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ANNOUNCER: This family's backyard is not
living up to its potential.
It's a little ugly, I'm not gonna lie.
It is. Yeah, it is.
We absolutely hate this.
This is a disaster.
ANNOUNCER: So these two sisters are making over
their parents' backyard.
Never seen this contraption before.
ANNOUNCER: And incorporating a number
of Spanish style entertaining areas...
Oh, yeah.
ANNOUNCER: That they and their
large extended family...
Like 50.
50 plus.
ANNOUNCER: Can enjoy to the fullest.
Oh, my gosh.
BOTH: I love my yard.
We're so sisters.
This is my not so lovely backyard.
I hate my yard.
It's basically a big desert with no character at all.
Everything about the yard we hate.
It's just embarrassing.
I don't think you can pay me to come up
with one thing I like about it.
ANNOUNCER: When a yard's this bad,
you need all the help you can get.
That's where top landscape designer
Sara Bendrick comes to the rescue.
Now we can get going.
This might take longer than we thought.
So maybe just angling a little bit that way.
ANNOUNCER: Tough, creative, and determined,
Sara can turn that yard you hate
into an outdoor space you'll never want to leave.
MAN: That was amazing, I was blown away.
I've never seen something like this.
I don't know about you, but I'm home right here.
I'm good.
ANNOUNCER: Melissa and Iliana love spending time
with their parents, Ramon and Margarita,
but this close knit family is missing something
from their backyard, a place they can entertain.
We have a big family and they will come and visit us
on special occasions, you know.
Our family is loud and big,
so it's like we can't really--
Keep them all-- Yeah, inside.
ILIANA: The backyard that we have now,
I mean, it's not appealing to the eye.
It's half cement, half grass.
The grass is dead.
You just kind of go out there and just like, ugh...
ANNOUNCER: Melissa and Iliana want to change this
neglected yard into a space their whole family can enjoy.
Well, my daddy recently had a heart attack
and he wanted to work on the backyard,
he was actually in the process of doing it,
but since he had his heart attack,
he can't really finish what he started.
And we just, kind of, want to give back
and then just kind of like do something for him
since he's been such a great dad.
What is this?
This used to be a tree.
Yeah, I can see that.
We had to cut it down.
As you can see it's just a halfway done job right here.
Yeah, so now you're halfway done removing this tree,
I want to remove it all the way.
The nice thing is, is this concrete patio
is in great shape.
It's a little ugly, I'm not gonna lie.
We agree.
SARA: But it'll make a great base,
so we can maybe put tile on, maybe we stain it,
We love that.
I'll have to figure it out for you guys.
Wow.
ILIANA: Oh, we absolutely hate this.
This is a disaster.
It's more like our own little personal dump.
Oh, yes, definitely.
No.
SARA: So the ivy on the fence,
I actually kind of like it because it screens out
your neighbors and what's behind you.
It does need some cleaning up though.
It's like you have a nice space out here.
I mean, there's plenty of space.
It's fairly open, which is nice.
What would you guys like to do in the yard?
We're a big family, I'm talking about like 50.
50 plus.
Immediate family.
We're lots of kids.
So we just like to have lots of parties,
we're very loud, we like to eat.
Oh, yeah.
Okay, so we want to use all the space you have
if you have that many people.
Let's put areas where they can hang out.
And theme or style wise,
we can go on a lot of directions to do that,
do you guys have a preference?
Spanish.
I think we can all agree on that.
Maybe have a lot of, like, the earth tones
like from the American southwest,
and then bring in big bold accents of some sort.
I think that's great.
I think that could be a really exciting backyard.
So what I want to do is I want to take all these notes
and I'll go ahead and draw up a plan for you guys
and I'll come back and we can start building.
And, Iliana and Melissa,
I'm really gonna need your help.
Let's do it.
And, Margarita and Ramon, you guys get to relax
and watch it all happen, okay?
Yeah, can't complain about that.
ANNOUNCER: Here's Sara's plan.
The house and garage will be freshened up with paint,
and the existing concrete pad will be tiled over
to create an attractive base
for Spanish style outdoor dining area.
A stone pathway will lead to a new lawn flanked
by a relaxing fountain with decorative tiles
and an outdoor fireplace ideal for entertaining.
