Charlotte Syeda-Aguirre, a 36-year-old digital marketing professional, transformed her family's garden in Lambeth, London, for £10,509, a significant saving from the £60,000 quoted by landscapers. The project, which began in February of last year, was completed in July 2025, just before her daughter Marla's fourth birthday.
Upon moving into their home in May 2024, the family found the garden to be their primary compromise. The existing space featured a broken patio, muddy ground described as being "full of cat poo," and three unsafe steps, making it unsuitable for their children, Ruben, six, and Marla, five. The unusable state of the garden prompted Syeda-Aguirre to take on the extensive DIY renovation herself.
Syeda-Aguirre stated that if the family were to spend £60,000, they would consider an extension rather than a garden renovation. The project involved significant manual labor, as the couple, along with their children at times, dug up the garden by hand, shoveling mud and transporting it in bags to wait-and-load skips due to a lack of space for a larger skip or equipment. Professional landscapers were hired for retaining walls and paving at a cost of £6,400.
"Anyone can dig, it just takes a long time," Syeda-Aguirre commented. "The kids were out there digging with us, and we just dug and dug and dug for months and months. I wouldn't do it again." She also noted the challenges of the process, describing how "everything felt dirty and messy, constantly carrying bags through the house" and admitting that "it was really hard on our backs."
The total cost breakdown for the project included £1,070 for digging out, skips, rubble sacks, tools, and some extra labor; £2,797 for materials such as paving slabs, grout, sand, cement, blocks, PVA, ballast, timber, and fence panels; and £242 for drainage components. Professional labor costs amounted to £6,400.
They saved on decor and other items, receiving gifted plants from family and paint from Wood Finish Direct. A four-meter planter was constructed for £45. Syeda-Aguirre described this as a "trust the process DIY" effort that paid off.
Syeda-Aguirre's husband often worked in the dark with a headlamp to continue the digging and shoveling. The family's determination led to the completion of the project three days before their daughter's birthday, allowing them to host a garden party.
"We got some professionals in to build the retaining walls because we needed them to be safe," Syeda-Aguirre noted. "If you feel completely out of your depth, it's a good time to get someone in. 90 per cent of the time, we've been able to do it ourselves."
The renovated garden has become a cherished space for the family. "Before it felt really unloved and not usable, and now hosting garden parties is my favourite thing," Syeda-Aguirre shared. "It's made such a difference to the way we live."
Elements of the garden include a striped planter with a disco ball from Facebook Marketplace and garden furniture from Cult Furniture, complemented by solar lights from Amazon. Friends and family have expressed disbelief at the extent of the DIY work and the transformation achieved. "It feels so lovely when you hear nice things about something you have worked so hard on," Syeda-Aguirre said.