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Blashaw's Best
Landscapes We <3
Matt Blashaw’s Best Backyard Transformations 38 Photos
Licensed contractor Matt Blashaw has elevated weekend DIY to an art form on Yard Crashers. Have a look at the blank (or, in some cases, cluttered and overgrown) canvases he’s encountered over the years—and the al fresco masterpieces they become.
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MEET THE HOST
Matt Blashaw
This licensed contractor honed his handyman skills while working at his father's lumberyard through college.
About the show
Episodes
See Episode GuideBackyard Living Wall
These homeowners are desperate for a relaxing and meditative space in their backyard. Matt and his crew deliver with a massive vertical garden wall, a custom redwood deck and arbor, flagstone flooring for a new stainless steel BBQ grill, an elevated reading area decked out with a unique privacy wall, custom hanging living frames and finally, a bamboo water feature for tranquility.
Modern Dart Den
An underused outdoor storage unit becomes a useable outdoor game room with modern wall treatment and custom pipe and wood furniture. Matt and crew also deliver with a granite countertop bar and stainless steel grill inside a ledge stone faced base and a copper water trough. On the opposite side of the grill is a functional copper ice bucket for beverages. Finally, tall evergreen shrubs create a full privacy screen.
Elegant Chill Pad
This homeowner is desperate for a place to lounge and entertain her large group of friends. Matt and his crew hit the ground running by building a rustic metal seat wall with composite cap, a precast-fireplace with hearth and a redwood pergola, which includes a lush espalier screen wall, two bubbling rock water features, fresh sod, and a beautiful outdoor kitchen with kegerator. And finally, planting beds filled with colorful plants to give this single homeowner additional beauty in her yard.
Traditional Country Deck
This small unusable deck is going big Texas style! Chris and his crew deliver in a big way by transforming a dead zone of a deck into a functional outdoor dining area with a custom prep station bar all on a new massive cedar deck. A natural flagstone patio with a fire pit gathering area and a tranquil bubbling moss water feature are added. And finally, large privacy screens are built with lush trailing vines and colorful plants to complete the yard.
Vintage Chic
Wendy & Demond have a plain backyard. They'd like an outdoor space to cook and chill in so Chris comes to their aide. The existing sod and old brick pathway is removed and replaced with a new flagstone pathway. A new concrete patio is poured and a beautiful redwood pergola is built onto it with some reclaimed lumber and shutters as the backdrop. A custom outdoor kitchen is constructed with a special countertop and wood siding base. A beautiful water feature surrounded by herbs & veggies becomes a functional part of the yard. Masonry & wood benches provide an entertainment spot around the metal fire feature. A one-of-a-kind sports scoreboard is created for their energetic baseball loving family along with new sod and surrounding plants!
California Casual
Amanda & Tyler have a boring back yard. They'd like a place to eat & entertain so Chris agrees to help them with their vision. The existing covered deck is enhanced by updating the existing railing. A surround is built for Tyler's smoker so that it becomes his outdoor kitchen with a granite countertop prep area. The side stairs which were awkward are replaced with corner stairs that provide more room as well as drop down to a huge new concrete patio complete with a brick fire pit. A large metal water feature becomes the focal point of the yard. Wood & metal privacy screens are built to hide the back neighbor's house. Horse troughs are repurposed into raised planter beds. And finally, the master bedroom's landing is enlarged and a curved brick seat wall is added to make the space more cohesive. Large trees and colorful landscaping is added, along with new sod.
Mid Century Modern Makeover
Pedro and Alicia purchased their Eichler home and have spent time redoing the inside but have neglected the outside. It's a messy space with no flow and no shade. The couple begged Chris to help them transform it into a mid century modern entertaining space. Chris starts with demoing the existing cracked concrete pad and replacing it with concrete squares in a grid pattern. Pedro is a chef so Chris adds a large 'L' shape kitchen & bar island faced in metal mesh, and an herb garden. For Alicia, he includes a large metal shade structure over a dining space. The rickety block wall is replaced with a cement and glass block water wall to become the yard's focal point.
Modern Bamboo Haven
Chris Lambton and crew turn this dilapidated backyard into a modern bamboo haven. This transformation includes a beautiful bamboo retaining wall that doubles as a seat wall, a large overhang structure custom-made with gigantic bamboo panels for shade and beneath it is a tranquil copper water feature. A composite bamboo countertop bar with kegerator, adjacent to a beefy stainless steel grill, and finally, colorful plants complete the yard.
