I moved into a neglected house last year, and there was a crumbling termite infested shed in the backyard. We ended up tearing down the shed (and treating for termites), which left a sunken pit in the garden bed (aka sand/weed bed). Given that I was on a tight budget, I had to work out the most cost effective way to transform the space. At the time, the house only had a poxy three wire pull out clothes line - not ideal!
We ended up erecting a Hills Hoist rotary clothes line, and filled the pit with sand from the adjoining garden bed. We used 600x600 mm cement pavers and basalt stones to create an eye catching, functional and cheap floor cover for the area.
We then moved on to the garden bed. After lots of weeding, soil conditioning and love, we managed to create a neat and inviting area. We built the cantilever out of H4 pine posts, reomesh and wire. The bench was a market place steal, and the plants were all marked down or clippings.
All up, the garden bed and clothes line area cost under $1000. Unless you consider the physical cost... in that case the cement pavers may cost you a sore back for a couple of days.
