I saved myself hundreds of pounds on a wooden arch for my garden by making it for free – I only had to pay for screws

GARDEN furniture can be an expensive, but one homeowner has saved a fortune by DIY-ing herself a wooden arch.

In the Facebook group Gardening On A Budget Official, someone asked: "Advice for best wooden arch that lasts and doesn't break the bank please?"

The most common answer was to make one yourself!

Attaching a photo of a brilliant wooden arch, someone explained how they made it.

"We made this out of free pallets last summer & metal brackets from Screwfix.

"I added a back but it is sturdy & didn't fall over at all in the wind."

The DIY-er added: "Just a box of screws & various sized brackets from Screwfix was the cost.

"Not hard to build at all. You can get smaller pallets than the ones I used."

As for how the pallets were turned into an arch, it looked as if six wooden pallets were used.

Laying two pallets on the ground side by side, they were then attached using screws.

Do this two more times until you have three lots of two pallets joined.

Then, as if you were making a square, but with only three sides, attach the left panels to the top, to the right panels, until you have an upside-down U.

The original creator of the arch added a couple two pallets to the back to make it more sturdy as she wanted it on her patio.

But you could simply plant the arch into the ground to weigh it down.

Viktor Netek on YouTube has a handy step-by-step guide to making an arched garden trellis using wooden pallets.

Arches, or vertical trellis' are great for not only providing a little shade, but also growing things up.

Some plants you could grow up and around an arch are roses, clematis, jasmine, honeysuckle - fragrant and climbers.

Or, why not grow tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, courgettes up and over your arch?

As for where you can find free pallets - many people are giving them away on Facebook Marketplace.

Or why not try your local hardware store and see if they have any lying about?

Meanwhile, if you need to increase privacy in your garden, a homeowner has a £7 hack.

And if you fancy some new outdoor furniture, Aldi is selling a stunning sofa that is £100 cheaper than rivals.

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.

Sellhousefast.uk 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%