I Transformed The WORST Backyard In The Neighborhood

We found out the absolute worst backyard in the neighborhood. What is going on in here? And by the time we're done with it, we're going to turn it into something completely unrecognizable. Oh my god. >> What do you think? It's very [music] creative. I just It's gorgeous. Perfect. >> Just like I'm just shaking a little bit. I'm I'm so excited for the summer. And better yet, we're going to do it for somebody that could really use our help. We're over at my friend Caroline's house. [music] And Caroline reached out to me a few weeks ago saying that her backyard is an absolute war zone. She's saying there's [music] exposed nails, there's project supplies, there's unfinished projects. And it's so bad that her kids can't even walk barefoot in it. And as a parent, [music] I just couldn't handle that. Kids need a place to be kids. Well, today we're going to change that for her. And guess what? We haven't even seen the place. So, buckle up. All right, so this is Caroline. Caroline, say hi to everybody. Hey. And this is her backyard, and I have not seen it. So, let's see how bad this thing really is. All right, let's do this. >> Buckle up. What is going on in here? Where's all your grass? Uh so, there's a story to that. Well, maybe start with this. Your kids are playing >> [laughter] >> with around spikes? I know, right? I honestly, I'm a working mom. I just [music] don't have time. And so, what ended up happening is like over the years, my sprinklers broke, my grass died. [music] Um I just couldn't keep up with it. And then it just became to where it's just a big mess cuz I also have dogs. >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. They'll help out, for sure. Yeah, right? >> [laughter] >> And so, yeah, I just uh This is how we got here, okay? >> That's how we got here, honestly. >> Okay, well, we won't be needing this for a while. So, let's put this uh >> [laughter] >> pitchfork or not pitchfork, this hatchet to the side here. >> [snorts] >> All right, so we got some concrete here. This is from a previous project, I'm guessing. >> Yeah, you're going to find a lot of projects I start and then don't finish it. >> You know what? That's everybody. You know, it's like, "Oh, I'll get to it later." Just couple more days construction, that's what we're talking about. Yep, so that's what you're seeing is >> [music] >> attempts for projects that never got done. Okay. All right, well, let's let's see what else we got here. Now, >> [music] >> you told me that the grass is you had a sprinkler situation, right? >> Yeah. I actually So, that corner of the yard has some kind of flooding. So, I hired [music] some sprinkler guy to come by and fix it, but then the flooding was never resolved. >> [music] >> And I paid the guy already, and then he didn't come back. >> Oh, that's cool. >> And so, [music] I just haven't had my sprinklers fixed since then. Okay. And it just died. >> You got some garden beds here. What do we got growing here? This looks just like Is this just That's not lettuce, I'm guessing. No. >> [laughter] >> So, that was my attempt to do some gardening that I just never got around to it. Okay. Okay. So, I actually know Caroline from before YouTube. I worked at the hospital in the ICU. We got some cute dogs over there. We're going to check them out in a little bit. Worked in ICU with her. I was a respiratory therapist. You were a registered nurse. [music] Yes. Uh and we've been part of some chaos. Yes. Back in the day, some uh war war uh war torn uh buddies. Yeah. And yeah, we parted ways, and Caroline reached out to me [music] saying, "Man, I could really use a makeover in the backyard." And I was like, "Man, >> [music] >> this is perfect. I would love to do something like this for somebody that I know, and somebody that's in need." >> I think one of my biggest things that I wish I really had as a as a mom [music] is to have my kids be back here and not worry about that they're going to step on something that's going to go through their foot. >> Yeah. Yeah. No, absolutely. [music] Kids need a place in the backyard to just be kids, and parents know that, "Hey, they're going to be completely safe, [music] comfortable, and and make lots of cool memories." Yeah. >> So, tell me about these blocks, cuz it looks like you were working on a maybe a potential fire pit. Yes. >> Yes, [music] that's exactly right, actually. >> the right stone for it. So, that was our idea was to do a really cool fire pit for kids to roast marshmallows at night, do s'mores. That's what we love, but we just never got around to it. >> Oh, cool. We'll get to it. And then this looks like uh scaffolding, I think. What What is this? [music] So, um I used to breed dogs. I don't now, but I keep all my house them. And so, I really wanted to make a nice area for them. Is what this intention [music] was. I want them to be comfortable. And again, haven't been around to >> [music] >> do it. That's okay. And these are the cute little puppies. These guys are American Bullies. Oh, you guys are so cute. Yeah. Oh, I'm going to take all of you home. Oh my goodness. [laughter] Oh my goodness gracious. Are you excited for a backyard? Yeah. Oh, you you are, huh? You guys are adorable. Well, Caroline, we're going to make this happen. These guys are going to help me out, and we'll give [music] you kids an awesome backyard. >> Awesome. >> All right, we are here to tear some up. Now, we need some big tools for a big job like this. I hit up my friends at Tate's Rents, got myself a mini skid. Fun fact, they've been around since 1946. They're employee owned, and they're