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I'm giving away yards.
Nope.
I'm good at what I do.
Yeah.
ANNOUNCER: Licensed contractor Matt Blashaw
needs a yard to crash.
Everything.
It is--yes.
ANNOUNCER: But something about his approach
just isn't getting it done.
Nice.
Very friendly.
You do.
ANNOUNCER: Whoever takes him home
will get a complete French country backyard renovation
with a roaring custom fireplace,
shaded concrete cooking island,
and a custom redwood bench surrounding an old oak tree.
And the best part...
I charge zero.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, that doesn't sound right.
You want to take me home?
ANNOUNCER: Professional contractor Matt Blashaw
stakes out home improvement stores--
I'm giving away gold.
ANNOUNCER: Looking for do-it-yourselfers
who need an extra hand from a pro.
I don't know.
ANNOUNCER: What they don't know is he's gonna transform
their simple project into a total backyard makeover.
WOMAN: It's amazing.
ANNOUNCER: It's like winning the landscape lottery.
You happy?
Here we go.
Nope, I'm good.
No, thank you. Yeah.
You just went like this, 'cause you wanted to get away from me.
Let's try to turn this day around right now.
I think that sounds good.
How about we go home and check out your yard?
My yard?
Man, I can't give it away today.
How's it going? You need any help?
The restroom?
Right back over there.
I know this place very well.
He starts projects and he doesn't finish them.
She just threw you under the bus.
Get in front of that camera.
I know.
Is this your, like, budget?
You're like whatever I can fit in the plastic bag
for 20 bucks is what I'm taking home.
There's nothing in your basket yet.
I know. I'm trying to get there.
Hi.
So what are we, what are we working on at the house?
I just bought a house and it's a total gut job.
I'm working on every room.
Yeah.
Yes.
How's your backyard?
It is completely empty.
Yeah.
The house is weeds.
It sits on an acre.
Uh-huh.
I have a lot of ideas
but I haven't been able to accomplish any of those.
You ever had experience at home improvement?
I have actually managed to sheetrock in texture
and I roofed two houses.
So I have a little bit of knowledge.
I have.
Holy cow.
So what would you say about me
going home with you right now?
It would be fine.
So you're just gonna take me home with you.
I hate to say, you got a camera crew
so you got to be legit, right?
No.
That is all a giant setup.
Uh-huh.
Meet me up front in just a little bit.
Where are you parked at?
I am parked over to the right.
I'm very nervous.
I normally come home with just,
you know, things, not people.
This is nice.
Wow, your husband treats you right.
Ah, the countryside.
Here we are.
She lives on a ranch.
Let's hope this backyard's gonna be huge.
It is big.
Hey!
Good to see you, man.
Okay, let's go check out the back.
Wow.
Up to the creek.
So this was horse land out here.
No way, are those wild peacock?
ANNOUNCER. Dawn Grantham and her husband Robert
have some great features in their giant yard.
But they all need a little TLC
and they know exactly what they want.
DAWN: Kind of a French country, kind of old world.
Okay. Nice.
DAWN: That's what I was trying to gear it to.
Let's just talk about what's not working here first.
Okay.
Our fountain to the pool is a problem
because we wanted something more of--soothing
and it comes out more like a hose.
It's small.
Supposed to be a water feature, but it's really not.
DAWN: And it sounds like a hose.
Is this functional?
ROBERT: No.
DAWN: Good luck on that.
Have you guys used this before?
ROBERT: One time.
You did and how did it work out for you?
It lit up.
MATT: Old, old, old.
DAWN: Old. All old.
ROBERT: Yeah, oak trees drop on it.
So we need a barbecue rehab.
On this.
Definitely.
Landscape's a problem, right?
Huge problem. It's not inviting.
It's not somewhere you want to sit out here
and relax by any means.
I like to see more color.
We need to really find some plants that are good for you.
You like the wild stuff?
All right, that's gonna fit your backyard.
I do.
We have friends.
Okay, good.
I need 7 to 10 of them.
I need them back here for 2 days.
MATT: work side by side with us.
I will be off work.
Great.
This is what else I need from you.
I need total control of this place.
Are you willing to give it to me?
I'm game.
ROBERT: Absolutely.
MATT: All right, this is a deal then.
It's a deal.
All right, man, I'll see you very soon.
All right, thank you.
What do you think of your wife
bringing home a stranger?
Oh, I think she should bring more strangers home
that'll do those kind of things.
( honking )
( cheering )
Yeah.
Come on, come on. More excitement.
You already got your gloves on?
You guys ready?
ALL: Yes!
