a mission to transform their 'small, ugly, average garden '.
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Using bargain buys from Home Bargains and Tile Mountain UK, the stay-at-home mum-of-three, who was pregnant at the time of filming, took to social media to share a before, during and after process of the garden renovation project.
The content creator, who lives in an 'average three bedroom semi-detached home' in the UK and recently gave birth to her third child, a baby boy, explained that she was able to save £1,000 by getting her husband to do the majority of work for her.
Alongside the short clip, the blonde beauty confessed that she isn't bothered by what trolls think of her DIY makeover, as she penned: 'Before the landscaping trolls come for us, we clearly aren't professionals and we CHOSE NOT TO set the slabs in concrete because, have you been here for the last year?
'This garden is forever changing and I wasn't about to make a commitment like that SET IN STONE so sand it is. Also sand is cheap.'
Prior to getting started on the garden project, Hollie said: 'We are on a mission to transform our tiny, ugly, average garden and we got quoted £1,000 to have this done.
'But my budget-friendly answer to that? Make your husband do it.
'Whilst I was doing a lot of belly rubbing and project managing, and being extremely helpful, the husband tried so hard to level out this ridiculously gross garden.'
Alongside clips of her husband hard at work, Hollie added: 'He did a little raking, a little stamping, a little sanding, a little laying - I swooped in at the end and laid those all-important stones and gave them a little clean.'
Showing off the finished result, the influencer beamed: 'There you go, we've saved £1,000 - I'm still not over this transformation and it's not finished yet.'
What was once a very bare garden has since been brightened up, all whilst on a budget.
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Not only is it now a very light and welcoming space, but it's also super trendy and luxe too.
Hollie later confirmed that she bought her white porcelain garden tiles from Tile Mountain UK, while the sleepers were from eDecks.
We've saved £1,000 - I'm still not over this transformation
Hollie Baxter
Meanwhile, to pocket pounds where possible, rather than splashing the cash on pricey stones, Hollie nabbed her Cream Cotswold stones from Home Bargains, for just £4.49 a bag.
To add colour to the space, she also planned Laurels - a type of evergreen plant often used for hedges - which she bought from a local garden centre.
DIY fans beam
The Instagram clip, which was posted under the username @ your_average_home, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 50,200 views.
It's also amassed 564 likes and 50 comments.
DIY fans were gobsmacked by Hollie's purse-friendly project and many eagerly flocked to the comments to express this.
One person said: 'It's looking amazing.'
Another added: 'What a great transformation, it looks brilliant.'
A third commented: 'It looks lovely.'
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in and beamed: 'You guys sure know how to smash a garden transformation.'