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| Our Blog Posts 08/05/09 What would you do if someone gave you a brand new shed? I don’t mean those metal kind that come in a kit & rust so quickly or the plastic ones that the doors always fall off. I mean a handcrafted wood shed that will not only stand up to our Florida weather but will make a beautiful accent to your home. I can think of a few uses, how about a home office, a craft room, a home gym, a playroom for the kids or a “man cave” for the man in your life. For me the perfect use would be a potting shed to hide all my plant baskets, planting medium & potting tools that seem to always be scattered around the yard. Hmm, have you thinking don’t I? Can you imagine having a shed valued at $1800 given to you! Joanne Peck co-founder of Historic Shed has donated one of their sheds to our Backyard Makeover Contest. Historic Shed is a company that was founded by the historic preservation professionals at Preservation Resource, Inc. to meet the needs of historic-home owners for affordable and attractive garden sheds and accessory buildings that complement and enhance their historic homes. Joanne & everyone at Historic Shed pride themselves on being eco-conscious by using true preservation practices through recycling & repair. To learn more about Historic Shed www.historicshed.com .
08/06/09 Some projects are better left to the professionals... Have you ever tried to do a home improvement project in your yard only to have it look worse than it did before you started? Laying pavers can be one of these type of projects. It’s important to make sure your area is level & you have the correct base before you lay the pavers. As much as I enjoy working in my yard this is one project I would rather have installed professionally. Choosing an installer who will do quality work is as important as choosing the pavers you want to use that’s why we are so glad that Sarasota’s Paving Crew Inc. will be installing the pavers patio & retaining wall with seating for our backyard makeover contest! Paving Crew Inc is a company specialized in installation of interlocking brick pavers, old Chicago pavers and retaining walls. Brick pavers are today's most durable solution for patios, around pools, decks, driveways, porches, and paths. To get a glimpse of what a beautiful & artistic job the Paving Crew does visit their website at www.pavingcrew.com & remember you can’t win if you don’t enter.
08/07/09 Christmas in August… Isn’t it funny how every year when it’s time to put up your holiday lights they always seem to be a tangled mess & when you do finally get them straightened out half the bulbs are blown? I know it’s a little early to worry about holiday decorating but this year I plan to be prepared. No, I am not going to start untangling those old strands of lights, I am calling Decorating Elves. Can you believe it, there is a company that will install your holiday lights for you! What‘s even better is that they will maintain them (change out blown bulbs, etc) through out the season then take them down & store them for you. Best idea I’ve heard of in a long time! Don’t let the name fool you there is more to these guys than just holiday lights & decorations. Decorating Elves & it’s sister company Tampa Bay Landscape Lighting, also offer traditional landscape lighting with free demonstrations, as well as lighting for special events, wedding receptions, parties, graduations, retail & event displays, corporate events, restaurants and clubs. Decorating Elves was started as a small business venture by Nick Schriver to help homeowners Avoid the Holiday Hassle. To view their portfolio & see what they have to offer visit www.tampabaylandscapelighting.com www.decoratingelves.com.
08/10/09 Tiki, Jewelry & Candles...oh my! I love it when I find something unique & out of the ordinary especially when it is hand made. There is a quant gift shop hidden amongst the stores along Gulf Dr. on Anna Maria Island. When you walk through the courtyard you would never guess that inside the store you would find so many beautiful items. The Hive Creations carry several different unique hand crafted lines. We found a beautiful hand made jewelry line, Nectar Jewelry, The Illustration Nation which includes illustrated children’s book, cards, paintings & hand printed clothing, AnnaMariki Tiki a collection of hand carved woodworks & Tiki, and some fabulous hand made Palm oil candles that I couldn’t resist. What makes this shop stand out from the others is the fact that all of these lines are created by jewelry designer, Rachel Vanatte Noyes & Illustrator, Justin Kingsley Noyes. This talented couple have donated two of Justin’s hand carved Tiki for our backyard makeover contest. Justin told us that the wood carving started by accident. One evening he picked up a piece of wood & started carving & before he knew it AnnaMariki Tiki was born. Another interesting tidbit, Justin’s Illustrations were featured in last year’s motion picture The House Bunny. Make sure the next time you are on the Island you stop in to see Rachel & Justin. To learn more about this interesting couple check out their website at www.thehivestore.com.