constantly adding new locations. So, if you want to make for a quick backyard work, especially with the season, go grab yourself this. Don't break your back. Here's what I'm thinking. I already moved out a lot of the stuff here. The puppies are still here, cute as always. I'm going to load up all these in the bucket of skid loader, move them up to the side, somewhere I know the garden beds are going to be. So, we get this all clear, and then the first thing we're going to do, even though the grass is completely dead, we're going to have to rip all this stuff, all the roots down below, so we can give Caroline and her family a brand new lawn. The only thing I'm going to need to avoid is to make sure I don't hit any of these sprinklers, cuz that's another problem that tomorrow Alex is going to fix. >> [music] >> I know the intention was to build a fire pit with all this, but this is enough to build the Great Wall of China. This is way too many blocks. But, we got them out of the way. Let's start ripping this mama jamma out. That was a good grab. That was a really good grab. So, remember how Carolyn said that there was like a leak in her backyard? Like that sprinkler guy fixed it, but then it still like flooded. So, I think I found where it is. This is It looks like a 3/4 in pipe. And they have a T splitter into it that kind of hooks up via this, right? It like punctures it through. >> [music] >> And uh but here's the kicker. This is Carolyn's sprinkler line, right? It's on her property. But, there is a head that's running that way. So, I don't know if it's going into the neighbor's or it's just stopping right here. I don't see a sprinkler head right here. So, that could very well be the reason it was flooding. That's a weird little connector. The right way would have been to have a T in there with clamps all around, and this is just like a a quick fix. Fingers crossed, that's our solution cuz I think we're going to make a lot of people really happy once this is fixed. That's so cute. We got ourselves an audience. Look at them. They're not even afraid of this machine anymore. They're used to us. We're basically best friends. 4 and 1/2 ft. All right. So, here's the game plan. We got a blank canvas. Couple of things. We got [snorts] our designated fire pit area all set up with appropriate dimensions. If you want to know the dimensions, you'll have to come join us at our Builders Lodge private community. I'll share all the boring details there so you can follow along. And if you want to join, here's a QR code. We'll see there. Now, that's the first part let's figure out. Second thing let's figure we need to figure out is we need to figure out which sprinklers are broken. So, we got to fix some sprinklers. I'll dig all them up. And the third thing, the neighbors already turned on their sprinklers. And Caroline was telling me that this side of the yard is always swampy. So, we have a drainage issue. So, third thing we need to figure out is a drainage issue. But, before we can do any of that, start digging up these sprinklers. See what we're working with. All right, so this is a good sign. So, the good sign is they're using appropriate nice and thick uh poly tube all throughout. So, that's adequate flow. And by the looks of this, I actually tore this in the right area because I don't need those sprinklers. This one's [snorts] getting moved anyway. So, the next sprinkler is going to go conveniently in the spot that we accidentally tore this out. That's great. So, then we're [snorts] going to move something on this corner and that corner. Things are turning out, folks. One broken sprinkler. Credit to see Mr. Build It. Oh, this might actually work out really well. This poly [snorts] pipe is running right exactly where we need it. Man, they sure didn't bury this pipe deep. >> [snorts] >> It's way on the surface. >> [snorts] >> Okay, so that one is going to boom fit right in there nicely. I wasn't anticipating this level of mess and mud. >> [snorts] [gasps] >> Should have got my rain boots. Start new boot goofing. >> All right, it's springtime so that means everybody is turning the sprinklers on and half the sprinklers are probably not working. Let me get you familiar with some of the stuff. This is 1-in poly pipe. That is your main supply line for adequate pressure. This [snorts] is a transition from 1-in to 3/8. And the reason why it's 3/8 is because >> [snorts] >> the part that goes to the sprinkler, that's half inch on the outside. But on the inside, it's 3/8. So, you got to know that part if you're going to get the right stuff. Then we're going to take this PEX crimper and our crimping tool. By the way, not just used for plumbing, but also plumbing for your sprinklers. All you do is get it in there, get a 8 of an inch spacing and pull it all the way down until nothing can go in and boom. That's snug as a bug. Now, this right here it's called funny pipe. There's nothing funny about it. >> [snorts] >> Sorry, that was a dad joke. But it's very straightforward of how it works, but it's kind of interesting. It's different than poly in the sense that it's really rigid, but you can heat it up and it'll expand getting on our connector easy. And then once it cools down, it starts shrinking and tightening. And maybe that's what the funny part is. The way you do that The igniter broke, this thing is bent. I should put that in the trash. That's kind dangerous I think. And I don't have a lighter in my car. So, we're going to have to do the old school way. How the hell does that get bent like that? You might be asking, "What's the old school way?" Brute force. All right. That one should