Last updated on July 23rd, 2024
A complete guide to creating your own Love Island villa inspired home
This cost guide was written in partnership with our professional estimators here at Checkatrade. Our estimators are Chartered Members (MRICS) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Members of the Chartered Institute of Building (MCIOB).
In this guide, we look at how you can be inspired by the Love Island villa and bring it to your home this year.
We’ll also look at how much it might cost to create a villa-inspired garden that’ll have your neighbours’ heads turning all year long.
Love Island ideas to bring into your home
Makeup room and dressing room
In the villa, the girls’ dressing room is their haven. It’s where they spend hours getting ready for the guys.
It also happens to be where so many chats and makeup moments have taken place over the years. Remember when Faye Winter broke the internet with her infamous brown lipstick?! No comment.
Make your own glam space at home with these dressing room ideas – brown lipstick not included.
And why not go one step further with a walk-in wardrobe? Find out more about how much it costs to install a walk-in wardrobe.
Create some privacy from other islanders in the bathroom
Thankfully it’s unlikely that you have to share your bathroom with a whole group of people. But you might have to share it with your partner, and you both deserve a sleek bathroom to enjoy.
Simple features like installing a divider between the toilet and basin can add a little welcome privacy and help keep the romance magic alive.
To help you with your bathroom project, we’ve put together expert advice guide to new bathrooms. You can also get inspired with our best bathroom design ideas.
Create your own hideaway
The hideaway is a big part of Love Island and it’s the perfect place for couples to spend quality time together.
If you want somewhere special in your home where you and your partner can cosy up, start planning your own hideaway.
You can even nab some inspiration from our cosy living room ideas.
Blackout blinds
When the days and evenings are full of drama, the Love Islanders need their beauty sleep – helped by the villa blackout blinds.
Install blackout blinds to enjoy nights of deep sleep and, unlike in the villa, you won’t have to worry about being woken by loud music and harsh sudden brightness.
Wondering if blinds are the answer? Have a read of our guide to curtains vs blinds. And see how much they might cost by checking out our handy guide to the cost to install electric blinds.
Extra beds or a spare bedroom downstairs
A stylish spare bedroom always comes in handy… maybe you’re in the dog house because you’ve pied your partner and need somewhere to sleep. Or you just fancy a change of scenery to cuddle up together at night.
Whatever the reason, check out our ideas for cosy bedrooms.
Love Island garden ideas
There’s no denying that the Love Island garden has always been epic, and a major part of the villa experience.
Below we’ve put our absolute fave elements of the villa with ideas to recreate that Love Island outdoor feel at home.
Do decking Love Island-style
The Love Island terrace is probably the number 1 spot for where the most action takes place every season. So many moments…
Who can forget when Ekin-Su crawled across the terrace floor in Love Island Season 8 to have a secret kiss behind her partner’s back.
Or the many moments from Love Island season 9, when Tom Clare used the terrace to kiss many fellow islanders – winning him the nickname ‘Terrace Tom’.
If you want an Islander-worthy main stage for your garden then get grafting to install decking for a terrace.
When it comes to choosing your own Love Island terrace, there are lots of decking types available – from standard timber to composite decking.
Make an impression with your own outdoor bar/kitchen
Want to impress someone like when the boys bring iced coffees to the girls? Make your Love Island garden fabulous and functional with an outdoor bar/kitchen.
We’ve put together all the costs in our guide to building an outdoor kitchen.
Crack on with a gorgeous garden room
Make sure you’ve got the perfect spot to get cosy in your Love Island garden with a glam garden room.
Garden rooms come in a range of shapes and sizes to suit any garden. Find out more in our complete guide to garden rooms and garden room cost guide.
Love Island fire pit cost
Love Island wouldn’t be Love Island without the famous firepit. So many memorable moments have happened around that fire…
That infamous season 5 recoupling when Amy Hart professed her love for Curtis Pritchard after returning from Casa Amor – only to find out he’d moved on with someone else. Awks!
