Crafty Dad Saves Hundreds by DIYing Jack-o'-Lantern Doorway Arch for Halloween in Just 3 Hours (Exclusive)

• A handy dad took a DIY approach to a popular Halloween decoration item for his home
• Mason Smith shared a video on TikTok of how he made the jack-o'-lantern arch for the doorway of his home
• Mason tells PEOPLE about his approach to decorating for spooky season and having fun doing it

Mason Smith has done it again!

The DIY dad, on TikTok @dadsocial, posted a video to TikTok showing how he made his own jack-o'-lantern doorway arch, saving hundreds of dollars that the pre-constructed ones cost.

"POV: You're a husband and you told your wife you could build it for cheaper," he writes, laying out the many plastic pumpkins that make up the piece.

Smith tells PEOPLE he first saw a premade jack-o'-lantern doorway arch in a store but knew he could make it on his own.

"Every year, I try to add something new to my Halloween décor, while still using all my decorations from the previous year. So this year I was going to buy the pumpkin arch I saw at my local Home Depot, but after measuring it I realized it was only about half the size of my doorway where I planned to put it, and it was almost $300 at the time," he shares. "That's when I turned to this DIY project.

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The video shows Smith mixing concrete to add to the bigger jack-o'-lanterns that make the base of each side of the arch. He puts the bottom of the tubes he used to shape the arch in the cement, making sure the base is sturdy.

Smith then drills holes in all the other plastic pumpkins as he prepares to thread them with tubing and establish the shape.

"This arch took me a total of 3 hours to put together from start to finish," he shares.

"I have also built a ghost fan that looks like ghosts are flying around my porch by installing a used ceiling fan and taking fishing line with ghosts tied to the ends of each fan blade."

Smith enjoys the projects themselves, but even more so, he enjoys sharing them with his family.

"My family's reaction was priceless. My wife first asked where I bought the arch, and after finding out I built it, she was even more impressed," he shares. "My kids liked it, but once they saw it at night, they LOVED it!!"

These fun projects are a labor of love for the dad, who has also built a replica of Peppa Pig's house for his daughter, as well as his favorite project: "a power wheel camper trailer that I built for my kids to take camping with us this summer."

Smith adds, "I just love making and improving stuff that makes people smile."