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Unsuspecting shopper.
NARRATOR: Matt Blashaw wants to remake someone's ugly yard.
Let's go to your house.
I see you're going towards the exit.
So, is that "no"?
What if my bid is zero dollars?
And he'll stop at nothing to make it happen.
Time's a-wasting. We got to go.
Hardware.
All that homeowner needs to say is "yes,"
and they'll get a coastal mountain retreat
with a campfire hangout, relaxing redwood sun deck,
and a lodge-style bar with a one-of-a-kind beer tap.
You can do a little bit of both.
Oh, my gosh. [ Laughs ]
You just noticed it now? [ Laughs ]
We've been talking for like five minutes.
[ Laughs ]
You are in your own little world, aren't you?
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
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 --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
Good.
What are you looking for?
MATT: I don't want to see her pee on anything.
All right.
She peed before she came.
You are in the wrong section.
[ Chuckles ] I am in the wrong section.
You need a GPS.
MATT: If I can't get a yard with this,
I don't know what I can get a yard with.
These kind of moves -- sexy, right?
Are you serious?
This is not the electrical section.
I believe it's indoors.
Hi, girl.
She might pee now, 'cause you're making her excited.
That's what cute guys do to her.
Oh!
Told you. That's what happens.
I have that effect on women.
I know you do. I see.
Bathroom stuff.
Yeah.
We just, uh, bought our house about two years ago,
and we've been trying to just slowly update things
as we've been going along, so...
Okay. Cool.
So, you guys, how's your backyard?
Oh, wow.
[ Laughs ] Okay.
I'd like to.
What do you do for work?
Uh, I work at the cancer center at the local hospital.
Oh, nice. Cool.
Doing good in this community.
Ah.
Two people doing good for the community.
Nice.
And one person that can get me out of jail.
[ Both laugh ]
You serve your community.
I like to serve backyards. That's good.
All I do is I go home with you, two days, redo your backyard.
You got to help me, and we get it done.
But you have to say "yes" right now.
It would be nice to have a backyard.
She's talking sense.
Yeah. I think we can do it.
I tell you what -- Check out, get your stuff, all right?
I'll meet you up front, follow you home.
Sound good? All right.
Let's go.
MATT: That's what I like to see --
a neighborhood full of manicured yards.
Here we go.
All right.
Let's go see how their yard's looking.
Those are big!
Ohh! I'm afraid. Do we have a machete?
This is the most overgrown yard I have seen.
This is out of control.
I feel like we would have a lot of space if it wasn't --
Oh, it makes it look tiny.
I mean, I just felt like I crawled through a cave
in order to get here.
Oh, there is hardscape.
So, we got a patio area. Do you guys even use this?
We don't have a lot of people over in the backyard,
because we can't entertain.
MATT: We got to start with the first steps --
bringing something back here that you can sit on.
Yeah. [ Chuckles ] Not just the steps.
Yeah, not just the steps.
MATT: I know you got redwoods back here.
I know it's more of a mountain theme, but what are you guys going for?
I haven't seen the inside of your house.
You like color. Okay, cool.
Something fun that's just kind of also relaxing
and just easy on the eyes.
And you do have a beautiful backyard.
You have a lot --
That's the first time I've heard that.
I mean, I see beyond, you know?
I see what's on the inside of this yard.
On the outside, it looks like a 5,
but on the inside, I think it's a 10, okay?
I love it. I love it.
This is gonna be great.
You guys serving our community, doing good --
All right.
See you guys soon.
[ Whistles ]
And you think your house is overgrown.
Yikes.
[ Horn honking ]
[ Cheering ]
There we go.
Who's in law enforcement?
We got one, two -- everybody?
[ Laughter ]
No.
But the backyard's gonna get done in two days.
This place is safe, so that's all that matters.
[ Chuckles ] All right.
Let me introduce you to my team, all right?
Right next to me -- He's my right- and my left-hand man.
This is Jonus Larsen from Larsen Designs.
I call him the contracting cowboy.
And next to him -- that is Kate Bowers
here to add her special little touch to the backyard.
Yeah!
You want to see what we're building, right?
Let's go. Let's go.
Redwood is staying.