be good. So, this old style of sprinkler, you know, you puncture a hole in your main line, that little stem goes inside of it, and then this clamps on, and obviously you can see it broke, which is kind of a flimsy design. They've since I think improved some of these. These are Home Depot that I found. It's a two-piece collar like that. This first [snorts] part goes around it. Just like that. This [snorts] next part, you get that stem in there. Just to speed up the process, you stick on your funny pup pipe right onto it. And then this is where the cool part happens. As soon as I start threading this on, >> [snorts] >> this will start tightening this up. >> [clears throat] >> Boom, back in business. >> Let's catch up to speed. Sprinkler moved. Sprinkler plugged. Sprinkler fixed. Sprinkler moved. Sprinkler moved and sprinkler removed. I'm pretty confident with the sprinkler situation. Tomorrow I'm going to actually do a run to make sure everything's working and all the areas covered appropriately. Now, let's fix this damn drainage issue. Whenever you're running your sprinklers to water your lawn and you have a bunch of standing water or maybe even like a spongy marshy area on your grass, well, you have a drainage issue and I'm going to show you exactly how to fix that. This is a French drain and here's the reason why you need it. A lot of people think that the reason they have drainage issues around their property is because of the slope. Well, that could be partially true. The big reason behind it is because the soil that's below your grass or your lawn is really dense. It's clay, it's really hard and it's very difficult for the water actually get absorbed into the ground. [music] So, we need to do one or two things. Number one, we need to divert the water away from that area. And number two, we need to slow down and give it adequate time for it to start absorbing deeper. And here's how we're going to do that. A French drain is a very simple design that plays an important role here. This is your classic plastic tube that has holes in it that allows the water to seep up but also get diverted. And then on the outside of it, you see this little foam mesh and this wrap-around mesh covering it. And that is there to slow down the actual drainage process. You see in the old school way, you have to make your own French drain. You got to get like a perforated PVC pipe, you got to put down some weed barrier down, place your fabric in there, place your tube in there, place some rocks in there, and then bury it in. This is your one-stop shop. It has everything you need. All you do is throw it in, bury it up, and you're ready to rock and roll. Get the cap for the end and then a color for the bridge. All right, super easy system. $250 later, we got ourselves a French drain. And if I never have to fix another sprinkler this year, I'll be happy. Let's bury this thing, start getting ready for the fire pit area. Progress report, French drain's in, everything's looking nice. Touched up our line here for where our fire pit is, a circle this new sprinkler so I don't run over them. Let's make another barrier for this little gardening box here. I'm thinking something kind of this way. Line this nice and tight. She'll be able to put any kind of plants, bushes, shrubbery, anything like that. Maybe even decorative rock. Okay. That is in. Let me turn on the sprinklers to make sure they work. >> [snorts] >> And if they don't, there's going to be a lot of tears. zone four zone And then we take the get all these four [music] together. Get common. Sprinklers aren't turning on. Uh, of course, first time of the season everything always goes wrong. I, based off of my loose understanding, it looks like it wasn't wired properly. I I adjusted everything that every uh zone, each individual color has its own sprinkler, and then the commons go together. Got that all fixed cuz I thought that was a problem. And then the fuse is uh busted, so >> [snorts] >> add that to the list. I'm going to go run down real quick, one, throw this in, double-check my wiring, and hopefully the sprinklers will turn on this time. Everything is looking perfect. We're ready to start bringing brand new topsoil to make sure our new sod is going to have a fighting chance. >> Uh, we are moving a whole lot of dirt today, and it's going to be a messy day, but it got me thinking. As we're getting Caroline's backyard prepared and ready, one thing Caroline's not prepared or ready for is emergencies. And that's a reminder for me is like, "Dude, well, it's summertime. If the power goes out, what's going to happen?" 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And if you have this thing plugged into your electrical panel and the power does go out, this thing will automatically kick in in just 10 ms, allowing for you to use all of your appliances and all of the power necessary in your house at the fingertips in the fastest possible way. Anker Solix S2000, keep your lights on, your food cold, and the calm in your home. A link in description below, go check it out for yourself. Your boy's trying to be smart, thinking ahead. So, I think what I'm going to do is the long is going to go down last. We had a nice coat of soil here. Top soil is covered well. Sprinklers are done. This is going to be the fire pit area. We're going to lay down some weed barrier. And we all have our stories how weed barrier barely works cuz plants are resilient, but I'm still going to do it because I'd rather do something than absolutely nothing and have this thing just overgrown with grass. >> All right, this project's taking way longer than I expected. I think…