08/11/09 Finding art in unusual places: What do aluminum trailers, stainless steel kitchen backsplashes, fire hose racks & metal sculptures have in common? These items & so much more can be custom made for you by All Phases Welding & Fabrication Inc. All Phases is a local independent business based out of Ellenton. Bradly Ranney & Stefanie Gross founded their company in 2008, offering over 15 yrs of experience in all aspects of welding. They pride themselves on offering quality workmanship, honesty, integrity & great value. What’s interesting about this business is that they also do artistic projects too. Last year All Phases partnered with Electra Lee Arcotte Magnet School for the Arts 8th grade class for a sculpture project funded by a grant from The Arts Council of Manatee County. They worked side by side with the students for six weeks to design this sculpture for the school. What is even more exciting is that Stefanie & Bradly have agreed to create two one of a kind solar lamp post for our Backyard Makeover Contest! Now we can’t show you pictures of the lamp post, you will have to wait for the makeover to see them, but we are including a picture of the Lee middle Sculpture. To see more on this project & what else they offer visit www.allphasesweld.com.
8/12/09 Hydroponic gardening made easy What is hydroponic gardening? It’s the science of growing plants with an inert medium like gravel, sand, pumice & even sawdust instead of soil. A nutrient solution is added to the soil-less culture that contains all the elements needed by the plant for growth. Now that we have that out of the way, wouldn’t it be great to be able to grow all your veggies & herbs in a small 14” space, using less water & not have to use traditional insecticides or fungicides too? Local inventor/grower Chester C. Bullock has the perfect solution. He invented the HYDRO-STACKER system a vertical hydroponic growing system. I have seen these unusual systems in action at the Hydro-Taste you pick farm, it’s amazing! The HYDRO-STACKER system saves up to 400% of water usage over traditional gardens using only 3 quarts of water for 20 plants in 14 square inches. Chester believes that the system should be easy to set up, easy to use & give great results. To learn more about the Hydro-Stacker visit www.hydrostacker.com for directions to the farm visit www.hydro-taste.com . One more thing, if you win the Backyard Makeover contest you will receive two of these innovative systems.
08/14/09 Rain drops are falling on my head... It’s summer in Florida you know what that means… rain nearly every afternoon. This is a good time to install a rain barrel to harvest rain water. We may not be thinking of watering right now but soon the rain will stop & out will come the hose. Most rain barrels are made out of 55 gallon drums & don’t take up much room, like the ones you can purchase from Eco Essentials in Sarasota. A small rain barrel may not provide all the water you would need to sustain your garden but it will help to supplement your watering schedule. Imagine this, a 1” rainfall will generate roughly a half gallon of water per square foot of roof area, or 1000 gallons of water for a 2000 square foot roof, that’s a lot of water! You can save a substantial amount of water over a period of time using stored rain water. Jodi John of Eco-essentials has even teamed up with a local artist to paint the barrels she sells so they will fit in to any décor. She tells us that larger barrels are also available for people with large yards. Personally we have two 55 gallon barrels & a 150 gallon container that we use for our ponds & gardens. It does help. Jodi has kindly donated one of her rain barrels complete with spigot, overflow hose & mosquito netting. Eco Essentials also offers earth boxes, worm farming & an Organic Shitake Mushroom buying club. You can contact Jodi John at 941-954-6035 or at jjecoessentials@gmail.com.
08/15/09 Going Native What’s all the fuss about planting native plants over exotic or non-natives? Planting Native or Florida friendly plants in your landscape is important for so many reasons. To begin with they will require less water, saving you time & money. Native plants have been exposed to Florida’s pests conditions for many generations which has helped build up their resistance to insects & disease. They have also adapted to the weather conditions allowing for them to need less fertilizing. Butterflies, birds & other wildlife depend on native plants for food & shelter. Natives bloom & leaf out when they are needed most by wildlife. This means by doing something as simple as planting a native or Florida friendly plant you will be helping the environment by conserving water & eliminating the worry of chemical run off into our local waterways as well as providing food & shelter to wildlife. If you aren’t sure what qualifies as a native plant or Florida friendly plant ask the experts Laurel Schiller & her partner Dan Walton owners of Florida Native Plants, Inc. FNP is a local owned business that was founded as Florida Scrub Growers & has been growing native plants from seeds & cuttings since 1982. To learn more about Florida Native Plants Inc. please visit www.floridanativeplants.com . I’m sure you have guessed by now Laurel & Dan are donating some of their wonderful native plants to our $16,000 Ultimate backyard makeover contest.