Everything else is going.
Whoo!
We love it.
NARRATOR: Matt's design includes a new concrete patio,
lodge-style pergola and bar
with a live-edge countertop and a beer tap...
Okay? And here's the deal.
You guys get this done in two days, I'll buy the beer.
Yeah!
NARRATOR: ...along with a redwood sun deck and fire pit...
It's gonna be propane, all right?
Stone with some stumps around there to sit around.
...with a colorful privacy screen behind it,
all surrounded by low-maintenance plants.
Okay, cool?
Yeah!
It looks so good!
Yes!
All right. Let's do this.
Let's just get beast-mode in this backyard.
Let's go! To the trucks! Let's go!
What?!
[ Engine turns over ]
All right.
Can I trust you?
Okay.
That's what I'm talking about.
Ride 'em, cowboy!
Take out everything but my camera guy.
All right?
There we go. Whoo-hoo!
NARRATOR: Coming up, an easy way to turn a rough slab of wood
into a smooth countertop.
We have ye olde planer.
In the old time, they used to have them
where they pushed like this.
No, you don't want to do that. This is magic.
Create aged wood with a painting technique that anyone can do.
The sloppier it is, the better.
And this crash goes old school.
Nothing feels more manly than splitting open some wood.
NARRATOR: Matt was searching for an ugly backyard to transform.
How's your backyard?
Oh, wow.
[ Laughs ] Okay.
And he found it when he met Kathy and Neal.
This is the most overgrown yard I have seen.
They ripped it all out.
Now they're grinding down the leftover stumps,
and Matt has a surprise delivery for Kathy and Neal.
MATT: Rustic is what I wanted.
Rustic is what you're getting.
That is awesome.
The log-cabin look, huh?
Here it is, all right?
I like it.
So, you guys like the look of the logs?
Love it.
I don't know if you're gonna like the weight of them.
NARRATOR: The logs were clearly a hit for Kathy and Neal.
Now, Matt's hoping to go two for two with the bar countertop.
Show me.
I'm gonna show you that big slab of wood right there.
Look at that redwood.
That's mine.
That is going to be your countertop.
That is an awesome countertop.
NEAL: That is a beast right there.
This is a beast of a piece of wood.
One big slab.
No glue needed.
NARRATOR: Enough of the show and tell.
It's time to get digging.
NEAL: All right.
Okay. The pergola that we're putting up
Okay.
Okay? So, those logs we brought in --
that's gonna stick right into the ground.
Neal!
My man's got skills.
NARRATOR: With the holes dug, the pergola posts are set.
Time for some base rock.
Base rock goes down for the concrete patio.
The guys build the frame for the sun deck,
and the rustic bar top gets a smooth finish.
We don't want to push down on it.
We want to let the tool do all the work.
So all we're doing is guiding it
in the same direction of the wood.
[ Planer whirring ]
Once the bar top is smooth, they stain it.
Under the redwoods,
the guys get going on the sun deck.
They set and level the pier blocks
and toenail on the girders.
Then they bring back the prebuilt frame.
Just like that.
Cool. Let's get the redwood on it.
[ Drills whirring ]
What's that?
All right. You know.
So, what we're gonna do,
we're gonna build a three-sided bar.
They measure and cut
the pressure-treated lumber for the frame.
Beautiful.
Just like that 14 more times.
All right?
And I know you know about guns.
One, two, one, two -- all the way down.
They frame out the front and side walls...
That's good.
...then attach them together to form the bar frame.
All right.
Kate and Kathy work on bringing color to the yard
by painting rough-sawn 2x12 privacy-screen boards
different colors.
Then they use contrasting colors to give the boards an aged look.
Mm-hmm.
And then, as you put on little blobs of the dark teal,
we're gonna be going over them with a dry brush.
Mm-hmm.
And so, it kind of gives it
Ooh, so pretty.
And we can just keep messing around with it
till we kind of get a look that we like.
The sloppier it is, the better.
The crew preps the patio area for the big pour.
They set the concrete patio forms...
...and lay rebar to strengthen it.
Concrete -- Here we go!
It's a massive amount of concrete
they have to lug in by hand.
From the house to the sun deck and the new pergola.
