When Sharon Wood entered a garden makeover competition she never thought she was a chance of winning.
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Sure, she's happy to admit, her garden was a mess. Paving which had seen better days, a patchy expanse of grass which was dead in places, a couple of old chook sheds, a pergola which hung precariously off the back of the house.
It was a place where she spent minimal time.
When she saw the competition, run by Adbri Masonry back in July, she entered on a whim.
Her garden, and story, touched the judges and she was chosen as the national winner from 1100 entries.
Landscaper Jason Hodges, best known for his work on Better Homes and Gardens, is the Adbri ambassador, and he came to Canberra, met with Ms Wood, and designed a garden that would best suit her lifestyle.
The finished garden was revealed on Wednesday, unrecognisable from the "before" photos.
At the centre of the garden is a circular area the landscapers dubbed "the dance floor", complete with fire pit; a ring of Sir Walter grass and hardy plants in a low-maintenance garden that still has room for a vegetable patch and a couple of chookpens.
"This is a garden for Sharon because I don't think she's a gardener," Mr Hodges said.
"She can enjoy being out here, rather than having to work out here.
"You have to build a garden for expectations and ability and if you're a busy person or you're not inclined, you need to keep all that in mind."
The work was completed in five days by Ash Carter and his team from New Level Landscapes. After two days of cleaning the rubbish from the yard, the construction and planting took just three days.
Mr Carter noticed the competition online and when he saw a Canberra backyard was the worst in the land he approach Adbri for the opportunity to complete the job.
One of the biggest challenges was sticking to the budget, Mr Hodges said.
"We had $15,000 and considering how much we had to clean out and take away, that's expensive, but Ash and his team did a great job and the garden has come up a right treat."
Adbri released its 2017 Great Australian Survey this week and it found that 63 per cent of Australian homeowners plan to make improvements or undertake new projects in their yards.
Entertaining areas, outdoor kitchens, garden landscaping, and pools are among the top projects people plan to do.
For Ms Wood, there's a whole new backyard to enjoy. A summer of sitting on a low masonry wall which runs around the top of the dancefloor, with a fire pit to take the chill off those Canberra evenings.
Mr Hodges said backyards are entrenched in the Australian psyche, a place for us to forget about the stresses of everyday life.
For Ms Wood her backyard is now a place she can enjoy.
"It's already changed my life," Ms Wood said.
"I've always loved sitting outside and having a cup of tea and now I can sit and appreciate it all.
"I'll get some chickens in again, I've got a friend who's going to help me with the vegetable patch and I can't wait to light the fire pit."