| | We're in the news: 09/08/09 They're talking about us: Check out the latest articles about our "little" contest posted on The Bradenton Times.  Click on the links to view articles:
1. Bradenton Times 2. winners announced 3. Backyard Takes Shape
07/24/09 We're in the news: The longboat key news wrote about our contest to see the article click on Longboat Key News
07/25/09 You know you've hit the big time when Miss Attitude is blogging about you!  visit her blogs at: Miss Attitude Extreme Makeover meets Desperate Housewives
07/31/09 More blogging:  Jo-Anne Peck of Historic Shed (one of our participating companies) posted this blog:
http://www.historicshed.blogspot.com/
Historic Shed in the news: Shed Blog UK
All Phases Welding in the news: All Phases Welding Receives Award
East County Observer articles  10/01/09 Bashaw Teacher Wins Backyard Makeover by Pam McTeer 10/12/09 Reveal article
Bay news 9 visited the backyard makeover site yesterday. Summer Smith and her camera man braved the 92 degree weather & blistering sun spending over two hours talking to Dave & the Patoray's about the makeover contest. The camera man was even crawling around in the dirt on his belly to get a shot of our son David laying the block framework of the pond. Dave was sure to give a shout out to our friends on WQmag, thanking them for sponsoring the contest. If you'd like to see the Bay news 9 coverage it is airing today from 6am-5pm once an hour at 45 minutes past the hour. Don't have Bay news 9 view it atBay News 9 video coverage
08/17/09 Trash to treasures Have you ever heard the saying one man’s trash is another man’s treasure? In this case, every one’s trash is one women’s treasure. Patricia Gormley is one of those people that has a talent for making something beautiful out of what most people would consider to be garbage. Utilizing a plasma cutter & a mig welder she makes whimsical garden art & useful interior art sculptures out of old car parts, metal furniture, hardware, lawn equipment & what ever else she can find. Patricia has been a silversmith since 1991 & in 2007 decided to start her own line of hand crafted sculptures using 100% recycled materials. Patricia has graciously donated a unique piece that she is creating especially for our backyard makeover contest. This one of a kind artwork will be revealed during the Backyard Makeover. To contact Pat directly at Ryland@juno.com. Pat is currently working on a website including a gallery of her work. Watch here for the new web address coming soon.
08/18/09 Keeping it clean… It doesn’t matter where you live these days in every neighborhood you will find at least one house that is empty because the owners are either trying to sell the property or it’s in foreclosure. You know the one that has grass & weeds growing knee high, paint peeling & is basically an invitation for trouble. That property doesn’t have to be an eyesore. There are companies that are available to help maintain the property. D & T Handy Girlz is one such business. Doris & Terry have over 15 years experience in caring for both commercial & residential properties. They specialize in securing, cleaning & maintaining foreclosed properties. Not only are these Handy Girlz landscape experts they can fix & install tile, paint & wallpaper & do many small household repairs. We are pleased to have them on our landscaping team for the $16,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover Contest. If you know of anyone in need of a home preservation specialist have them contact Doris & Terry at 941-713-1387 or dnthandygirlz@aol.com
08/19/09 Carbon Footprint, Greenhouse gases what does it all mean? Have you thought about updating your home or office to make it more environmentally friendly but don’t know where to begin? Maybe you are overwhelmed with all the “green” information that you think why bother, it will cost too much or take up too much time. Did you know that going green can be as simple as changing your halogen light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs & unplugging or turning off electronics that are not in use. Of course there are larger steps you can take like adding solar panels to your roof. Not every one is ready for that big of a step but every little step you take will add up in helping to reduce your carbon footprint. Ok, carbon footprint, greenhouse gases, green washing, if these terms are Greek to you there is someone who can help, Steff Marcusky founder of Your Green Home Resource. Steff started her business with the belief that we can leave the world a better place for our children. She tells us that there are three facets of “green” living: energy/water efficiency, air quality & environmental stewardship. Learning the importance of these facets will help in your journey. Of course, taking that first step is important & Steff will help you start the process by educating & coaching you & your family as to what steps you can take to make your home & office “green”. Your green home resource isn’t about forcing anyone into a choice that they are not comfortable with & suggests starting slowly, maybe try something new every six months. To learn more about Your Green Home Resource visit www.steffm.weebly.com . One more thing, If you win our $16,000 Ultimate backyard makeover contest you will receive a complete home consultation from Your Green Home Resource. Remember to enter at www.wqmag.com
08/20/09 Gulfcoast Plumeria Society Palma Sola Botanical Gardens in west Bradenton has a new Lei garden containing over 75 Plumeria Trees thanks to the Gulfcoast Plumeria Society. You may not know that the Plumeria is the beautiful flower that is used in traditional Hawaiian Lei. Plumeria are actually know by many names including, Frangipani, Melia, or Temple Tree. Native to tropical America these trees are considered Florida friendly & are widely used in tropical landscapes around the world & is usually associated with temples. The Gulfcoast Plumeria Society is an organization that is dedicated to furthering public knowledge of the Plumeria. They meet the 2nd Saturday of each month at 11am at Palma Sola Botanical Gardens in Bradenton under the oaks. The meetings are free & open to the public. Laurie Galle, president of the society has graciously donated a couple of her beautiful Plumeria trees to our Backyard Makeover contest. If you would like to learn more about the Gulfcoast Plumeria Society please contact Laurie or Roger Galle. 941-758-3588.