Modern Splash Bar
This small suburban backyard is in need of a major overhaul. Chris Lambton and his crew begin this makeover by installing a redwood deck surrounding a spa with an attached bar for entertainment, a beautiful outdoor dining area under a large wooden pergola and new concrete patio. They build a rustic bar customized with corrugated metal and concrete top and a custom retaining wall using wood and metal. Finally, they plant colorful plants to soften the yard.
The Tan, Chill and Grill Yard
Chris Lambton takes on a big blank slate of a backyard to give a party-loving couple the perfect outdoor living space. Three distinct patio spaces emerge starting with an elevated redwood tanning deck framed with a decorative curb. Center stage, the guys pour an oversized concrete pad that's popped with a circular boulder fire pit, wine inspired bench swings, and a stunning sheer descent water feature backed with glitzy copper. The last patio is the outdoor kitchen that boasts a stacked stone island with BBQ grill, copper countertop with aged patina, a mosaic pub style table, and a vertical herb and veggie garden lush with seasonal plants.
Waterfall Oasis
Homeowners Melanie & Ian have a lackluster backyard and they want a space to entertain and relax in with their family and friends. Chris and his crew arrive to build a unique granite and redwood bar table with an adjoining prep station cabinet. New concrete is poured with random insets of flagstone throughout. A custom fire pit is constructed out of concrete with a rustic metal ring on top. A massive rock waterfall and pond is built with fragrant and lush plants. A secret garden is designed for their furry pets which includes non-toxic plants, mulch & frozen treats.
Napa Valley Tuscan Transformation
A young Napa Valley couple is drowning in weeds, struggling to gain control of their overgrown backyard. So far, the best they've done is used a corner as a makeshift car workshop, under a shade structure that could cave in at any moment. Matt Blashaw offers to help them transform this mess into a gorgeous, private wine country inspired backyard retreat. Projects include a gorgeous wall of privacy panels complete with custom metal medallions, Tuscan inspired do it yourself table and benches, and stamped concrete patios and pathways. Matt's design features a new fire pit, a pond with boulder waterfall, and Tuscan inspired plantings including large and dwarf olive trees. This couple is ready to make it happen in two days. But first, they'll have to move dozens of car parts out of the way.
Fireman's Party Bar
Chris Lambton and his crew transform this boring backyard into a beautiful party station, which includes a metal pipe fire feature, a repurposed keg water feature and two redwood decks. A massive reclaimed bar with a granite countertop and a concrete patio with decorative rock inlay, lattice screens for both privacy and greenscaping, crushed rock pathways and patios, all surrounded by colorful plantings.
Rustic Outdoor Kitchen
This fireman's large yard is desolate. He begs Matt for a space he can cook and entertain in and Matt delivers! He runs with a design that is rustic and reclaimed with a big boulder fire pit, a tall water wall with arcing water and a huge outdoor kitchen faced in reclaimed wood and covered with a redwood arbor. He refurbishes the existing covered patio with a new stain on the concrete and adds a lounging area and tv! Finally, he builds custom benches near the bag toss game area, and add sod and lots of mature landscaping.
Rustic Country
A shabby backyard is transformed into a woodsy retreat with a natural waterfall and pond, a country outdoor kitchen, and a natural flagstone patio with a fire pit. Distressed redwood shutters and window boxes are customized and new sod isinstalled with lavish plantings of redwood trees around the perimeter of the yard.
Vintage Hillside
A back yard with an ugly steep hillside gets some character when a pergola topped with laser cut metal panels is added, along with an elevated patio that houses a vintage inspired fire pit. In addition, the desolate hill is transformed into a lush area with large trees, grasses and colorful annuals. A water fall cascades down the hillside from a couple antique oil jugs and a dining area and new smoker with custom surround are added.
Outdoor Racing Room
Matt finds Charlotte, North Carolina's biggest stock car fans and turns their boring back yard into an entertaining space inspired by their love of racing. Floor mats are laid out in a checkerboard pattern for the patio and an outdoor kitchen is added with a custom tool-chest barbecue along with a bar with a racetrack inspired concrete countertop. A step up to the winner's circle paver patio reveals a concrete "tire" fire pit, race car seating, water fall and curved arbor. Finally, privacy plants are added along with sod to complete the ultimate race car fan party pad.
