My garden needed an upgrade

A DIY pro has revealed how she gave her garden a serious upgrade on a budget - and even managed to make her own posh planters.

With summer well and truly on its way, many of us have been out in the garden, trying to tidy it up in time for those endless barbecues.

But Charlotte decided her outdoor space needed a little more than a few new plants and a jetwash.

Instead, the keen DIYer decided to give it a serious glow-up - and her nifty hack for painting her fences meant it took no time at all.

However, it's her posh planters that have got people talking.

Sharing a video to Instagram of what her garden looked like before, she revealed she wanted to break up the charcoal fences and matching decking.

So, she started by spray painting her wooden fence panels in a chic cream colour.

Shoppers can pick up spray paint guns from various retailers, including Amazon and Argos, with prices starting from £19.99.

After just two coats, she was able to move on to her modern sleeper flower beds, which would sit at the base.

Explaining how she and her partner built these from scratch, she said: "Here are the steps we took to build our sleeper raised beds.

"Number one, prep the area.

"Before starting to build our raised beds, we painted our existing fence and dug out our existing border. The area was fairly level due to our previous work but you would need to take up any existing grass.

"Two, to save on costs we didn't use sleepers at the back of our raised beds.

"We used treated timber that we already had to strengthen the fence by screwing these into the existing posts.

"You could also add another layer of sleepers at the back to complete the raised beds."

Then the pair went on to line the base of their planters, adding: "Number three, we laid waterproof membrane down to suppress weeds and to act as a barrier between the timber and soil.

"Four, we purchased 2.4m x 200mm x 100mm treated sleepers from our local builders' merchant and measured out the cuts required.

"Five, cut sleepers to size and treat the cut edges with wood preserver.

"Number six, lay sleepers on the ground and fasten them together - We used sleeper brackets and timber screws to attach our sleepers together, we decided to go too high with our sleepers but you can always go higher.

"And seven, touch-ups - I used some compost in places where the sleepers didn't quite meet the grass so there may be a few touch-ups required but nothing some compost and grass seeds can't fix!"

Fans loved their DIY makeover, with the step-by-step guide gaining more than 647 likes and 43,800 views.

Known online as @homeofcharl, the content creator regularly shares interior design tips and updates on her home renovation with her 45,500 followers.

In the comments, Instagrammers shared their reactions, with one writing: "Swooning."

"Looking good Charl! I want to do the same," commented another.

A third added: "Beautiful raised beds looks amazing! Can't wait to see what you plant."

Although not all were convinced their efforts would last, with another commenting: "Looks beaut! I’d reconsider not putting sleepers at the back though as eventually the wet compost will rot the fence. I’ve just had dig out all of my raised bed that was previously done."