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I just need one ugly yard, just one!
NARRATOR: Matt Blashaw's cruising the aisles,
and he's got one thing on his mind...
I'm looking for bad backyards.
Ugly backyards. You got one?
...because whoever says yes
will get a complete backyard makeover,
including a custom waterfall, a concrete-paver pathway,
a one-of-a-kind fire pit, and a whole lot more.
What show are you?
Do you know what show I am?
This could be your lucky day.
You have to pick one.
I'm thinking you're "Bath."
But, no, Matt something does "Bath."
Yeah. I'm Matt.
I am.
I'm a different Matt.
Oh.
You want to take me home?
Professional contractor Matt Blashaw
stakes out home-improvement stores...
I'm giving away gold.
...looking for do-it-yourselfers
who need an extra hand from a pro.
I don't know.
What they don't know is he's gonna transform
their simple project into a total backyard makeover.
WOMAN: It's amazing!
It's like winning the landscape lottery.
Yes.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Inspiration.
Oh, yeah? How's that working?
Not good.
No.
You just bring this one.
What are you doing?
Oh, I'm just harassing people.
Thank you.
No.
What's the symbol?
Uh, it's supposed to be fire,
but the menu at -- where'd we go?
P.F. Chang's.
...P.F. Chang's said "spicy," so...
[ Laughter ]
What is the one thing you're looking for today?
Plants.
No. [ Laughs ]
Come on, just say yes.
Why not?
I'm too old for you.
[ Both laugh ]
JOSH: What are you guys doing?
I'm just -- I'm looking for people just like you.
I would love to just go in your backyard and check it out.
[ Laughs ]
If there is,
I haven't figured out how to make money on it yet.
What, do you guys own your own house or what?
Yeah, just bought one.
I'm a licensed contractor looking for bad backyards.
You don't have anything to check out,
so you basically
just walk out the door with me, all right?
Today.
Today. Like right now.
Mm...Okay.
That's a yes.
Handshake. Awesome.
Sure.
Thank you.
It is strange taking him home, but he said he had credentials.
[ Laughs ]
JOSH: If it weren't for her taking home strange men,
[ Laughs ]
Okay, let's see.
All right, man, take me to the back.
You got a nice little space here, guys.
It seems like you have some pretty good shade.
So, you know, you got elements here.
You got a deck, you got a fire pit.
I've never seen one that far into the ground.
That's more like a luau.
BOTH: Yeah.
And then you have some -- is this a weed box?
Weed garden?
JOSH: There's not much nutrition in there, but it grows fast.
It's high turnover.
NARRATOR: Josh Michael and his girlfriend, Sam Hodges,
are less than thrilled
with the feature that came along with their new backyard.
How can you not like horseshoes?
I don't know.
I didn't grow up in the Old West.
Give you a little bit of...
Oh! Oh!
Whoo! Whoo!
NARRATOR: But the real problem
is the lack of privacy and the endless noise.
MATT: You got the freeway here. You got trains, too, right?
Yeah, yeah.
So, you kind of live in a busy...
You guys need some sort of ambient noise.
I like tropical.
MATT: You want a tropical paradise.
I think that's a lot of work.
Well, it's gonna be a lot of work no matter what we do.
Get excited because I'm coming back with an army.
Yes! Hey, thanks, Matt.
[ Horn honks ]
[ Laughter ]
MATT: Come on!
There we go.
Let's do it!
[ Laughter ]
In the stomach.
You ready to make the backyard spicy?
BOTH: Yeah!
Let me introduce you to the team
that's gonna make this happen for us.
This is Jonus Larsen right here from Larsen Design.
Kate Bowers right there,
who's gonna add her special little touch.
We also have the husband-and-wife team
of Connie and Lee Cummings.
[ Cheers and applause ]
They're from Cummings Masonry & Landscaping.
You want to see the design?
Yeah, you do.
Let's go to the back. Come on.
Okay, you guys wanted a tropical paradise.
Yes.
So, that's what you're getting.
Sweet! Holy shmokes!
[ Laughs ]
NARRATOR: Matt's design features an awesome waterfall
and two seating areas, one with a handmade fire pit.
I can't get rid of the freeway, I can't get rid of the train,
but what I can give you is a beautiful water feature.
Okay? Almost a waterfall.