NARRATOR: As Day 1 comes to an end,
Matt and Jonus split wood for the pergola and bar.
That's it.
JONUS: Mm-hmm.
That's old school.
Right.
And the crew floats the concrete patio.
Let's end this day. It's getting cold.
This is what we need to do tonight, okay?
What's going on this -- Because we got a woodsy feel, okay,
we want to put that rock into it,
so gonna get the rock stamp that's gonna go on top of it.
And this is what's gonna give us that stone look.
That needs to happen tonight.
Let's go. Overtime!
Let's get on the concrete.
Whoo-hoo!
NARRATOR: Coming up,
Kathy's having a hard time making the cut.
MATT: Just a little bit of a bow.
Not -- Not too bad. [ Chuckles ]
You would be pulled over for an S.U.I. --
Probably.
Plus, the split logs transform the bar into something amazing.
So, that's gonna wrap all the way around.
NEAL: I like it.
And Matt goes wild.
He is ready to bite.
How you doing, buddy?
Aah!
NARRATOR: For Matt's favorite projects and tips,
head on over to the "Crashers" page
at diynetwork.com/crashers.
MATT: Good morning!
Yesterday, Matt and his crew stayed late
stamping the new concrete patio.
It set up overnight, and now it's go time.
So, now what we got to do, we got to get that pergola up.
First things first. Why don't you work on that?
Kate, you making stuff look pretty?
Pretty, plants, paint.
Pretty, plant, paints.
That's a lot of alliteration, I believe it is.
[ Laughs ] Right?
We don't you take Kathy?
You and I are gonna finish that bar
Okay.
Yeah. Let's do it, man.
All right. Let's go. Day 2.
Let's finish this thing up. Let's go!
NARRATOR: The crew gets going lag-bolting the support beams
to the pergola posts...
...and running the irrigation.
And Matt and Neal get back to work on the bar.
So, we're skinning this thing with 3/4-inch plywood.
It's gonna give us a nice surface area
so we can attach those logs onto it from the backside.
They trace out the bar face onto the plywood...
Measure it out? Nah.
Put it right on the thing, you get the exact measurement.
...then cut out the front piece...
[ Saw whirs ]
Now we're doing some target practice.
...and nail it on.
[ Nail gun firing ]
Yee-haw!
Nice shootin', Tex.
[ Laughing ] Yeah.
Next, they cut out the sides.
All right. Beautiful.
Nice.
Bring that in right here.
Perfect. Nice job.
NARRATOR: Across the yard,
the crew builds steps for the sun deck.
They set the posts for the privacy wall...
...and start planting.
This yard might be coming together,
but it's Matt's new friend
that's getting all the attention.
Hey, buddy. How you doing?
Look what we found in your backyard.
Look at it.
He is ready to -- He is ready to bite.
Nope.
No, we're good.
We're gonna set him free.
I need a good escape route.
We're cool.
Aah!
[ Laughter ]
No, no.
He's good.
Whoa! [ Laughs ]
He's still alive! He's still alive.
Yeah, we're good.
No animals were harmed in the making of this show.
NARRATOR: Now that Matt's little friend is safe,
he can move on to the privacy-screen boards.
So, for the privacy screen, what we're gonna do --
Mm-hmm.
But I want to cut this 2x12 down to a 2x8.
Okay?
So that we just get some variation.
We're gonna get some variations within the heighth
and then variations within the actual width.
Love it.
There.
...line up the measurements, and snap a chalk line.
Then Kathy cuts along the line.
Well, sort of.
I think we lost the line.
Who did that?!
[ Laughs ]
Matt straightens it back out, and Kathy finishes it off.
Nice.
Just a little bit of a bow.
Not -- Not too bad. [ Chuckles ]
You would be pulled over for an S.U.I. --
Probably.
In the yard, Jonus installs the burner for the gas fire pit
and surrounds it with boulders.
Loggin', loggin', loggin'.
And Matt and Neal wrap the bar with debarked logs
Okay.
We're just gonna use the same screws
that we put this thing together with.
All right? Right through the back.
So it's gonna hide the screws.
Hit me right there.
Sweet. Come check it out.
So, that's gonna wrap all the way around.