And that very same season, Michael Griffiths left Amber Gill in the firepit recoupling for someone he’d also met in Casa Amor. So much drama around the firepit!
But hopefully, your moments around the firepit will be much more cosy and heartwarming than heartbreaking.
Take a look at our top firepit ideas to inspire your Love Island garden. And you won’t want to miss our guides to firepit installation and firepit costs.
Make a splash like a Love Islander with a pool
If you want the best Love Island-inspired garden, then you’ll want to install either a swimming pool or hot tub (or both!).
The pool has always played a big part in every season of Love Island.
Whether it’s returning Islander, Ovie Soko, learning to swim in the Love Island pool in season 5. Or one of the many villa parties that have ended with Islanders jumping in the pool. And let’s not forget that iconic dive from Olivia Attwood!
Get in on the action with your own swimming pool at home.
Find out all about the costs of building a pool in our guide to swimming pool costs. You might also want to consider the costs of a swimming pond as an alternative.
Add some Love Island magic with a hot tub
One of the most popular couples to come out of Love Island started with a hot tub moment… Mollie Mae was a hit with Tommy Fury when she proved to be a bombshell in the hideaway hot tub.
Make your own hot tub moments and check out our guide to hot tub costs.
Garden fencing
Any decent Love Island garden needs privacy, and you can create a perfect backdrop with some lush fencing.
To find out more about prices, take a look at our guide to fencing costs.
Don’t forget gorgeous garden lighting
When you think of the Love Island villa, it’s almost impossible not to think of the strings of festoon lighting glowing after dark. If bulbs could talk…
Thankfully, it’s easy to create your own stunning garden lighting scheme at home…
We’ve put together our favourite outdoor lighting ideas to give you some inspiration. And for information on prices, check out our guide on the cost to install exterior lights.
How to carry out a Love Island garden transformation
One dedicated dad, Derry Green, went viral after transforming his garden into a stunning Love Island paradise. We’re so inspired we thought we’d share his ideas to help you create a sun-lovers oasis in your own garden.
“Definitely have a go at creating your own Love Island garden… there are professional tradespeople out there who can help.” Derry Green
As Derry did most of the work himself, the prices shown in this guide are mainly reflecting the cost of the materials only. Hiring professional tradespeople to carry out the work would involve additional costs.
After creating his new Love Island garden, Derry has encouraging words for anyone else who might want to give their own garden a Love Island makeover:
“Regardless of your skill level, you should definitely have a go at creating your own Love Island garden… there are professional tradespeople out there who can help… and friends can offer help for the things you can’t do yourself.”
How much does a Love Island garden cost?
We spoke to Derry to find out about the costs of his impressive Love Island garden makeover to inspire you to create an equally amazing garden space.
In total, Derry spent around £9,000 transforming his garden.
Connect water and power supplies
Getting water and power supplies into position are a key first step to creating your own Love Island. You want to make sure you’ve done the necessary preparation so you can install water features and stunning Love Island garden lights.
If you’re a fan of getting stuck into heavy duty garden work, like Mr Green, you can hire a micro digger and crack on digging the channels yourself. Otherwise, you might want to speak to a local garden landscaper to get their help.
| Love Island garden cost | Cost (materials only) |
|---|---|
| Micro digger hire (per day) | £125 |
| Garden landscaper (per hour) | £30 |
| Electric cabling and pipework | £600 |
| Fencing (per metre) | £25 |
| Decking | £1,800 |
| Glamping pod (structure, insulation and interiors) | £2,200-£3,200 |
| Second-hand fire pit | £35 |
| Egg chair swing | £110 |
| Wooden sleepers (for table and benches) | £145 |
| Sauna | £450 |
| Hot tub | £2,000 |
| Love Island garden lights | £144 |
Last updated: May 2024
Our costs are ballpark averages – get a local tradesperson to quote now
You’ll need to hire an experienced plumber and/or electrician to carry out the plumbing and wiring work so that it’s done safely and securely. You don’t want to get mugged off with dodgy cabling work!
