So Many Questions: 'Yard Crashers' host Matt Blashaw keeps homeowners on the green
Matt Blashaw
There's good reason to be lollygagging within your favorite home-improvement store these days. You might just end up crossing paths with licensed contractor Matt Blashaw, host of DIY Network's “Yard Crashers.”
The man with a plan, Blashaw and his camera crew ambush unsuspecting shoppers with the opportunity of a lifetime: a free backyard makeover. What's the catch? Well, none — other than the promise of a before and after that will blow the homeowners away. As would be expected, not everyone is hip to the idea of a stranger with a camera crew invading their space, but for those who are, there's no turning back after he's set his sights on transforming your outdoor area.
As a Realtor, Blashaw sees the value in making sure the outside of your house is as charming as the inside. There's question about the power of some good old-fashioned curb appeal. But for those who are still waiting for a chance encounter, Blashaw is the first to extol the virtue of a little bit of work going a long way. No need to break the bank, or your back for that matter. With a little time, patience and careful planning, he's confident that you can instigate your own mini yard crash. Just don't bite off more than you can chew — his Twitter feed is already clogged with enough cries for help to last two lifetimes.
Question: Do people run into your arms when they see you coming — or run in the other direction?
Answer: It's no longer people running into my arms. It's now actually people picking me up and taking me out of the store. It happened just in San Francisco. I had this gentleman who was this big, sumo-looking guy. And I was talking to the wife and she was like, “Matt will you come to our backyard? We love the show.” And all of a sudden this huge man comes running over and says, “Maaaatttt!” And he picks me up and he takes me out of the store. He literally threw me over his back. So, it's good. I must be doing all right.
Q: That petrified look that some people get on their faces when you mention a yard crash. Where's that fear coming from?
A: We call it an ambush for a reason — it's because we just ambush you. So, a lot of people don't have that time to think, you know, “What's going on? What is this?” They almost get scared in a way. The cameras make it look a little legit. They think, “Well, the cameras are there, it's fine.” I've had a couple (ambushes) now where I've been trying to hide the camera. So I'm just sort of a strange man who asks to go into their yard. This one lady could not believe it. I sat there for 15 minutes and tried to convince her, and she was saying, “Absolutely not! You're a stranger. … I have no idea what you're going to do. Are you going to rob me?” She wanted my license, she wanted my business card. And then the cameras came out, and she was just floored. It's a lot of work trying to convince. First of all, a yard in two days? There's a lot of disbelief, but I make them a believer in the end.
Q: Many homeowners focus their energy on the house and little on the yard. Why?
A: It is the heaviest space in your home to do. Between the amount of demolition you have to do with concrete, the amount of materials you have to bring, with rock, wood, sod, planting, digging holes. I call it the “Yard Crasher Workout.” Forget the P90X. Come and do two days of a “Yard Crasher” workout, and you will see results. It's crazy. It's just a ton of work, and it's the last frontier. Everyone always thinks, “Well, bathroom, kitchen, I want to do that.” And moving into the backyard, it just gets so neglected. And (with) a kitchen and a bathroom, you don't necessarily have to do the upkeep on them. There's a little bit of cleaning, but you go into a backyard, you have to water, there's grass, there's just a lot of things you gotta do, so it can be very complicated. It can be daunting. It's sometimes more square footage than the entire house itself. So, with a little help from me and 25 of my friends, we usually get it done.
Q: Can a poorly landscaped yard become a detriment to your home's overall value?
A: I really do. Curb appeal is really important, which would be the front yard. I think it seals the deal. But it's one of the hardest places to do. And can be very, very costly to do, too. And it doesn't have to be crazy, like the stuff that I do. I know I go overboard, but that's my style. I like to go overboard. I want to make it “Wow!” But for people, they don't necessarily have to go crazy. There's a lot of different things they can do to get the same effect without breaking the bank.
Q: What are the three biggest mistakes in a yard makeover?
A: I could write a book! I would say the first thing — biting off more than you can chew. People have real grand thoughts into their backyard. They want water features and stamped concrete and all this stuff, and it's great. I think I have an influence on that, and I apologize for making people think they can do these things. On a DIY platform, they really need to take the yard on in separate little chunks. Doing the whole yard at one time, I think, can be extremely daunting. What I like people to do in their backyard is, I really want them to separate their spaces out. I want three defining spaces where they have a little relaxing area, a shade area, a dining area, maybe a little seating area, maybe a water feature. Really, pick three. Don't go more than three. If you go into it and you try to do everything, you're going to burn yourself out and you're just going to leave it empty.
Another thing people do is put plants in your backyard, and really, you can be spending upwards of $5,000 to $10,000 on plants for your backyard. But they don't go to the nursery and do their due diligence, and they also don't read the tags. If I put in a shrub that's going to get to 10 feet, and I want it to get to 3 feet, you're trying to fight back nature. And the plant's going to win. Read it, because you could end up ripping it all out and wasting a ton of money.
I know people like grass and sod, I understand that. We grew up with it. It's kinda like you've just gotta have it. But really think about the amount of grass you're putting into your backyard. Grass is the most maintenance heavy, the most watering you have to do, it's not a low-maintenance, friendly item to put back there. So if you do need it, consider cutting back. You put so much work into creating your backyard, don't kill yourself trying to maintain it.