So, we're gonna get it high enough
so you can hear that dropping in,
so we'll try to drown out that sound a little bit.
NARRATOR: Matt will also add in a pathway with custom pavers
surrounded by sod and a lush tropical landscape.
For the privacy issue --
this whole fence is gonna be wood.
NARRATOR: Near the garage...
Yeah.
They're gone.
NARRATOR: Instead, Matt will build
a custom bar on top of another patio,
all topped off with more tropical plants.
It is spicy enough.
It's the red and orange bring it, you know?
Bring us a fire.
Okay. Grab some gloves.
Let's rip this thing up.
[ Cheers ]
Ooh!
You want to use a sledgehammer?
I want to try.
High. There you -- Higher. Good.
Yay, I got one!
[ Laughs ]
There you go, yeah!
No.
I got to run over the horseshoe pit with these,
which was a lot of fun.
Whoa!
Oh, nice!
Game over.
NARRATOR: Coming up...
We're gonna make some concrete stools.
...custom seating the easy way.
MATT: So, this is our bottom.
How much you weigh?
You didn't have to say it.
Oh. You asked.
You could have said, "Enough."
...a DIY stamp to create custom pavers.
I'm a pole dancer.
MATT: Tell me about the backyard.
NARRATOR: Yesterday, Matt met Josh and Sam.
It's got a horseshoe pit,
and I don't throw horseshoes or shoe horses.
[ Laughs ]
They took a chance and took him home,
and now he's crashing their yard.
It's like a dream, like, "Oh, it's happening."
NARRATOR: With demo done, the crew frames the water trough
and stakes forms for the curved patios.
So, this is bender board
that you would have outlining grass or anything,
but we're gonna use it to set our forms.
And how you're gonna do that is you're gonna caddie it.
You just try hitting that hammer against this stake,
it's just gonna bounce, and that's no good.
So, that's why you get a sledgehammer,
you put it right behind that stake like that,
and then you hammer it home.
NARRATOR: As the forms go up,
the crew trenches for irrigation,
and a clever fence repair is in full swing.
We got pressure-treated 2x4
just screwed into the existing posts
that they have right here,
and we're just nailing this dog-eared redwood to it, right?
All right.
Very nice. Say bye to the dogs.
Bye, dogs. Out of here.
Well done, guys.
Out front...
We're gonna make some concrete stools.
Oh. Awesome.
Okay, so what we're gonna use as our forms
are gonna be these.
These are little cylindrical forms...
I like it.
...you'd see in, usually, construction sites.
You'd use them as little pylons
or little forms that you would make.
They can go as high as you want.
Here, we just cut them down to the size that we want
to make our little seats at our little tables.
They trace a plywood bottom to fit each form...
Boom! Circle.
...and cut with a jigsaw.
Now we got to do two things on the bottom of these.
I made three little holes here.
That's where we're gonna put the carriage bolts.
What the carriage bolts are gonna do is
they're gonna go up through bottom.
Oh, I see. Yeah, yeah. All right.
So, when we pour our concrete through our tube,
these are gonna grip onto that concrete.
They attach the carriage bolts...
So, this is our bottom.
...then add casters.
This is good.
Finally, they attach the forms.
Boom! Okay.
Now, just filling these things up with concrete --
they're gonna be heavy,
and it's gonna be a lot of concrete.
I couldn't carry three of them at a time.
Maybe two, but...
Well, we did put rollers on them.
Instead, they drop in an empty bucket
and fill the rest with concrete.
All right, nice.
Boom! Big chair, done.
All right.
Okay, so, we'll let these set overnight.
All right, then, tomorrow, put them in the back.
Midway through Day 1,
the crew rolls wire mesh into the concrete forms.
Out front, concrete arrives.
MATT: Let's do it. All right, there you go.
Push it all the way in that corner.
They pour the patio...
There you go. See that?
You're not clumping it all in one place.
Yeah, just like that.
...then set the posts for the water wall.
There we go. Fill it up. Just like that. Whoo!
As the crew screeds, Matt has one final pour.
With the rest of the concrete,
I poured them into these little forms.
SAM: Yeah.
Made them 3 inches.
So, now these are gonna be your stepping stones.
Oh, neat.
But now we're gonna put a design in them.
You know the little nautilus, the swirl?
And we're gonna do it ourselves.
Look at that stamp.