Decking cost
Derry used standard decking for the whole deck, including a 4 x 2 tanalised treated frame posts, and it came to around £1,800.
Glamping pod cost: £800 – £1,800
Cladding cost: £400
With decking in place, it’s time to install the glamping pod, which you can buy a pod frame kit for. These kits are available for pods and shepherd hut-style structures, ranging from £800 up to about £1,800 (depending on size and style).
Once you’ve erected the frame for your chic pod, it will need cladding. Derry used shiplap on the inside and outside of his pod.
The total cost of cladding worked out at £480.
Love Island pod insulation cost
Pod roof insulation: £100
If you’re installing a pod in your Love Island garden project, you want to make sure you insulate it fully so that it’s usable all year round. This needs to be done before the interior and exterior cladding of the pod.
For Derry’s pod, he used standard roof insulation, which cost around £100.
Love Island pod interiors cost (bed and bathroom)
Pod interior cost: £600 plus labour
As one of the focal points of his Love Island-style garden, Derry fitted an ensuite bathroom, a double bed and a half-height dividing wall to separate the living room area.
The ensuite bathroom consisted of a standard toilet and basin unit with a 9 1/2 kW electric shower and came in at a total interior cost of around £600.
Underfloor heating
Underfloor heating kit cost: £130 plus labour
Porcelain tiles: £175 plus labour
To complete the interior of your Love Island garden pod you’ll want to install sexy flooring, and that means having underfloor heating for those cooler days and nights.
Derry bought an underfloor heating kit online for a cost of around £130. He then tiled over it himself using wood effect porcelain tiles, which cost him £175 in materials.
If you’re not an experienced tiler, we recommend hiring a local flooring expert to install the underfloor heating and tiling.
Fire pit cost
Derry found his fire pit on an online marketplace for the bargain price of £35. Shop around and you can find great secondhand options at great prices.
Fencing installation cost
With cabling and wiring in place, you can move on to constructing the pod area, starting with the fencing. Derry used featheredge fencing all the way around his pod, at a cost of £25 per metre for the materials.
Speak to a local timber merchant for advice on the options and prices for various fencing types.
Cost to light up the garden
Derry used festoon light in his garden, at a cost of around £24 for 50 feet.
For his garden, he used six sets of lights to get the effect all the way across the decking and the pod, totalling £144.
Outdoor furniture costs
Here are some of the other costs for Derry’s Love Island garden…
- Egg chair swing cost – £110
- Wooden sleepers cost (for table and two benches) – £145 (plus labour)
- Sauna cost – £450 plus labour
- Hot tub cost – £2,000
Love Island garden quotes
If you’re ready to have your very own Love Island garden, it’s time to get quotes from the tradespeople who can make it happen.
We always recommend obtaining at least three quotes per job from our approved and experienced tradespeople.
Our request a quote feature is perfect for getting quotes – you post details about the job you want doing and we’ll send it out to local tradespeople in your area. Try it out!
Useful Love Island garden checklist
- When planning your Love Island garden project, speak to a professional landscape gardener for advice and recommendations
- Make sure you have a clear plan of what you want to create in your garden space before you start any work
- Use online marketplaces and search second-hand selling platforms to get furniture and materials at lower prices
- Always hire qualified plumbers and electricians with appropriate experience and accreditations to ensure all water and electric work is carried out safely and to a high standard
Working with professional estimators, we collate cost estimates for the common home improvement and repair jobs in the UK.
All the costs are estimates only. For accurate costs for your particular requirements, you are encouraged to reach out to professional tradespeople to receive a quote for your job.
Our estimators are Chartered Members (MRICS) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Members of the Chartered Institute of Building (MCIOB). See full disclaimer.
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