8/21/09 Hurricane Season It’s that time of year again, hurricane season. This is a good time to start thinking about replacing your old windows & doors with hurricane impact resistant windows & doors. Installing impact-resistant windows will not only protect your home from high winds, rain, and the destructive force of wind-borne debris they will also provide energy savings, noise control, UV protection and peace of mind. There is a bonus, installing Energystar impact resistant or energy saving rated windows in your Florida home can qualify you for local utility rebate programs & a federal tax credit of up to $1500 (or 30% of the original cost). Of course you don’t want to install those windows yourself that would be a pane. Call our good friends Bill & Bill at NDC Carpentry (941)524-0930 or email them for more info at ndcmanasoteinc@aol.com. The guys at NDC Carpentry are local general contractors specializing in custom interiors. kitchens, baths, windows, doors, Custom trim, arbors & decks. They are donating a garden arbor for our $16,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover contest.
8/24/09 Get away in your own backyard… There is nothing I enjoy more than sitting on our porch in the evening listening to the sound of trickling water as it runs over the waterfall & into our pond, watching the Koi gliding gracefully through the water as the butterflies & dragonflies are darting around the flowers. This is the most relaxing part of my day. A time where I can take a few moments & let go of the days business & enjoy the peace & quiet. It’s like getting a mini vacation all year every day long! Then I remember, this is what we get to do for a living, create a place for you to get-away from the world without having to leave your home. A peaceful retreat in your own backyard. The Backyard Getaway will be creating a one of a kind water feature for the winner of the $16,000 ultimate backyard makeover contest. If you would like to see pictures of some of the beautiful water features created by Backyard Getaway visit our website at www.backyardgetaway.net or contact Backyard Getaway at 941-752-POND to set up a pond consultation.
8/25/09 Time for a Staycation Every so often we need to get away from our daily routine & recharge our batteries. This can be difficult to do with work, kids & the demands of our busy schedules. Why not consider a staycation? Take a long weekend or even a single night & stay in one of Sarasota’s fine hotels. One of Sarasota's best hotels, the Best Western Sarasota Midtown provides lodging in the heart of Sarasota, near downtown where you will find wonderful local restaurants, entertainment & shopping and minutes from the Sarasota gulf beaches. The Best Western Midtown was recently remodeled & now features all new rooms. All rooms are now non-smoking & for those of you with pets....the Best Western Midtown is a Pet Friendly Hotel! Cusic Daniels of Charter One has provided us with a room at the Best Western Midtown for the lucky winner of our $16,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover Contest. That’s right if you win you get a mini staycation too! While we are slaving away in your backyard you can be relaxing by the pool. Make sure to check out the Best Western Midtown at www.bwmidtown.com .
8/26/09 Living your passion “What is the single illuminating thing which shines its light on all the elements of the best parts of your life (the sound of which makes your heart sing and your feet dance)?"Answer that and then you know: that is the thing you must do..” Mary Anne Radmacher
This quote was sent to me by a friend a few days ago & it made me think, who do I know that is doing what they must do, another friend came to mind, Michelle Donner. Michelle has been taking photographs her whole life, and always loved it. She made a decision earlier this year to “live my passion” & launched Michelle Donner Photography. She now spends her days doing what she loves best, taking photographs of wildlife, pets & people. Her work can be seen in several local magazine ads & on wqmag.com. Michelle will photograph & record small events to family portraits. She says she loves to make people smile! Michelle will be taking photos of our backyard makeover & will be donating a garden portrait of the winners of our $16,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover Contest in their new backyard. To view Michelle’s photos visit www.michelledonnerphotography.blogspot.com.