Cool.
They screw on the rest of the logs...
...and chain-saw the top logs level with the bar.
Next, it's time to top off the bar.
Bar coming through!
Bar coming through!
Just like that.
Oh!
[ Laughs ]
Sweet.
NARRATOR: Nearby, the crew frames the deck
that will connect the two entrances into the house...
...and Jonus finishes off the gas fire pit with lava rock.
KATHY: [ Gasps ] It's so pretty!
KATE: That's a gas fire pit.
Oh, wow. That's warm.
Ahh!
MATT: Hey, warm up by working.
I'm gonna take her. All right.
Okay.
So you just come in the back with some screws,
right to the front, no fasteners.
Yeah, buddy.
Working with Matt on the privacy wall is a lot of fun.
He is a hoot to work with.
♪ Funk, funk, funk, funk, funky dance ♪
What an awesome project to have for our backyard
that I can say that I am doing.
MATT: This fence is done.
You know what my favorite part is?
The funky Kathy curve.
Hey! There it is.
It adds a little spice to it.
All right. Great.
NARRATOR: Coming up,
how to get a great pine-tree smell without the trees.
It's gonna go up about three feet by about four feet.
And the bar gets kicked up a notch with a custom beer tap.
Check it out.
Oh!
That's awesome!
NARRATOR: Matt didn't know what he was getting into
when Kathy and Neal agreed to take him home.
MATT: Ohh!
I'm afraid. Do we have a machete?
He tore out their jungle.
Copy that.
And for the past two days,
he's been transforming their yard
into a coastal mountain retreat.
They have the look down.
Now they just need to add the smell.
All the plants and shrubs we're giving you
gives you that woodsy feel, all right?
But sometimes you want to have, like, a pine tree
Yes.
Yes.
Oh, it smells so good.
This is a nest spruce, is what's it's called.
It's cute.
Conifer family, okay, so same thing
as, like, redwood, pine, all right?
And it's gonna go up about three feet by about four feet.
Beautiful. Nice.
We've got some ferns and other stuff to put in,
Perfect.
The final touches are put on the yard.
Yeah.
Kate hangs art made from the privacy-screen scraps.
MATT: Give me that Mexican pebble.
Matt spreads pebble for the campfire hangout.
The crew lays sod.
They finish the last of the decking
and add a special feature to the custom-made bar.
You ready for this?
I'm salivating right now.
I had it custom-made for you, buddy.
Check it out.
Oh!
Oh, my gosh.
It is one of those old hand pumps they use for water
turned into a beer pump.
So, now you got a beer pump.
I love it!
Oh, my gosh. This is awesome.
Now, you held up to your bargain.
You guys worked hard.
Yes.
And now I'm gonna hold up to mine.
All right. Pour it up.
You do the honors.
Cheers!
The beer is flowing, and this yard is wrapped!
[ Cheering ]
Our yard before "Yard Crashers" came was a disaster --
"Jurassic Park" meets "Jumanji" --
completely covered in weeds.
It was something that we kept the drapes shut
so people wouldn't see how awful it looked.
And now, it's open, it's spacious-looking,
it feels like
you're walking into kind of like a little nursery area.
I love the grass. I love the trees.
It just -- It feels like home now.
My redwood bar is out of control.
It's so much cooler
than I could have even imagined it would have been.
The colorful privacy wall -- It's beautiful.
It adds a lot of color to all the greenery
that we have in the yard with the trees.
KATHY: Oh, the fire feature,
especially on a day like today --
I cannot wait to go and sit and be by the fire pit
and roast marshmallows and enjoy our deck
and have people over and see how beautiful our yard turned out.
We've built a beautiful forest.
All right!
We are done, done, done, done!
And this time, we built a forest on purpose.
[ Laughs ]
Hey, your friends and family -- amazing.
Please thank my crew over here --
Jonus, Kate, Scott, Brandon, and the rest of these guys.
I say, "Hey, we're building a bar," and guess how many guys showed up --
They're not even working for money.
I don't blame them.
Love it.
Thank you!
Now you're gonna have to help me
peel these guys out from the bar.
We're out. "Yard Crashers" done.
Out!
[ Applause ]