Latest news with #gardenmakeover
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
I transformed my council house garden into an extra parking space to help neighbours but people pointed out same issue
A DAD-OF-12 has revealed his freebie garden makeover after converting it into an extra parking space - all to stay on his neighbours' good side. Ben, 50, and Zoe Sullivan, 46, and their bumper brood make up one of Scotland's biggest families. 4 The pair are parents to Elizabeth, 20, Olivia, 18, Noah, 15, Eva, 13, Toby, 12, Agnes, seven, Joseph, six, Flo, three, and two sets of twins, Charlotte and Isabelle, 17, and Leah and Erin, nine. They live in a six-bedroom council house in Burghead, Moray, where they regularly document their hectic lives on their YouTube channel. After buying a Fiat 500 as a "runaround car" for their eldest daughters, the couple were worried they were taking too much on-street parking away from their neighbours They already have two people carriers for ferrying around the whole family on day trips and holidays, and only had room for one car in their driveway. And they feared that having two cars parked on the street could create an issue. Ben said: "Since the girls have now got their car, the issue with parking is raising its head. "We don't want to take the mickey. We don't want to take up too much space outside because obviously it's a cul-de-sac. "There's lots of houses and most homes these days have cars and some two cars and it's just creating a bit of a traffic jam out there. "What we don't want to do is just to overtake an entire road with cars." As a solution, they decided to sacrifice their spare front garden space and converted it into another parking spot instead. I'm fuming after nosy neighbours left note on my car asking my 'plans for parking', despite having a four-car driveway Ben said the decision "improves curb appeal and makes their council home more functional". In a recent video, he documented his one-day transformation of the front garden - and it didn't cost a penny. Alongside sons Noah and Toby, Ben removed the front garden fence, digged out the deep fence posts and filled the holes with mud and stones that were already in the garden. Their job was made easier as the council had already removed half of the fence to accommodate for sewage works. And Ben "got the green light" from officials to remove the rest of the fencing too. Showing off the finished results, the delighted dad said: "That just leaves the little runabout just parked near to our house so it just saves a lot on space. "We're not taking up too much space and we've actually got a place to park." 4 4 4 But after sharing the transformation on social media, people were quick to point out a potential issue. "You need a dropped kerb now putting in which is an expensive job", one person said. Somebody else chimed in: "I guess if the kerb isn't dropped you run the risk of being blocked in if someone parks there?" And a third added: "Some jealous eejit will report for not having a drop kerb and removing the fence/posts." But Ben insisted that: the kerb is "partially dropped already" and added: "It's fine for now." "I put an application in with the council, plus it was the council who removed half the fence for us in the first place ️ "People will always try and trip us up unfortunately there are little bullies everywhere." Social media support Other people, however, were full of praise for the savvy dad's DIY project. One said: "Wow, I bet it will make a huge difference getting the cars on the drive! Much easier for you all... easier to load up... and safer off the road. Great job all." Someone else wrote: "Great job on the driveway, hopefully will make a difference especially now with the girls car. Well done to your helpers too." "Nice you can park on the drive now. So considerate of you as you have three cars", chimed in a third. A fourth agreed: "Front is looking good, much better use of the space in the front, and leaves the street less crowded." "Great job converting it into a driveway!! Looks really good!!" gushed a fifth. And a sixth said: "That's a great idea parking the two bigger cars in the driveway and the wee Fiat on the street it would be lovely if more neighbours were thoughtful like this and considered others." The garden renovation comes after the Sullivans were forced to hit back at trolls who claim they're jobless spongers on benefits - insisting they couldn't be more wrong. Zoe was faced with hateful messages after revealing she spends £400 on the weekly food shop. Opening up about the hate, Zoe said: "There is this assumption that number one, we don't work and number two we bring in mass incomes on benefits and then spend it all on rubbish. "People seem to be so angry at large families, [they] just assume you have children and you suddenly become a sponge on society. "We pay our taxes, we pay our bills, we pay our council tax, we pay our rent, we pay all that stuff." "Obviously getting us by, there's 14 of us, it takes quite a lot of money. But we budget, we make ends meet."