3/4-inch plywood,
and then we just screwed in the hose
to make our nautilus design.
And now we got our poles on it.
And the pole is actually --
So, when you jump on it, that you don't fall over.
Okay.
125.
You didn't have to say it.
Oh. You asked.
You could have said, "Enough." [ Laughs ]
So, we're just gonna line it up, bop it down,
and then your job is to get up.
Okay.
Get up there, hold the poles, and jump.
Jump?
1, 2, 3, up.
Ooh! Beautiful.
Yeah, yeah.
I think it needs some assistance.
I'm a pole dancer.
NARRATOR: Late afternoon,
the crew stacks blocks for the water feature,
stamps the bar pad,
and tosses a rich red color onto the patio.
But before calling it a day...
Everyone to the front! Front for plants!
Here we go. We got the grasses.
The Japanese...
Grab and go.
Succulents.
Georgie red.
Potting soil.
We're done.
Out back, the crew paints the fence and the wall,
and Day 1 comes to a close.
Tough day today. We did a lot of concrete work.
We did a lot of moving a lot of dirt, okay?
So, we got to finish up the irrigation.
All right, we're gonna help with the water feature.
You guys give it to me? You dig deep?
We'll finish this up?
All right, say bye to the cameras.
Goodbye.
Overtime. Let's go.
How are you with cutting?
Uh, I'm okay with a pair of scissors.
...Sam hits the power tools to build her own bar.
Faster! Faster! Go! Go!
Oh, the pressure's killing me!
But...can Josh keep up?
Ohh. Slightly off.
NARRATOR: For Matt's favorite projects and tips,
head on over to the "Crashers" page
at diynetwork.com/crashers.
Day 2! Good morning!
NARRATOR: It's the final day of this tropical yard crash.
The patios are down,
the water wall is stacked and framed,
and the crew is beat.
Feels like I went 10 rounds,
but today's gonna be the championship round, I think.
This morning when I woke up, I was pretty sore,
but I'm real excited
to finally get to work towards the finished product
so I can get to see it.
I'm getting anxious. [ Laughs ]
You guys ready to go? Come on, energy up! Let's go!
NARRATOR: The crew digs in,
cutting backerboard for the water wall
and haul back lath to support the stucco.
How are you with cutting?
Uh, I'm okay with a pair of scissors.
Yeah.
Baby steps.
[ Laughs ] All right.
What you want to do is just kind of hold the blade up to that line.
Then bring it back, let it spin,
and then...
Just like that.
Mm-hmm.
Nice and easy.
They cut 5-foot strips of P.T. for the length
and 2-foot strips for the width.
Then...
On the sidewalk here,
I went ahead and snapped a chalk line,
and this is a perfect 90-degree angle.
...they use the angle to square up the frame.
So, if we put this up there nice and straight
and just make sure that we're flush on all sides,
and then we'll tag it in, okay?
Okay.
Go to the bottom.
Now the top.
[ Laughs ]
Next, they wrap the entire bar in redwood strips...
...and attach with a nail gun.
Go ahead.
Nice.
Beautiful.
[ Nail gun firing ]
Boom!
Final step for the frame -- a 1x1 redwood trim.
Fast! Fast! Go! Go!
Oh, the pressure's killing me!
Yeah! God, that's great.
So, right here -- Look at this.
This is a little privacy screen
that I found at a secondhand store.
Ornate pieces of wood, all right?
Little carvings,
and it's beautiful, already done.
So, it's gonna go in the front just like this, okay?
And then this is just gonna set right down in here like that.
Then we'll screw this down.
Nice piece of glass on top of this, and look at that.
You feeling tropical?
Heck yes, I am. [ Laughs ]
Out back, Kate and Josh paint the custom pavers.
Nearby, Jonus welds a fire pit with the same nautilus design.
At the waterfall, stucco goes on,
and the faux stone goes up.
Don't look!
Don't look?
Why, is it broken?
No, it's naked.
Don't hide it.
No, I know...
You got the wide-angle lens?
[ Laughter ]
All right, man, keep going. This looks great.
It's coming together.
NARRATOR: Halfway through Day 2,
and the crew installs bender board
and spreads soil for the new lawn
just in time for sod to arrive.
Out front, Jonus measures redwood for the custom benches.