We're outnumbered with our crew.
This is Jonus Larsen from Larsen Designs.
Good morning.
This is Kate Bowers,
put her little magic touch into the backyard.
And this is Connie Cummings
from Cummings Masonry and Landscape.
Do you guys want to see what we have in store for you?
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Oh, man, it's a big backyard.
Right, we are ready.
Let's go to the back.
ALL: Yay!
I am ready.
Check it out.
French country coming at you.
Oh, man.
That is gorgeous.
What is the one thing you don't see on this?
Brick.
All the brick is going away.
ANNOUNCER: Matt's design is a total rehab
of the existing yard including a brand new faux stone firewall
surrounded by a seating area and landscaping all around.
Oh, wow. Okay, whoa.
And we're gonna give you a brand new water feature over here.
All right?
We're gonna ease the edge over here with some natural stones,
some medallions that the water is gonna come out of, okay?
ANNOUNCER: He will also completely revamp the barbecue
with new countertops and a beefy redwood pergola,
a custom bench surrounding the old oak tree
and more lush landscape.
I'm doing up your barbecue for you.
I can't wait.
All right. You ready to go?
Yes.
Let's go to the trucks, choose your weapon,
let's rip this backyard up.
Okay.
Brick clean up!
Let's make a bet.
Who's gonna fall on the in the pool first?
Uh, it's him.
Taking that slate off was very difficult.
It did not want to come off.
Demo's done.
We clean up and then the dawn of a new barbecue.
Yay!
ANNOUNCER: Coming up.
Whose tape measure's this?
ANNOUNCER: Dawn builds a custom bench
and gets an important lesson in DIY.
Should your tape measure
have a jiggle in it or should it be flush?
ANNOUNCER: And the easy way to build a massive firewall.
Dude, that's all it is. It's all Legos.
ANNOUNCER: Plus...
Just follow that line all the way up.
ANNOUNCER: The simple steps to a topiary tree.
Seeing it.
You seeing the topiary?
ROBERT: Yes.
You ever had experience at home improvement?
I have a little bit.
ANNOUNCER: Yesterday, Matt Blashaw talked Dawn
into taking him to see her very large country yard.
Wow. Is this all yours?
ANNOUNCER: Now...
he's crashing it,
transforming their giant lot into a French country retreat.
This is all graded out.
Okay.
We're gonna make that nice little bench
Okay.
And then you're gonna go with Jonus
and you're gonna put some block in.
Up front, bring your tools.
Got it.
ANNOUNCER: Out back, Robert attaches cement block
to his existing patio for the massive fire feature.
They cut rebar for support and he and Jonus get stacking.
Out front...
We have our bench that we're gonna do.
And it's gonna be a little bit different
because our bench that you have,
you have that oak.
It has all those roots coming out of it.
So it's not gonna be a round bench or octagon.
It's gonna be more like a capsule.
ANNOUNCER: They measure four 2 foot strips of redwood
and two 8 foot strips. But then...
Mine.
ANNOUNCER: Trouble.
You need a new one, because look it,
all your measurements are gonna be off.
Why? You need a tape measure with some flex.
When I do a measurement and I pull it this way,
that's gonna read 5 1/2.
Now if I were to push it into something, okay?
That's what I'm saying, you get different reads.
No, it's got to make, it's got to make room
for this little piece of metal that's here.
Matt says he needs a little jiggle to compensate
for the little tiny metal piece
that's at the end of the tape measure.
You know what?
We're gonna ask two other contractors on this.
Should your tape measure have a jiggle in it
or should it be flush?
Doesn't really matter just as long as you recognize
that if you butt something, you're gonna lose an eighth,
if you pull something, you're gonna gain an eighth.
It would change your measurements, correct?
No, no.
I'm gonna prove you wrong.
Thanks, Jo, thanks, Jo.
Thank you.
Give me the damn tape measure.
ANNOUNCER: With that settled,
Dawn cuts 2 x 6 redwood strips for the frame.
So let's put our first bench up.
ANNOUNCER: They pre-drill and assemble with wood screws.
They cut the angled ends.
One right there.
All right.
One right there.
ANNOUNCER: And attach.
Final step, the legs.
So this is one of four.
Okay? Boom.
ANNOUNCER: Out back, the blocks are stacked.
So Robert and Jonus fill them with concrete.
Working on the fireplace was--it was fun.
And I think we're doing a good job.
I think it'll be done on time.
I can't wait to see
what it's gonna look like when we finish.
MATT: How we looking?
MATT: Beautiful.
All right.