Desert landscaping will help to complete
the southwestern feel of the yard.
The budget for this project is 24 grand.
All right, ladies, so the first thing
we need to do is to clean this yard up.
I don't know why you keep something like this.
I mean, maybe it could be
some sort of art work on the wall.
All right, so what we want to do is we want to go ahead
and trim off the tops here.
You have the pruners to do that.
Not bad for beginners, huh?
SARA: Yeah.
All right, Iliana and Melissa.
This area is your new fireplace.
All right?
Wow.
It's not just any fireplace,
so I really want it to go with the theme,
so it's an adobe inspired fireplace.
But what we need to do is
we need to dig the footing for the structure.
It needs a nice solid base.
So we're gonna go ahead and dig out the area
that's been lined out.
We want to go 2 feet deep.
Okay?
Oh, my gosh.
Good job, Sara.
The guys are gonna come back
and they're gonna pour concrete for our footing here.
All right, next project.
Let's go.
So what we're doing here is we cut out the areas
where we're gonna place the posts for the pergola.
And we need to dig the holes.
So you set those posts into concrete.
And we don't want to be too messy
because the bigger the hole,
the more concrete we have to use to fill it.
But we want it wide enough that it's stable.
Never seen this contraption before.
Yeah, it's a post hole digger
and the point is to help you dig more narrow holes,
so we don't need to dig as wide.
Awesome.
Iliana and Melissa are really eager to help
with whatever they can.
So I'm excited to keep working with them,
so the whole family can enjoy the space.
Oh, yeah, the bougainvillea.
It's gonna make a big pop of red.
I know, I love this.
I love the color.
Yeah. Happy is good.
ANNOUNCER: Demo day has come and gone.
And now it's time for Sara and her crew
to get down to business, helping the Martinez sisters
transform their family's neglected backyard.
We have a huge list of stuff to do today.
SARA: The core of the fireplace has been built.
We have the footing poured.
And now we started with our cinder blocks
to build up the fireplace.
The water feature wall needs to be tiled over as well.
I'm gonna work on that with the girls
as well as making some mosaic stepping stones.
So what I'm gonna show you guys how to do,
is to make a really simple mosaic stepping stone tile.
So I got these ceramic tiles here,
and what I did is I broke them into pieces
and I also made designs for you guys
and we can each choose one.
I call this one.
You call that one--
And what we need to do here is,
I have these mosaic tile molds
and we'll start off by placing petroleum jelly
on the inside much like greasing a cake pan.
Sounds easy.
So we can pop out our molds when we're done.
We can take our design template,
we're gonna place it in the bottom.
We're gonna take the contact paper
and place it sticky side up.
So I have these wheeled nippers right here.
Because I have a pretty skinny border
I'm trying to fill,
I'm gonna cut some of these pieces smaller
and it's really easy, just pinch the edge
and it will cut it right in half.
Simple enough.
It's time to mix up our concrete mix.
We're gonna pour that on top and then we'll be all done.
SARA: For the concrete mix, I'm using 2 part thinset
and 1 part rapid set concrete.
And the rapid set concrete's
really gonna give it some structure,
and then I'm using the thinset
because it has an adhesive quality
that's really gonna stick the tiles to the paver.
Looks good, ladies.
All right, so what we need to do now
is we need to leave these be,
we're gonna let them set up overnight,
but I actually finished one yesterday that I can show you.
The paper.
There's our paper.
Ooh.
Wow.
So pretty.
That's beautiful.
Yeah, the plants are here.
How exciting.
Beautiful.
So many colors. Oh, my gosh.
I know, I'm so excited.
SARA: The plants are here
and I'm so pleased with the variety of color
and the diversity of the plants.
It's gonna make that desert garden so beautiful.
Oh, yeah, the bougainvillea.
This is beautiful.
I love the color.
SARA: That's the best thing about bougainvillea,
it's just such a pop of color.
All right, next project now.
Let's go.
All right, it's time to start the fountain wall.
I selected these decorative tiles and all together,
they make a beautiful pattern.
See if we can put them together, see.
Oh, my gosh.
Yes, the colors.
Let's get down and dirty.
SARA: We're using thinset
to attach the tile to the cement board.
