A savvy mum saved £50,000 transforming her “cat poo” covered garden into a paved sanctuary.
Charlotte Syeda-Aguirre spent £10,509 in total transforming her outdoor space – after she was quoted a huge £60,000 by landscapers.
Charlotte Syeda-Aguirre, 36, spent £10k transforming her back garden in a DIY project Credit: SWNS
Charlotte says she loves her transformed garden – but she wouldn’t go through the gruelling process again Credit: SWNS
When the 36-year-old moved with her family into their home in Lambeth, south London in May 2024, she said the garden was their “biggest compromise”.
The broken patio, a patch of muddy grass which she said was “full of cat poo”, and three dangerous steps made it unusable for their two young children Ruben, six, and Marla, five.
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Charlotte and her husband Tomal, 37, started the project in February 2025, with the renovations taking five months.
The couple used Pinterest to dream up their courtyard-style nook outside their two-bed terraced house.
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With no room for a skip or equipment, Charlotte and Tomal did everything by hand, digging up the garden and shovelling mud by hand and transporting in bags to wait-and-load skips.
They also hired landscapers for £6,400 to help with retaining walls and paving.
The family’s garden was unusable when they first moved into their London home Credit: SWNS
Now it’s become a sanctuary, with stylish furniture and a disco ball Credit: SWNS
After finishing their project in July 2025, the family are enjoying their dream space and plan to do a loft conversion in September to make it a four-bed house.
Charlotte, who works in digital marketing, says: “We thought if we had £60,000 we would be doing an extension, not a garden.
“It just was not possible. Anyone can dig, it just takes a long time.
“The kids were out there digging with us, and we just dug and dug and dug for months and months.
“After all the hard work, I absolutely love it. Before it felt really unloved and not usable, and now hosting garden parties is my favourite thing.
“It’s made such a difference to the way we live.”
Although it saved her thousands, she admits she “wouldn’t do it again”.
“Everything felt dirty and messy, constantly carrying bags through the house. It was really hard on our backs,” she said.
The couple first started by digging up the garden to level it for the patio before moving onto the walls and fencing.
They were gifted new plants from family, used gifted paint from Wood Finish Direct, and only spent £45 making a four metre planter – saving hundreds.
“I didn’t learn to make the planters from anywhere as such, it was a trust the process DIY and luckily it paid off.
“I knew roughly how to make a box and just adjusted the measurements and style to fit,” Charlotte added.
The couple bought their garden furniture from Cult Furniture and their solar lights from Amazon Credit: SWNS
The DIY project took the family five months in total – and they also had some help from professionals Credit: SWNS
With their daughter Marla’s fourth birthday party looming in early July, they had the extra motivation to finish it all.
Charlotte says: “My husband would be out there in the dark with a head torch on, just shovelling mud.
“We were just so determined to get it done and we finished it three days before her birthday and we then had a nice garden party.
“We got some professionals in to build the retaining walls because we needed them to be safe.
“If you feel completely out of your depth, it’s a good time to get someone in.
“90% of the time, we’ve been able to do it ourselves.”
For some snazzy finishing touches, Charlotte got a disco ball from Facebook Marketplace, garden furniture from Cult Furniture, and solar lights from Amazon.
Charlotte’s cost breakdown
HERE is the full breakdown of exactly how much Charlotte and her family spent doing up their garden:
Digging out
Skips
Rubble Sacks
Tools
Some extra hands
£1,070
Materials
Paving slabs
Grout
Builders sand
Cement
Thermalite blocks
PVA
Ballast
Timber
Fence panels
£2,797
Drainage
Manhole cover
Drain Channel
£242
Labour Costs
Digging out
Paving
Retaining walls
Fencing
£6,400
Total: £10,509