What we have here
is we're gonna make ourselves some radial benches,
and you can get a radius.
You can actually get a piece of furniture
that actually has the radius already cut.
So, we're gonna basically refurbish this,
re-use this to get our radius and get our bench.
So, you ready to cut some pieces of wood?
All right, let's get started.
They cut 18-inch strips for the height
and 2-foot strips for the width
and attach to create a frame.
There's this one.
Then it's time to secure the radius...
Other way.
...maybe.
Ohh.
Slightly off.
Take two.
And three.
All right.
There you go. [ Grunts ]
All right.
Excellent.
Out back, paint goes up, and planting is in full swing.
Pack that in. Perfect. Tropical, baby.
Ooh-whee.
I'm loving it.
Coming up...
See how our chair dried.
...Josh gets a look at his custom concrete seats.
Nice contemporary seat.
Sam puts the final touches on her Bali bar.
Plus, the big reveal.
Oh!
Someone's about to get lucky.
NARRATOR: Two days ago,
Matt went looking for a yard to crash.
No cart.
He found Josh Michael and Sam Hodges.
I leave that up to her.
Holding hands, walking through the aisle.
NARRATOR: Now it's Day 2,
and this crash is about to come to a close.
See how our chair dried.
Look at this bad boy.
Matt and Josh fire up the grinder
and remove the forms from their custom concrete seats.
There it is.
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
Yeah, buddy.
A little sit-down here.
Cool. Nice contemporary seat.
Paint this thing up, and then we bring it on back,
All right.
Josh sticks around to paint the stools.
Out back, the pavers get a custom touch.
Out front...
Last piece of ornate wood going to the top.
All right, let me center it up. We'll just do 6 inches.
All right.
...Matt and Sam finish up the bar.
One more here just for good measure.
Oh, yeah!
We got to take it to the back, though, 'cause we're running out of time.
All hands on bar. We got -- Oh, yeah.
I got a bar mover coming in.
Bali bar coming through.
You all right?
Whoo-hoo!
That's beefy, baby.
Nice. Beefy.
Anybody with loose hands, who wants to stain?
NARRATOR: While Sam stains the bar,
Josh and Jonus pop 1x6 redwood strips onto the custom benches.
They add armrests.
And we're ready to go to the back.
As daylight fades, the crew fills the pathway
with Mexican pebbles...
...Jonus fires up the nautilus...
and the water wall gets filled with rock.
A few final touches...
...and this crash comes to a close.
Yes!
Okay, now, listen, we'll do the before sound.
Listen.
Cars.
Cue the dog.
[ Barks ]
[ Laughter ]
Now, ready?
Oh!
Oh-ho-ho!
That is a water fountain. Now, wait. We'll do the after.
Ready?
What cars?
I don't know. I hear water.
You know what you hear? You hear a tropical paradise.
I do.
And you know what else you hear? We're wrapped. We're done.
Bali's finished! Love it!
Before "Yard Crashers," my whole backyard --
It was unusable.
This was a dog's area.
SAM: Now that we've been crashed, I feel great.
I'm so excited with it,
and I'm actually thinking
I'm gonna start having to walk my dogs
so they can't come back into my people relaxation space.
It came out better than I --
I mean, I've made the joke several times
in these past few days -- bigger than I could dream.
Hey, Bali's done.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I see -- look at this --
beautiful, lush tropical landscape.
You know what I don't see?
My old backyard.
Your neighbors.
[ Laughter ]
How awesome is that?
Great.
No dogs, no neighbors looking in.
I mean, it's just private now.
I mean, look how much greenery we put and a beautiful pathway.
Stepping stones with a nautilus in it,
curved bench, the bar that you and I made.
Heck yeah.
That fire is incredible, with the nautilus.
It's just gonna light up the night.
One of a kind.
One of a kind. And that is a one of a kind.
That's called a volcano.
Yeah.
Look at that. Beautiful.
And not only is it a beautiful focal point,
but it just sounds great.
That drowns out just about everything.
The first thing I want to do
is light our little fire and take a nap by the waterfall.
I love it.
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
I tell you what -- everyone worked so hard.
Tired.
Well, I'll tell you what.
Sit back and enjoy the tropics, 'cause we are done.
That is a yard crash, my friends.
Enjoy. I'm bailing out of Bali.
Let's go, guys. Come on.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.