A woman obsessed with do-it-yourself (DIY) projects has spent approximately 38,000 Australian dollars (about 25,000 US dollars) transforming her backyard into a luxurious resort.
Jade Strang, a 30-year-old female entrepreneur from Australia, has been involved in DIY projects since childhood and is currently renovating her 90s-era home. She claims to have self-taught all the skills, as she believes no other craftsmen can surpass her level.
Strang recently completed an incredible transformation of her backyard in the northern Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia, which took about 15 months. What was once a basic garden with a forest of trees has now been completely renovated to feature a revamped swimming pool, artificial turf, and a pergola.
With the help of her 31-year-old husband Joel, 11-year-old daughter Lacey, and 6-year-old son Nixon, Strang took on the project hands-on.
From creating rainbow signs to remodeling entire bedrooms, Strang has done it all, having started renovating houses at the age of 19.
Proudly, Strang stated, “I love the effort my husband and I put in, as well as the end result. I feel incredibly proud of myself and my husband whenever we complete a project.”
Strang bought her house in the suburban outskirts of the Gold Coast for 1.3 million US dollars and went on to completely renovate the 90s-style house, including transforming the forest next to her house into a luxurious resort-style backyard.
She shared, “I’m not even sure when it started deciding to do this. I started painting walls, and the project kept growing and getting bigger. DIY has never been a job to me. I always do it myself and never rely on books. I don’t like being idle, and I rarely sleep in on weekends. I’m more eager to try new projects.”
Strang’s social media followers admire her DIY-built pergola in her backyard, which she constructed at a lower cost. She estimated that if she had hired craftsmen to do it, just the labor cost alone would have been about 3,000 Australian dollars (approximately 1,900 US dollars). Thanks to her DIY skills, she managed to keep the costs minimal.
Strang stated that she has never let being a woman stop her from doing what she loves. She stated that her passion for DIY stems from her foolish belief that she can do anything.
Strang considers herself a “Jade of all trades” and is skeptical of other tradesmen. She has hired two tradesmen before, but they caused her many troubles in terms of punctuality and professionalism in completing the work.
The plants and pergola in the garden now resemble a luxury resort-style backyard.
Humorously, Strang mentioned that it’s the “dopamine kick” that drove her to post videos on her personal DIY social media account.
She said, “After we posted some videos on our business page, I created my own personal page, and these videos went viral online, which made me incredibly excited. Overall, the support and feedback I’ve received on my page have been great. I get a lot of direct messages asking for DIY and design style advice or help with designing home renovations.”
Click here to watch the video.
Strang is happy to provide advice for those trying DIY projects this summer. She says, “Before you start, make sure to budget and plan. Everyone is struggling with inflation and the cost of living. Before buying new things, check if you have spare materials around you.”
She mentioned that her next big project she wants to tackle is an outdoor kitchen. She also hopes to have a Japanese teppanyaki bar, where she can grill on a metal plate.
Strang also owns her company, Imagine Vinyl, which sells custom prints and crafts to customers worldwide, including in the UK and North America.