A father from Milton Keynes has spent more than £80,000 transforming his back garden into an 80-square-metre tropical hideout complete with an 8,000-litre fish tank, 14 Koi fish, 15 Madagascan day geckos, palm trees and a beer tap.
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father → spend → tank
Andy Corrie, 41, built the space himself as a personal retreat where he could relax after work and spend time away from his busy routine.
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he → build → routine
According to The Metro UK, the project initially surprised his wife, Sarah, and their neighbours, who were not convinced by his plans.
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who → accord → plans
However, the space helped them understand his vision.
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them → help → vision
Corrie began planning the project about three years before June 2022 and continued adding new features.
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Corrie → begin → features
His family also enjoys the garden retreat, which he hopes to expand further.
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he → enjoy → which
How did Andy Corrie turn his back garden into an £80,000 tropical hideout
Corrie transformed his Milton Keynes home's garden into what he calls his ‘man cave’.
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he → turn → what
The 80-square-metre space was built single-handedly and designed to provide an escape from everyday life.
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space → build → life
As a construction worker, Corrie deals with building plans each day, which helped him approach the project.
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him → deal → project
Corrie said, “My wife, Sarah thought I was absolutely crazy at first, but now it’s built she understands where I was coming from when I was trying to explain the plan”.
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I → say → plan
“I started working on the plans about three years ago and I’m still adding to it – any new idea I have, I just throw it in”.
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I → start → it
What makes Andy Corrie’s £80,000 garden hideout a tropical paradise
The hideout combines tropical greenery, an aquarium, and entertainment features within the garden space.
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hideout → make → space
Its main attraction is an 8,000-litre fish tank containing 14 Koi fish.
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attraction → contain → fish
The retreat also houses 15 Madagascan day geckos and features palm trees, a sound system and a beer tap.
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retreat → house → trees
Corrie spent part of the £80,000 budget on the tropical plants, which grow from large underground planters.
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which → spend → planters
He described the setting as an unusual place, with palm trees that appear to grow straight out of the ground.
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that → describe → ground
The combination of plants, fish and other features gives the garden its tropical character.
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combination → give → character
How Andy Corrie maintains his tropical hideout with Koi fish and Madagascan day geckos
Maintaining the tropical environment involves keeping the fish tank at a constant temperature of 24 degrees.
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Maintaining → maintain → degrees
Corrie bought his 14 Koi fish from dealerships across the UK, with some costing as much as £10,000.
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some → buy → 10,000
After the aquarium was established, someone suggested introducing lizards because they enjoy the warm climate.
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they → establish → climate
Corrie followed the suggestion and added 15 Madagascan day geckos to the space.
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Corrie → follow → space
His children also enjoy spending time around the fish.
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children → enjoy → fish
His four-year-old daughter, Evie, helps him feed the Koi fish every day, while his one-year-old son, Archie, enjoys coming into the hideout and attacking the plants.
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son → help → plants
Andy Corrie plans to add a pool table and more tropical animals to his garden hideout
Despite spending more than £80,000 on the garden project, Corrie has not finished developing the space.
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Corrie → plan → space
He wants to extend the hideout to accommodate a pool table and has considered introducing more tropical animals.
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He → want → animals
His ideas include tree frogs and possibly monkeys, with the aim of making the garden feel even more like a jungle.
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garden → include → jungle
The plans reflect his approach since he first began working on it.
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he → reflect → it
Corrie said he continued to add features whenever he came up with a new idea.
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he → say → idea
The hideout also gives him somewhere to unwind after a hard day's work and relax at weekends without travelling far from home.
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hideout → give → home
His family has embraced the space, which began as his personal escape.
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which → embrace → escape
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