The Sun
6 days ago
- General
- The Sun
I hate my new build garden being overlooked so found a 5 METRE privacy fence to block out nosy neighbours, for under £30
A WOMAN fed up with the giant gaps in the fence around her new build garden has shared how she blocked out nosy neighbours - for under £30. Olivia has undertaken a mammoth makeover of her garden herself, after being quoted £6,000 to get it done professionally. 6 6 6 6 And as part of the transformation, she's tackling the issues with the fence, as she admitted "you can see everything your neighbours are doing!" "Until I've got the budget to apply some proper fencing, I found this fake greenery that creates a hedge style look to the fence," Olivia said in a video on her TikTok page. "I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but I'm actually so impressed with how much it's transformed this space." She got a 5 metre roll of the fake foliage for £26.99 on TikTok Shop, and explained that they come in a grid pattern and all "clip together". You can also adjust the "leaves" to create "maximum privacy", Olivia explained. She put screws along the top and bottom of the fence to attach the panel, although other people in the comments section suggested using a staple gun for a quicker result. "I started off with the first fence panel, got that all into place and this took the longest part - trying to arrange everything," she added. Once the first panel was done, Olivia got to work doing the second, and said she was planning to add some lights on top to make it look "pretty at night time". " Turning this plain new build fence into something way more private and pretty," she captioned her video. " Budget-friendly, low maintenance, and perfect for adding a bit of life to the garden without the hassle. I made a DIY fence for £68 with pallets from Facebook Marketplace - it gives more privacy & people say it's 'fantastic' "Artificial greenery for the win!" And people in the comments section quickly praised Olivia, with many admitting they were struggling with the same lack of privacy in their new build gardens. "I soooo want to fill the gaps in mine," one wrote. "It's driving me mad being able to see in next door!" "No privacy is there," another sighed. "I've just bought timber from Howarth's to fill in the gaps." How high can a garden fence be? Despite what many people think a garden fence can be as high as 100m but you need to get planning permission for any fence taller than 2m. Any fence under 2m does not need planning permission. However, there are some complications to this. If you are thinking about front garden fences, restrictions state that fences alongside a driveway can be a maximum of 1m or 3ft. You would need to get planning permission for putting a trellis on a fence of 2m. But, if any plant that you grow on that trellis exceeds 2m, you do not need to obtain a permit for the growing plant. "Omg I've got fencing like this on one side it's the worst," a third admitted. "Yours looks great!!" "What the HECK is that fencing all about please - that is criminal!" someone else wrote. "I would be fuming if that's what they supplied in my new build - may as well not be there!!" "Girl tell me about it," Olivia replied. "Worst I've ever seen!" Meanwhile, others shared how they had added even more to the fake foliage panels to further elevate the look. "I've got loads of these panels, they're brilliant, you can put wee fake flowers into them too to fill the gaps," one wrote. "You can buy fake cream roses from Hobbycraft and put them on it...I did that and it looks fab," another added. "I did this with the trellis from Home Bargains, and I put up solar curtain lights behind them," a third revealed. "Looks amazing day and night - plus I covered some very ugly fencing!" 6 6
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Gran, 48, faces eviction from her three-bed council house after spending £30k on garden makeover without planning permission
A grandmother fears she faces eviction from her council house after spending £30k on a garden makeover without planning permission. Renata Mahmoud, 48, has lived in the three-bed council property in Moulsecoomb, East Sussex for 19 years and raised her three children there. The semi-detached property boasts a large back garden but it became overgrown and, after one of her children was injured playing, she decided to transform the space. Ms Mahmoud saved up and in 2023 building work began to level out the slope into a three-tier patio. She told the MailOnline: 'The garden before was awful, you couldn't do anything, no gardener would do it. You have to make it level, so I've been asking the council for years, please could you help me out to make it level. 'I was asking them, saying "I don't want you to make it nice, I just want you to help me to start off, to do the level, I don't want you to design for me". 'They gave me nothing towards it. Their response was: "No, I'm sorry the council doesn't have any money, it's the tenants' responsibility." That was their answer. 'I made a lovely garden and they've ordered me to take it down. It's very depressing as I don't know if I can afford to, we could sleep on the streets because of this.' Ms Mahmoud said the work has cost her £30,000 which included cutting back trees and levelling and laying down a patio. She continued: 'My neighbour was very happy, he doesn't want all the weeds coming in too his garden from my one. People were joking: "Finally, the nutter's doing something!" 'I didn't know I had to apply for planning permission and I am sorry. But I can't just put it back like it was. It was dangerous, it was very hilly, all it had sorts of bricks, broken, metals, foxes and snakes. 'They should've been happy that one of their council tenants was trying to improve their property. This house is my precious, you know, and I will do anything to do something nice. You know, my heart's there. My home. 'We will sleep on the streets if we're evicted.' Her neighbour Michael Bundock, 53, said he couldn't understand the council's position. He said: 'I've been in constant dialogue with her, I've been helping her. 'With her first language being Polish, it's hard for her to quite understand at times what they're saying. 'She's lived there for 19 years and we've been here for 20 years, so we know her well, she's never been a bother at all. 'It was a state before, it was brambles, weeds, bricks and glass - they're all the same. And she did ask for help, she did ask for help for a long time, because she had small children growing up and nothing was done for her. 'I would rather look at a nice garden than have a mess next door to me. That's for sure.' Despite his reservations, Ms Mahmoud is still facing spending thousands returning the garden to the original state. Mr Bundock continued: 'It seems a bit extreme doesn't it. 'Because she's tried working with them, and she's been to mediation, but they're not giving at all. 'It'd cost thousands, it's always like this. I feel sorry for her. 'I mean how can you evict someone for making a nice garden? She's been told for years "tidy up your garden, tidy up your garden", then she does the gardens and they say, "we'll evict you if you don't want to put it back." 'It doesn't make sense; why be jealous of someone else's kingdom?' A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: 'This matter has been referred to the courts and that we consider the resident to be in breach of their tenancy agreement. 'Eviction is always a last resort. There are no current plans to proceed with eviction at this stage. 'We're just keen to find a resolution to the issues created with the property.'
