Those of us who are lucky enough to have a garden have no doubt been spending as much time as possible outdoors during lockdown.
And over the last couple of months, we've noticed some impressive outdoor garden bars popping up all over social media.
Not only do the bars look *seriously* cool, they're actually pretty cheap to make too, having been built with just a handful of materials including pallets, reused wood and a lick of paint.
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With summer fast-approaching and many people having plenty more time on their hands due to lockdown, it's the perfect time to get creative with a DIY project.
Many have been taking to Facebook's Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Group, to show off the spectacular creations.
But how do you go about building a DIY bar? Working out where to start - and what you'll need - isn't easy. So, we've rounded up our favourite al fresco designs *and* we chatted to celebrity builder, Craig Phillips, to find out exactly what you'll need and how much it'll cost.
Claire Bithray, from Letchworth, explained she created her incredible outdoor bar using just pallets and a bamboo screening.
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She told Tyla: "I was working as a supply teaching assistant before lockdown happened. I needed something to keep me busy. It's my 40th in June so I knew I probably wouldn't be able to go out. Instead, I thought, let's see if I can build a garden bar!
"I researched pallet bars on Pinterest and Google etc. I then emailed some local companies asking if they had any spare pallets I could have. I collected some and work began!"
She continued: "I already had screws, nails etc. I bought the bamboo that I used around the outside from B&M, while the top and inside shelves were old decking boards my friend gave me.
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"The grey paint is Cuprinol Ducksback in Silver Copse and the pink is Ronseal Garden Paint in Pink Jasmine.
"The bar stools are from B&Q and the bunting from B&M. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It's been a great talking point and is a great focal point for my garden. My daughter, Zoe, loves pretending to be a bartender! Now I just need to buy the drink!"
It seems Claire's B&M bunting has been a staple buy when it comes to a DIY bar, with Jaime Lee Carter, from West Yorkshire also using the pink design on her pop up bar.
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Not only does the outdoor bar have a cute little entrance gate, it also features a sofa and a darts board with built in shelves (holding plenty of boozy drinks) and cute fairy lights lining the ceiling.
Jaime told Tyla: "Our bar actually started off as a pergola in our garden. We decided to convert it into a bar, which we made out of pallets, scaffold boards and fencing.
"Most of the items were free. The lights were from B&M as well as other little decorations. Most of the bar has been made from reused items that we have come across."
Meanwhile, one outdoor bar created by Natalie Heaton and her fiancé Kelvin Wait, from Derbyshire, even includes beer taps. Natalie has also added an outdoor seating set to complete the look.
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Who needs the pub, eh?
Natalie told Tyla: "It was mainly built from pallets and the actual decking area is also pallets. We then used old decking boards (reused from Kelvin's allotment) to go around the edges to make it look like actual decking.
"We covered the top with astro turf to finish it off. We got most of the pallets for free with the odd posts and cement that we bought. And the taps were bought from a Facebook site."
Across the country, Claudia Louise Jones has also been busy creating an epic bar - and used just six wooden pallets to create her design.
She told Tyla: "We used six pallets in total, felt for the roof and the inside of the bar to keep it waterproof and two sheets of chipboard for the back. It took just over five days to build."
Claudia also explained she used lights from B&M as well as bar sign reading 'The Jones Inn bar' from Amazon.
How to make an outdoor bar yourself
Okay, these ladies are making it look easy! But how do you actually create an outdoor bar? Is it as straightforward as it sounds? We spoke to celebrity builder, Craig Philips to get the lowdown.
"Depending on how big you want to go, you'll probably need around four to six pallets," Craig tells us.
"You've got two parts to a pallet, you've got the typical slats across the top and when you break those all off, take them apart and de-nail them, underneath you have a thicker timber - they're ideal for the actual frame of the bar.
"For the very top of the bar, you can use an OSB board, 8ft by 4ft and 18mm thick - they're about £18-22.
"You're going to need various sized screws. For the frame, I would use 90mm screws. Once you have the frame, you can either use glue to apply the slats or pallet pins and a hammer, or you can drive them in with sunken head screws - about 35mm in length.
"In terms of materials to apply onto it, you'll want to use an outdoor paint, for example Frenchic Al Fresco, which is designed for outside so it's more durable and washable. So if you spill beer or you're having a barbecue and you spill sauce, it cleans up well. Just make sure you don't use MDF as that's not suitable for outside use.
"You can also use a furniture wax on the top or you can add a couple of coats of varnish.
"Tool wise, you can just use a chop saw or even a hand saw. If you're struggling to source the actual pallets, I would go to a retail park where they have the likes of B&Q, and see if they have any available.
"A lot of the time they're happy for you to take them away!"
That's another lockdown project added to the to-do list then! Better get searching for those pallets...
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Topics: Life News, lockdown, Home, Interiors