I want it to be a nice peanut butter consistency,
and has to have an nice tacky feel for it to really stick.
So we want to make sure
we pay attention to the pattern on the tile.
We're gonna start it with this one here.
This is the center of the pattern.
And follow the lines.
There we go.
You want to grab one, do the next?
I'll use a spacer here, this is 1/8 of an inch
and this will give us consistent spacing throughout.
All right, so let's go ahead and finish this first course.
Lay it on thick.
Nice.
All right, it's looking pretty good.
It does.
Today we got a lot done.
We went ahead and tiled the fountain wall.
The large pine dining structure looks so great.
The fireplace is almost done.
We're making progress. We're doing good.
First plant you ever planted, how beautiful.
I'm gonna remember this for ever.
ANNOUNCER: There is still a lot going on
in the Martinez family backyard.
Progress has been made on the new tiles and fireplace,
but right now it's the Spanish style
outdoor dining area that needs Sara's attention.
And she's bringing in the Martinez sisters
to help her out.
Rene, we want to come help you.
Okay, sounds good to me.
The stain is coming out beautiful.
Yeah, it's looking really nice.
So where can we start?
Uh, you can finish this post if you want.
We'll finish this post,
then we'll move on to those two.
SARA: using an oil based stain,
it's gonna take a little bit longer to soak up and dry.
But it's really gonna protect the wood from the elements.
It really accentuates the cut of the wood
and all the knots and the grain,
see how it brings that out?
Yeah. it makes look completely different.
Yeah, it's beautiful.
Right, you're pro.
I try, I try.
All right, what you want to focus on is the areas
that the roller can't hit.
So all these little crevices, in between,
you're cutting in, that's what they call it.
It's gonna look beautiful with the tile on the floor.
Mm-hmm.
This is one of my favorite styles of design.
Spanish, yeah.
It brings like a warm feeling.
SARA: It's a warm, happy feeling.
It reminds me of family and food.
Yes, exactly.
Oh, yeah.
With our family and friends with the carne asada.
Some guacamole.
All right, you guys are making me hungry.
We got more work to do.
All right, let's go.
All right, Melissa,
so what I have here is a non sanded grout.
We're gonna take this grout, I have a rubber float.
We're gonna put on the rubber float,
we're gonna go ahead
and work it into all the joint spaces here.
Okay, got it.
So I'll go ahead and work it in,
and we're gonna go over this a couple of times
but it's okay to get it all over,
we'll be cleaning this up.
I chose a beige color
because I didn't want to detract
from the main focus of the tiles.
All right, so you get the idea?
Yes, I do.
I'm ready to get my hands dirty.
Thank you.
If you put the float at 45 degree angle,
it'll help wedge the grout into the joints.
More into it, okay.
Nice.
Before the grout sets up completely,
we're using a damp sponge to clean up the excess.
Oh, look how pretty it is.
Look at that blue.
So it looks like we're about done.
Just buff it up with a cheesecloth
and call it good.
Once we place the fountain there,
it's gonna get this full Spanish courtyard feel.
I know.
Yes.
All right, ladies,
it's time to make the desert landscape.
All right.
And what we're gonna do is we're gonna take
some of the excess dirt from the rest of your yard.
I want to have a little bit of rolling dunes.
The first step to our desert landscape
is creating the foundations.
And I want to start by bringing some low mounding.
This is gonna help visually by separating the space
from the rest of the yard
and also make it appear more natural.
All right, now that we have our mounds in places,
we're gonna amend your soil
and it's gonna help the soil drain.
It's gonna fix the soil structure,
so water will drain away
from the plants and not stay up on the roots.
If you actually take out the soil and feel it,
you can feel all the grit and the sand in it.
And compare it to your soil.
Your soil is really soft and smooth.
That's not good for drainage,
All right.
Now it's time to plant
and I want to start out with my big plants.
Let's go ahead and take this octopus agave together.
The nice thing about this agave is
it doesn't have very sharp edges.
Okay, right about here.
All right, ladies.
Now that we have all our plants placed,
it's time to start planting.
So we'll grab a shovel, we'll just start digging.
We want to dig the hole
as deep as the soil is in the container.
Got it.
And then a little bit wider than the container.
Perfect.