Tuscan Terrace
A barren back yard is transformed into a Mediterranean outdoor living space with a stone spa house, a pergola with Tuscan style columns, and a large cobble terrace. In addition, a fireplace flanked with water walls and a barbecue counter are built. Finally, Italian inspired plants such as olive, lavender, flax and cypress are added to the landscape.
Industrial-Modern in the OC
Back in his hometown of Orange County, California, Matt finds a couple of new homeowners who have been renovating the inside of their fixer-upper and neglecting their backyard space. Matt brings in his gang of workers and they transform the small space into an industrial-modern retreat with different "rooms," including an inviting dining area, barbecue island, gabion water feature, galvanized fire pit and custom-made lounge chairs. Then, he tops off this backyard overhaul with a vertical garden of succulents, new sod and lush landscaping.
Contemporary Elegance
Juan and Katy's huge back yard is empty and boring and they long for more living space to eat, cook and hang out with friends. Matt steps in and adds a huge gravel patio so there's no need for a lawn, as well as a huge, modern pergola with room for a dining and lounging area. Finally, he gives the space a touch of fun with a bocce ball court and jazzes it up with plants and shrubs.
Beer Garden Backyard
A small and cluttered backyard with dead plants and ugly concrete turns into a beer garden fit for a home brewer! Sophisticated steel planters and giant concrete pavers surrounded by turf clean up what was once a mess. Plus, a built-in barbecue and a custom bar bring an industrial tap system to center stage.
Kansas City Outdoor Room
Yard Crashers is in Kansas City, Missouri, where a rotten deck in a hot and very small backyard is transformed into a quaint outdoor living room. In two days, a brand new deck is installed along with a pergola with retractable awnings to provide much-needed shade over a custom outdoor sofa with a built-in ice chest. Privacy screens with vibrant plants, a modern fire pit and a granite patio space finish off this outdoor room and make it ready for entertaining.
Kansas City English Garden
Sophie's soggy, sloping yard needs help, so she pleads for Matt Blashaw to come home with her. He designs a usable space for grilling, dining and lounging, all with an English garden vibe. He also fixes a few problems he encounters along the way, like installing a few retaining walls to level the space, adding drainage to move the water away and raising and reinforcing the deck posts. Finally, Matt adds a staircase for access and a composting area to give Sophie the ultimate outdoor space.
Mountain Retreat
Sonora persuades Chris to come see her backyard in her brand new house, a big empty space with one huge redwood tree in the middle. Using that for inspiration, Chris comes up with a mountain retreat design that starts with covering up her existing concrete pad with natural stone, and building a wood privacy screen to block out her neighbor's huge RV. He adds a large ledgestone water feature as well as a big wooden deck topped with a custom made dining table. He uses boulders to define a fire pit area and adds large redwood trees, cedars and ferns. Finally, he turns a ski lift chair into a comfy swing and surrounds it with lush landscaping.
Vintage Chic
Wendy & Demond have a plain backyard. They'd like an outdoor space to cook and chill in so Chris comes to their aide. The existing sod and old brick pathway is removed and replaced with a new flagstone pathway. A new concrete patio is poured and a beautiful redwood pergola is built onto it with some reclaimed lumber and shutters as the backdrop. A custom outdoor kitchen is constructed with a special countertop and wood siding base. A beautiful water feature surrounded by herbs & veggies becomes a functional part of the yard. Masonry & wood benches provide an entertainment spot around the metal fire feature. A one-of-a-kind sports scoreboard is created for their energetic baseball loving family along with new sod and surrounding plants!
Bye Bye Above Ground Pool, Hello Raised Cabana Style Deck
Tim and Robyn Arthur can't use their backyard. The deck is too small for a table and there are no railings separating the deck from the above ground pool. Chris comes to their rescue by demoing the deck and pool, and building a new large cabana-style deck with dining space, grilling space and bar. He includes a metal and wood railing for safety and drapes for privacy. Stairs lead down to a new concrete and turf checked patio with a lounging area and unique water feature. Finally, grasses and birch trees are added for a beachy vibe.
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