ANNOUNCER: Across the yard,
the crew paints the shed and stains the fence.
Meanwhile...
Let's unload some plants.
Grab a plant, let's go.
Dawn, apple tree.
Some kale.
That's enough to fill the yard, right?
All right, now back to work.
Okay.
ANNOUNCER: Midway through day 1
and the crew sets the pergola posts
and attaches the massive beams.
Below them, Matt and Robert mix up a batch of concrete.
Making the new water fountain down here.
So we took all the brick out.
But what we're gonna do is we got to fill in this...
the hole that we made, okay?
We're just gonna bring the concrete nice and level.
See your already existing concrete
and as soon as we level this out,
we'll be able to dry stack it with some blocks.
And then create the water feature that we're gonna do.
So let's just fill this in...
and then we'll let it set for a little bit,
come back, throw some block on it.
All right.
All right, I'm gonna just jiggle it out.
ANNOUNCER: While Matt and Robert
trowel the footing smooth, irrigation goes in.
Dawn plants the yard.
Next, it's time to work on the topiary trees.
Topiary is actually really cool
because it just gives a lot of elegance to a backyard.
Pretty easy, it's making a swirl all the way up.
ANNOUNCER: They mark the lines with landscape tape.
They trim the outer branches first.
Then repeat 4 to 5 inches lower to create a swirl.
Come up the same path and then we're gonna cut on the bottom of it.
Let's make this a manly topiary.
That looks good.
Definitely not bad, huh?
You seeing the topiary.
Yes.
Just two men and their topiary.
Ain't that beautiful, though?
That is gorgeous.
We got a nice little form right here.
But when it starts to grow, just keep on taking the shears
and just keeping that definition up.
They're actually pretty easy to do.
Yeah.
ANNOUNCER: As day 1 comes to a close,
Matt and Dawn attach 2 x 6 seats to the benches.
Do you have a tape measure?
I'm gonna leave it for you just in case.
ANNOUNCER: And the race is on to stack
700 pounds of cement block.
Hey, we got a lot done today. All right?
But we still have a lot on our plate,
including all of this block. All right?
So this needs to get done tonight
'cause tomorrow we have to stucco.
All right, so the fireplace has to get done, okay?
Water feature has to be all blocked up.
Yes.
OT.
OT.
All right, say bye to the cameras.
Bye, cameras. Let's go.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, giving the fireplace
a French country look.
We're just gonna build all the way up the sides here.
ANNOUNCER: The magic of check marks.
You know, right at the point,
that's the exact mark.
ANNOUNCER: And a simple finish for poured concrete.
Oh, wow.
This was poured like an hour ago?
Yeah, look at that.
Nice.
ANNOUNCER: For Matt's favorite projects and tips,
head on over to the crashers page
at diynetwork.com/crashers.
Good morning, everybody.
ANNOUNCER: It's day 2 of this yard crash.
Overnight, the crew stacked
the rest of the firewall and the pool fountain.
Now the stucco's going up.
The yard looks great.
I think we're ahead of schedule.
Bring it in, bring it in.
Day 2. Whoo-hoo-hoo.
Look it. All our plants are almost in.
Yeah, we're doing good.
Block is up, this is a good thing.
You bet.
All right, scratch in brown coat.
On it.
Married.
Okay, cool? You and I, bench.
All right, let's finish that up.
You guys, ready?
Let's go.
Let's get this thing.
ANNOUNCER: While Jonus drills and installs plumbing
for the fountain, Connie builds forms
for the old barbecue's new countertop.
Nearby, the fireplace and fountain
get a scratch coat.
Okay.
And I know that we had a little bit
of a rough start yesterday.
Oh, we weren't fighting.
We were just having a little scuffle.
I think Matt is a very special individual.
ANNOUNCER: Leaving a 1 inch overhang,
they measure and snap a line,
then trim the seat boards with a circular saw.
I like it.
Heck of a lot easier than cutting it board by board.
Yep.
All right, let's do the other side.
All right.
I am impressed with you, Dawn.
Well, thank you.
Excellent, excellent.
That is as straight as it gets right there.
ANNOUNCER: Final step, sand to smooth.
Next...
To connect the two benches that we have,
we're just going to build two frames, two box frames.
16 x 47 inches.
All we're doing is just bridging the gap right here.
Yeah, just like that.
Right on.
Okay, so if you do a line,
you kind of splay off a little bit.
All right, then you're like, "Oh, where is it?"
So if you do a check mark, so you do one and two.
All right, right at the 87...
so you know right at the point, that's the exact mark.
All right?
That's the one tip for you today.