You can ruffle the roots a little bit with your hand,
you can massage the sides of it.
And that'll encourage the roots
to grow into the native soil.
The first plant you ever planted. How beautiful.
Yay, I'm gonna remember this forever.
I'm so excited for Grandpa Al.
I love how you gave it a nickname.
That's awesome.
Well, he's a new member of our family, you have to.
There's this huge old specimen aloe
and Iliana and Melissa started calling him Grandpa Al
because it's so old.
It's 50 years old.
I really want that to be the showpiece.
What we're gonna do now is we're gonna take
the decomposed granite
and that'll really give it a desert look.
I want a nice thick layer of decomposed granite
to really help keep the weeds out
as well as keep the plants happy with the nice drainage
it's gonna provide.
Well, you guys have worked so hard
and I'm so proud of you guys.
Yeah, we have.
The crew and I are gonna finish up the job,
so when you guys come back, there'll be a little surprise.
Awesome, can't wait to see it.
Thank you, Sara.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
Welcome to your new backyard.
Oh, my God.
You guys did a really, really good job.
I love it.
ANNOUNCER: It's been a big job but Sara
and her crew have finally finished laying sod,
placing patio tiles, and stuccoing the fireplace.
It's reveal day and I'm putting
the final touches on the backyard.
I cannot wait to show the yard
to the whole Martinez family.
Ramon and Margarita have not seen anything.
ANNOUNCER: Before, this underused backyard
had a complete lack of style
and absolutely no place to entertain.
Now, Sara has given it a warm Spanish feel,
complete with an outdoor dining area,
a welcoming fireplace and fountain,
plus authentic desert landscaping.
Welcome to your new backyard.
Oh, my God.
Wow.
RAMON: Beautiful.
Very, very nice.
No, definitely.
SARA: Look at your new dining structure.
Oh, my gosh.
This is gonna be the party house.
RAMON: This is really something.
All the colors, oh, my goodness.
So now you have a area
where you can dine with your family.
It really frames the space.
Before, it was all flat
and it was really blinding back here with all the white.
We brought in a lot of color,
softened the house with the yellow.
Saltillo tile, what do you think of the new patio?
RAMON: Beautiful.
I really love it. It's beautiful.
I totally feel like I'm in Mexico.
Check out the mosaic pavers we made.
Oh, the ones that we did!
Those are what, the ones you guys did yourselves, huh?
It's beautiful.
They add so much color
and that brings these two areas together.
SARA: So we have a new path here,
and a lawn area.
We have grass.
Yeah, go look at it.
Wow.
So beautiful.
Melissa and I tiled this wall.
RAMON: You guys did a really, really good job.
Thank you.
Props, props, guys.
You know what this does, is it brings attention
and beauty to this side of the yard
that you didn't have before.
Now it feels real cozy, you know.
Yeah.
SARA: And the water brings a really relaxing sound.
Oh, yeah.
I'm gonna be out here a lot.
All right, you guys, turn around.
Look at the main feature here.
Wow.
Oh, my gosh.
More of our mosaics.
SARA: So this was a part of your yard
that you never used before.
No, no, never, never.
So now you pull all your guests out here,
you guys can look back
at the rest of your beautiful yard.
Right.
And now we just can be everywhere.
SARA: Now you can actually use the space.
I know.
It's so beautiful.
And then, of course, Melissa and Ili and I worked
on the desert landscape here.
Our hard work.
RAMON: You guys really did a really, really good job.
I love it.
We had nothing but tree stumps before,
now look at this.
ANNOUNCER: All the hard work in this yard
definitely paid off,
with the entire project coming in
just $500 over budget.
I'm really happy.
It's amazing.
So do you guys hate your yard now?
No. We love our yard.
We do not hate our yard.
We absolutely love it.
I know that Melissa and Ili
were so happy to do this for you guys.
They wanted to make sure you guys had a beautiful yard.
Yeah, and we'll thank them and thank you for your help.
Oh, well, thank you so much, Ramon.
Thank you. Thank you.
So nice to work with you guys. Margarita.
Sara.
Thank you so much.
Of course.
It was a pleasure.
I enjoyed it a lot, guys.
All right, enjoy your yard.
Yeah.
Bye.
Bye, Sara.
Bye.