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THERE’S nothing worse than nosey neighbours peeping over your fence, or between a gap. 

One homeowner’s garden was particularly overlooked and she found a cheap solution to add more privacy to her outside space. 

The state of the garden when the homeowner first moved in
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The state of the garden when the homeowner first moved inCredit: GemmaTheGem/gardeningonabudgetofficial
The homeowner stapled the strips of PVC to the fence panels
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The homeowner stapled the strips of PVC to the fence panelsCredit: GemmaTheGem/gardeningonabudgetofficial
The end result!
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The end result!Credit: GemmaTheGem/gardeningonabudgetofficial

The homeowner took to the Facebook group, to share her hack. 

In her post, she said: “So my garden was an absolute state when I moved here end of October. 

“After making it livable and half decent, I wanted to make it more private for the alleyway outside the garden. 

“I priced up the wood for the gaps in the fence and it was going to cost around £140

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“I couldn't justify it... So I came up with a solution... A time consuming one. 

“All I had to do was cut it [garden privacy screen PVC] into strips [and attach it]. 

“[I] suppose there's a few ways to do it but I am happy with the result and for £20 it's saved me a fortune!”

The product used was VidaXL Garden Privacy Screen PVC 35m Matte Dark Grey Fence Strip Roll Home. 

It was priced at £19.99, with free postage on eBay. 

The homeowner measured the material and cut it into long strips, which she then attached to the fence. 

I was desperate to get some privacy from my neighbours so built my own 6.5ft fence using roof battens & B&Q bargains - it’s totally transformed my garden

She was asked by someone in the comments section: “Wow this defo help my prob with my nosey neighbour. How did you attach it? Is it thick? well done.” 

The homeowner replied: “It's not thick.. Kind of like a seatbelt in thickness. I stapled it to the fence.” 

It wasn’t a quick task for the homeowner who remarked: “I officially hate staplers now though!” 

Someone suggested she should’ve purchased a £10 electric stapler as it would’ve made the job “a lot easier”. 

The original poster replied: “I never even knew they were a thing.... I never even knew staples came in different sizes until last week. 

The item used to fix the gaps in the fence
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The item used to fix the gaps in the fenceCredit: GemmaTheGem/gardeningonabudgetofficial
The PVC was cut into strips that covered the gaps between the panels
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The PVC was cut into strips that covered the gaps between the panelsCredit: GemmaTheGem/gardeningonabudgetofficial

“My staple gun broke... Ordered another to find the staples didn't fit... I had to take a lucky dip on the size to order.

"Then the staples kept getting stuck in the stapler... 

“Get what you pay for and that but its almost done now! Eight panels left beside the bin!” 

But the end result was brilliant and lots of people were impressed. 

One person said: “Does the job and doesn’t look ugly I think it looks brill, well done.” 

A second said: “Wish I had thought of that at my previous house lol.” 

“100% improvement,” another comment read, whilst one Facebook user wrote: “Love this idea.” 

Meanwhile, one British couple moved to France and bought a derelict village which they have been transforming into a luxury B&B.

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Another homeowner transformed her garden instantly with a £12.99 Aldi buy.

And a gardening expert told Fabulous exclusively how to get rid of ants if you have them crawling around your garden or back door.

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. 

  1. Shed - 82%
  2. Patio or paving - 76%
  3. Secure fencing, walls or gates - 72%
  4. Outdoor lighting - 66%
  5. Sturdy decking - 62%
  6. Water features eg. fountain or pond - 58%
  7. Modern garden furniture - 54%
  8. Artificial lawn/grass - 40%
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