Before a major garden makeover, there a number of things I INSIST YOU DO before works start. Here my top 7 tips to make the project go as smoothly as possible.
My own garden makeover started last week and I set aside time to prepare for the transformation/protect my home from the mud. After years of working on TV projects and big makeover shows, I know lots of tricks so a project to run like clockwork. Here’s what I did in seven easy steps.
1. Pack Up Your Stuff
My garden is being completely redesigned (you can see my ideas here). The only access to my garden is through my open-plan living room/ dining room that has just been decorated (doh!). To reduce any damage to my freshly painted rooms – my first tip is to pack up everything. And I mean everything.
I moved my dining room into my living room. Then lifted up all the rugs to avoid them being trashed by muddy feet. Then I took down my art on the walls where my gardener would be passing with wheelbarrows of mud.
2. Sell All Your Unwanted (Garden) Stuff
My colourful garden recycle shed was no longer needed. As well as lots of old plant pots and garden tools.
I put my shed onto Gumtree. I broken it down ready for easy transport (see below).
The pots I gave to my mum for safe keeping. I took my broken lawn mover to the tip. And the wine creates I had used for garden storage were given a new home.
This freed up my outdoor space of clutter ready for my gardener.
3. Protect your floors
Have your heard of Packexe? It’s a DIY fan’s must-have product. It’s a protective plastic that you can lightly stick to your floors to save them from any damage. It’s simples to put down, it protects your and is easy to remove at the end of your project.
There are lots of types. I went for the hardwood one for my Oak floorboards and then for areas which were getting a lot of traffic, I used the Fleece version on top.
I went Packexe crazy. I even used it on my stairs and into my bathroom so my garden could use the loo without worrying about taking off her muddy boots.
4. Wrap Up Your Radiators
My vintage-style radiator in my narrow hallway has been scratched during previous building works. I wrapped it up more Fleece Packexe, then tied an old decorating sheet over it too. Instant peace of mind.
I even wrapped the radiator in my living room in an old towel as I thought my gardener may want to use my sash windows for access to the house.
5. Salvage The Things You Love
To cut back on the amount of prep time my gardener did, I took down my old Hazel hurdle fences and delivered to my Mum’s house for her to use in her garden.
To save money, I wanted to salvage as many of my existing plants as I could. I dug up the ones I wanted to keep, and then repotted them into large planters and stored them outside the front of my house for safe-keeping.
6. Order Your Skip In Advance
There is a lot of waste involved in a garden design. I needed a skip which I ordered on-line with ClickaSkip. It was delivered within 24 hours of the project starting.
Tip: Save the space outside the front of your house with your bins! I wrote a sign on mine to warm my neighbours that a skip was coming and to avoid parking too near.
7. Order Your Building Materials Online
My gardener gave me a list of building products for me to source for the makeover. I did tons of research and found the best prices on-line. I got my MOT sub base for the paving, and bags of cement and sand for the fence posts all from Drainage Superstore. They are a one-stop shop for drainage and landscaping materials and the only place I could find that sold all three of the things I needed and in the size bags I needed too.
As I have limited access to my garden, I needed to order all my materials in small bags (rather than one large bumper bag) so my gardener could then carry through the house (my gardener’s is tiny but so strong!)
I also ordered my Protek exterior paint, my Grangefen fence panels and pergola and my decorative teal stones from Decorative Aggregates all delivered in the weeks leading up to the build. These are my paving stones waiting for me at the factory – aren’t they lush?
Ordering on-line is the way forward.
How My Garden Looks Right Now
This is my garden after just a day of work. My house isn’t nearly as dusty or dirty as when I had my living room renovated. And with the Packexe down (rather than dust sheets) I’ve been able to hoover the floor and mop up the mud in the evenings during the works.
I can’t wait to show you the end result of my garden makeover! Just a few weeks to go.
Have you got any makeover preparation tips that you would like to share with us? If so, then please pop them in the comment box below.
** Disclaimer. This is a collaborative post. All photos and opinions are my own.