I Hate My Yard

Wyatt & Shelly have renovated the entire inside of their early 1900's home, but they've been at a loss as to how to fix the multi-tiered safety hazard of a back yard. Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick comes up with a plan to unify the disjointed yard by creating distinctive areas for playing & entertaining. The new space features a larger deck, a fire pit, and a bocce ball court.

Michael & Asia have tried to modify their back yard to fit their needs, but the end result has failed to live up to their dreams. They bring in Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick to help them tackle the overgrown, underutilized space. Plans include adding a new seat wall, sprucing up their old hot tub with tile and a surrounding deck, building a customized gardening station, and tying the whole space together with bold colors and design.

Alex & Ruth's backyard is overrun with roots, and the only place they have to hang out is on a tiny, oddly-shaped concrete pad. After bringing in heavy machinery to tackle the root problem, Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick creates an elegant space that features a sunken seating area & a dining area with retractable shades. A simple, inexpensive A-frame garden dresses up a concrete block wall, and a personalized fire pit area gives them plenty of space to entertain.

Jason & Nicole are self-proclaimed non-DIYer's, but they're willing to learn when Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick comes in to tackle their blank canvas of a yard. The cracked concrete patio will be replaced with a raised deck, and a new patio will be created using grass and concrete pavers. Other features include a raised sod bed and a pair of hammocks for lounging.

Jodi & her boyfriend Ryan have spent two years fixing up the interior of her house, but her mess of a backyard is too much for them to tackle on their own, so Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick comes in to clear out the clutter. She devises a plan to build a garden around an existing grapefruit tree using raised planter boxes. A new wooden pergola will cover an expanded dining patio, and a raised deck will be built around the existing hot tub. Mixed-material pathways will define the lawn, and a new fire pit area will be perfect for entertaining.

Joseph & Rowena purchased their home from Rowena's parents 9 years ago. They love the house, but with their purchase they inherited hundreds of potted orchids that belonged to Rowena's mom and they overwhelm the yard. They'd love to find a way to incorporate some of them so they call on Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick for help. An elegant living wall of orchids will surround a dining area, and a few more orchids will live inside a seating lounge surrounding a bold concrete fire pit. Additional features include a large koi pond and hanging planter made from an old pallet.

Brother and Sister team, Shawn and Jade, lived in over 30 homes growing up & watched their contractor father flip houses. Now, Shawn is the proud owner of his first place and he's been putting his skills to work on the inside, but the mess outside seems daunting. Shawn wants to host an outdoor bridal shower for Jade so he calls on Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick to whip the yard into shape. Plans include an outdoor movie theater complete with a sunken seating area, a walk-through gazebo, and a standing lounge & bar.

Omid & Ali love their tree-lined neighborhood but their backyard is seriously blah. Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick makes over their yard with a Rustic Tuscan theme, incorporating a water feature, grape vines winding around a cool trellis made of rebar, and several intimate seating areas. She'll also build them a kitchen & dining area complete with a pizza oven.

When Maggie and Michael found this house a year ago it was all about the location! They live in a prime area that's walking distance to tons of restaurants and cool boutique shops. What they gained from this spot they had to make up for in the house, so this couple has done a TON of renovating already, but the back yard is still a disaster. Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick finds a way to turn their unique design style into an elegant entertaining space complete with a spacious deck for dining, and an intimate seating area centered around a grand fireplace.

Siao & Gayle saw lots of potential when they moved into their hillside home 2 years ago. They've renovated much of the interior, but out back reminds them of a prison yard. Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick plans to change all that by ditching the chain link fence in favor of a sleek wooden fence with embedded marbles. She'll also build them a cantilevered deck to expand the living space, and a vegetable garden made of stacked railroad ties that will double as a privacy fence.

Jen & Jeff moved to a woodsy neighborhood cottage a year ago and spent a lot of time & energy renovating the interior. But their dangerous disaster of a backyard is too much for them to deal with so they call in Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick. After the safety hazards in the yard are dealt with, the deck will be extended to make the side yard more usable, and a pergola-covered dining area will be added. A separate seating area with a relaxing fountain will anchor one corner of the yard, and in the other, an unused shed will be converted into a playhouse complete with a climbing wall for their young son to enjoy.

Gary and Luiza are first time homeowners with big dreams for their fixer upper home. They've already knocked out a number of remodels in the past year, but their imagination runs dry when it comes to the barren, dusty backyard. Landscape Designer Sara Bendrick comes up with a low-maintenance plan for their yard that includes a concrete paver system as groundcover, and a water feature made from corrugated metal & basalt tile. A large pergola will shade a dining area and expansive outdoor kitchen.

Deb & David grew up in the area where they recently purchased their family home. Their yard is currently a holding area for kid's toys, and has zero shade. They have a tight budget of $18,000, but Landscape designer Sara Bendrick works with their existing features to stretch the budget. The existing concrete pad will be cut back, and a dining area with a shaded pergola added on top of it. A custom-built deck will wrap around an existing tree and include a day bed, and their children will have plenty of play space on the lush new lawn and in a customized sandbox.