Plenty of kids out there will be dreaming of walking with dinosaurs, but one mum has managed to make her son’s fantasy come to life by creating his very own ‘Dinoland’.
Kellimarie House, 35, tried her hand at transforming her garden into a dinosaur haven for her son – and saved around £4,000 in the process.
She told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “I made a small Dinoland for my son Bryson when he was two as he has always been obsessed with dinosaurs.
“Back then we made a little square for him with two by three wood joined together. We painted it and filled it with compost and an upside down plant pot painted black.
“We sanded it off to give it a volcano effect, and I got herbs for 50p each in Asda. I added glass stones which were recycled from my wedding bowls, and we also collected wood from the beach and woods.
“He has since grown out of it now that he’s 5, but I soon came up with an idea. My decking area had rotted underneath, giving me a 12 by 12 foot area to play with, so I decided that I was going to make him a bigger Dinoland to play in.”
Some of Kellimarie’s inspiration came from browsing Facebook groups, particularly the use of shower curtains as decorations.
She added: “I saw that people had begun hanging shower curtains up in their gardens for decorative effect, and I thought they must sell dinosaur ones. Fortunately I was able to find some amazing dinosaur shower curtains for just £12 each.”
The rest of the supplies were also cheaply sourced, including sand (£20) from Facebook Marketplace, as well as rockery and edging stones which were free.
Kellimarie said: “The four garden dinosaurs were just £16 from Olive and Sage. They came under a ‘buy two get one free’ deal. Unfortunately some are now out of stock, so I couldn’t purchase them all or I would have! They are great value for money.
“I bought my two Phoenix palms from B&Q. These were also a fantastic deal, as in most places they are sold for over £30 each. I got mine in a two for £14 offer.
“I created the planters myself by recycling my old decking. This saved more money as I only had to buy the screws.
“The most expensive part was the grass. I got the Orlando variety from Grass Direct and it cost £160.
“However, I wasn’t too concerned about that price after I spoke with the lady I collected the stones from off Facebook. She said she had been quoted £4,000 for her artificial grass to be applied.”
Kellimarie then faced the biggest task- creating the floor space. She added: “First I cemented in the edging stones, then I filled in the area with stone and levelled it off with sand before I laid down the grass.”
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Now Kellimarie has an exciting outdoor space for her son, with more than 15 dinosaurs of various sizes roaming the area and even a backdrop of dinosaurs thanks to her shower curtains.
The area also features a collection of rockery, which some of the dinosaurs are climbing, and an egg chair complete with blanket and cushions for relaxing in the sunshine.
There is a selection of herbs growing in a planter to the side, and various plants and bright flowers complete the overall look.