Peterborough families reveal stunning lockdown ‘garden bar’ projects

Both Jamie and Katie and Nicola and Andy are the proud owners of new garden bars built entirely from recycled

materials.

Katie (38) who lives in a village near Peterborough with husband Jamie (38) and daughter Lillie (5) said: “It all started when we bought a rattan sofa for the garden. I was so excited by it and it provided my family with great amusement as I plumped the cushions and wouldn’t let anyone sit on it.

“My dad came over one day to see us and as he looked through the garden gate and I jokingly said ‘all I need now is a bar dad and I’m set for lockdown!’

“He laughed and said it actually wouldn’t be that hard. Then off he went and I thought nothing of it. Next thing I know dad calls me and says he’s got hold of some pallets and asked me to measure the back fence for him.”

Fast forward a few days and Katie’s dad was back to put the bar up - and the whole thing was made using materials he already had or things that other people were throwing away.

Teacher Katie said: “I documented the journey on my daily lesson plans for home learning. And as the lockdown news worsened and the reality hit, I think the bar gave us a focus. I’m so proud of my dad - I was expecting a few bits of wood, but it’s a whole Tiki bar!”

Katie said the bar has been used for all sorts of activities. She said: “We use it all the time. We’ve played hotels with my five-year-old. We’ve made menus. And once it was allowed, we’ve had grown up drinks with another bubble. The bar is definitely a talking point. It took dad a day to erect it and about a week to gather all the materials. He made it in his workshop then brought it round. He did it all himself and it blew us away with how good it was.”

And Katie’s dad hasn’t stopped there! He’s made them some pallet planters, a pallet bench and he’s currently working on a pallet sunbed.

Katie added: “We aren’t going away this year, but on a balmy summer evening around the bar and on my sofa, there is no where else I would rather be!”

Nicola and Andy Hibbert have also transformed their Peterborough garden over lockdown turning their eight-year-old son Aiden’s climbing frame and old wooden decking into a new garden bar.

Nicola said “While Andy was furloughed from work I wanted to keep him busy and I also really wanted to use the time to transform our garden.

“Andy is a carpenter and has built loads of amazing things for our home so we decided to use the old platform that once was home to our son’s playhouse and use the wood to build ourselves a garden bar.

“Andy recycled the old play area wood and decking and once he’d built the shell, I rubbed it all down and painted it.

“We are so pleased with the results. We can’t wait now to have all our friends round to enjoy it. We also built a new barbecue area. It’s like a different garden.

“I love our garden now and it’s almost like being on holiday.

“After a hard week at work it’s nice to relax in the evening, enjoy a cheeky gin and imagine we are somewhere more exotic.”

Have you transformed your home and garden during lockdown? Email us with pictures of your project: [email protected]