Watched the whole episode
and I learned about a check mark.
ANNOUNCER: Dawn cuts 2 x 6 redwood for the connector box.
All right, we're ready.
Let's put our box together.
Boom, just like that. You know the drill.
ANNOUNCER: They pre-drill and attach.
All right.
We'll take this in the back, all right?
Okay, here we are to the bench.
Okay, just like that, we'll attach them just like so.
ANNOUNCER: They attach the boxes to the benches.
Then come the seats.
Sit on it.
Perfect.
I like it.
ANNOUNCER: The countertop forms are built.
Connie and the crew start pouring concrete.
I'm dying to see them pour a countertop.
ANNOUNCER: She trowels the concrete smooth,
then uses a plastic bag to texture the surface.
Connie, crunch time.
That means it's hard.
Look at that.
That's good. Oh, wow.
This was poured like an hour ago.
Yeah, look at that.
Nice, and this is just a bag finish
Bag finish.
Okay, when's my color coming up?
As soon as we take the forms off and this dries
just a little bit more 'cause this has got to evaporate.
Okay, cool. Color, and then when you get the color,
come and get me, I want to see that.
All right.
All right, beautiful.
Glad it's dry.
ANNOUNCER: All around the yard,
plants and pathways go in.
Meanwhile, Jonus stuccos the firewall and pool fountain.
You like the way this is turning out so far?
Beautiful, nice clean lines.
Okay, we're gonna give it a rough texture now.
Okay.
It's cultured stone, all right.
Basically, it's made out of a cementitious material, molded.
From the outside, looks like stone.
So what we're gonna do is that we're just gonna build
all the way up the sides here.
Okay, and then we're gonna put an acrylic coat on the top.
All right, that French country,
you got to put a lot of stone into it
and it's gonna give us some beautiful colors to it.
Very cool. I love the colors.
Burgundy, all right,
just a little bit more like a black and then tan.
I've seen you've been handling that trowel all day,
so you know how to butter all the way through.
Okay.
And then just push, push that mortar in,
Beautiful.
Okay, so stack those up. Let me see how you do it.
ANNOUNCER: They mortar the cultured corner stones
in random patterns up the edges of the fireplace.
Just make sure we clean those edges up.
You can just use your finger.
Got it.
All right, I'm gonna leave you to it.
All right.
Thanks, Matt.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, Dawn gets her flame on.
Just light me.
ANNOUNCER: Matt has a unique painting technique.
I am the master of air.
ANNOUNCER: And it's full speed ahead
to get this massive yard done.
Hey, guys, 2 hours. We can do this in 2 hours?
How's your backyard?
It is completely empty.
ANNOUNCER: 2 days ago, Matt Blashaw went home
from the home improvement store with Dawn Grantham.
You know, the whole yard is a problem in itself.
Yeah.
ANNOUNCER: Now it's halfway through day 2
and the work is far from done.
Rock back and forward.
Oh, catching on fire, man.
ANNOUNCER: They blow torch the pergola
to give it an old world patina.
Looks good.
ANNOUNCER: Then move on to the bench.
Burn the bench, not the tree.
Not the tree. Just light me.
ANNOUNCER: Nearby, Connie applies a stain
to the barbecue island countertop.
Then Matt uses a clever trick to add color.
I am the master of air.
ANNOUNCER: They apply water based stain
in three different shades of blue...
and simply spread it with a leaf blower.
Beyoncé Connie.
Yeah!
ANNOUNCER: Meanwhile, it's crunch time.
Paint goes up...
gravel goes down...
and the water feature is a go.
Jonus, hit it. I hear water.
Oh, yeah!
Yay, and it sounds pretty.
With that, your yard is wrapped.
Before Yard Crashers, it was a dirty, dead area.
The water feature sounded like a hose
that was going through it.
The cooking area that I had was small, was old, was dated.
It was embarrassing.
I wouldn't want to have friends or family over.
DAWN: I think the new space,
I'm much more comfortable having people over.
It's relaxing.
I think the plants was exactly what I was looking for.
It's very French country and I'm excited
that I have color instead of just dead yard to look at.
My favorite build is the fire feature
that my husband put so much effort into.
I mean, I love that pergola.
I love the cooking area. Now it's beautiful.
So now I can have anybody over.
I think you got one gorgeous backyard.
It's beautiful.
You got a water feature, you got a bar,
you got everything you guys need.
You got a little piece of the French countryside here.
So you love it?
Well, that's a yard crash.
Thank you.
Now get to work on the rest of the house.
All right.
Let's go, let's go.