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Worthing mum receives garden makeover for son
A single mother from West Sussex has received a garden makeover to allow her son to spend more time Royal Horticultural Society and BBC One's The One Show named Lisa Joseph, from Worthing, as the winner of the 2025 Pocket Garden Makeover Joseph received a coastal-themed garden makeover by designer and Garden Rescue presenter Chris said: "Her dedication to creating something special for her son, even in a small space, was incredibly inspiring." Ms Joseph said she entered the competition to transform her first-floor flat's outdoor space into an area where her son George, 14, could socialise, benefit from fresh air and do transformed garden includes an olive tree, raised bed, water feature and coastal-themed Joseph said: "I thought I'd have to wait 20 years to see it grow."That is just absolutely something else. It's a work of art."
The Sun
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I turned my garden into a leafy oasis with a cheap buy from B&M – now I've got more privacy & people say it ‘looks lush'
A DIY enthusiast has turned her garden into a leafy oasis thanks to a bargain buy from B&M. So if you've got plans to have guests round and think your garden could do with some TLC in time for summer, then you've come to the right place and you'll need to listen up. 2 Maya, a savvy shopper from the UK, was able to turn her garden fence from drab to fab thanks to a £30 find in B&M. Thrilled with her quick and easy garden transformation, Maya took to social media to show others the process, leaving many gobsmacked. Posting online, Maya uploaded a before and after look at her garden fence and beamed: 'Obsessed with how this transformation turned out.' She then wrote: 'Using leaf screening from B&M, we got six packs and it was the perfect amount!' For Maya's garden project, she used the Artificial Mixed Leaf Screening from B&M, which she confirmed was £30 for a four pack. It's the perfect way to add style to your fencing and according to B&M bosses, it also "provides a luxury finish to your garden." She shared a clip of her partner attaching the leafy screening onto their fence and as a result of using six packs of the screening, Maya and her man spent £180 in total on their beautiful and bright fence overhaul. What was once a very plain space has since been given a mega makeover and is sure to get guests talking. Overjoyed with the fence's new look, Maya beamed: 'So happy with how it turned out, it makes such a difference in the garden.' We think Maya's fence looks fabulous, but even better, it's also given her more privacy too, which is a win for those with eagle-eyed neighbours. Enhance Your Outdoor Privacy with a £35 Amazon Hack The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ maya.h212, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 172,700 views. Not only this, but it's also amassed 3,201 likes, 24 comments, 1,179 saves and 1,344 shares. Garden features that add the most value to a house A well-kept garden can add anywhere between 5-20% to the value of a property. carried out a study and consulted 36 estate agents, garden designers and property professionals from across the UK. And the experts revealed the garden feature which adds the most value to a property is a shed. Shed - 82% Patio or paving - 76% Secure fencing, walls or gates - 72% Outdoor lighting - 66% Sturdy decking - 62% Water features eg. fountain or pond - 58% Modern garden furniture - 54% Artificial lawn/grass - 40% Social media users were impressed with Maya's garden renovation and many eagerly rushed to the comments to express this. One person said: 'I've been influenced.' Another added: 'Oh wow, that looks fab!!' A third commented: 'Ahhhh looks lush!!' Even B&M chimed in and wrote: ' Transformation goals.'