08/27/09 Behind the scenes
For the last couple of weeks I have been sharing information with you about all the great companies that are donating their products & services to our Backyard Makeover Contest. I would like to also tell you about some of the businesses that are sort of behind the scenes. Premier Video Productions, Inc. established in 1989 by LaJuana Pruitt, a local videographer, will be producing a digital video of the entire makeover from start to finish & a copy of the video will be donated to the winner of the contest. Premier Video offers full service video production from the conception of your project to finished delivery. They videotape in digital and HD, serving both local & national cliental ranging from the legal & medical communities to fine arts & entertainment. Recently Premier Video completed a video taping of a television pet show. To learn more about Premier Video visit their website at www.pvvideo.com or call 941-753-1910.
08/28/09 Web presence How many 17 year olds do you know that own their own company? I know of only one & am proud to say she is my niece. Kayla Wakefield started her company www.Clickwebcreations.com when she was 16 years old. She started by helping set up websites for a few not so computer savvy small business owners, myself included, who were also short on time. Word started to spread about what a great job she did & after working pro-bono for several months for friends & family, and repeated suggestions from her “clients“, she decided to go into business for herself. She now specializes in small business websites at an affordable price. When I say affordable I mean affordable, a four page website starts at $100. She is also the youngest chairperson for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Society & is the webmaster for the local Sarasota Chapter. Whether you are looking to set up a new site, have someone jazz up your existing site or just maintain it for you contact Kayla at clickwebcreations@yahoo.com. Click Web Creations also offers a social network setup service (facebook, myspace, twitter, linked, etc.) Kayla has donated a site for our $16,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover contest. You can visit our site at www.whatabackyard.com where you will find more info about each of the local businesses contributing to our contest.
8/29/09 And now a word about our sponsor… We want to thank www.wqmag.com for sponsoring our $16,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover Contest. WQ Magazine is Sarasota’s premier women’s magazine. WQ recently launched Wqmag.com an interactive online community “e-zine” for women, where you can become a member & contribute your own stories, post events, photos, video, & much more. You can log on each day to see your daily horoscope, promote your business, check out the latest style trends, read a story about healthy living or just catch up with friends. And don’t forget the contests! New contests are featured every week from local companies offering anything from a Retail gift certificate to our $16,000 Backyard Makeover contest. In less than four months they have over 10,000 subscribers to the WQ Daily Scoop, their e-newsletter & almost 1000 online business members. Log on to www.wqmag.com & become a member today! Don’t forget to vote for the best “worst” backyard in our Backyard Makeover contest
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| Heeere's Dave... Hi everyone, this is Dave with the Backyard Getaway. This is normally not part of my job description. I leave this part to Lisa. I wanted to write today & talk a little about why I decided to host the Backyard Makeover contest.
I came up with the idea of having a backyard makeover contest over a year ago after watching different programs on HGTV & DIY. Have you ever noticed that they are all in California or NY? What’s wrong with Florida? So I got to thinking, what could we do locally that would be like what you see on those home improvement programs. I didn’t want to just give away a pond. I didn’t want to copy the shows either. What I wanted was to offer something different & fun. I put the idea on the back burner until a few of months ago. What I came up with was to offer a contest to local homeowners. One where you could enter to win a makeover that was not only offered by our company but also included other local companies. We wanted to be able to show everyone that there are a lot of great local companies willing to not only stand behind their work but offer their goods & services to a project that will benefit someone in our community. All of the companies including mine are giving their services for free! You don’t see the big box stores doing that! We were both so glad when we found Wqmag.com & they were interested in sponsoring our contest. Even though I’m not a women Wes was happy to include me on his site. Thanks, Wes. I feel that we couldn’t have found a better place to promote our contest. Ok, I’m done brown nosing. I knew I couldn’t pick just one winner so the idea of having people vote sounded really good to me. I was also hoping that it would give people a chance to work together to pick one lucky person to win the contest. Of course I would like to win this contest myself, who wouldn’t, it‘s a great opportunity. I hope that everyone has fun with the voting process & takes the contest in the spirit it was offered. I love the positive comments. We plan to offer this contest again next year. Don’t worry we also have other ideas for giveaways that you won’t have to work so hard for. Just remember how wonderful the local companies are the next time you decide to shop online or at one of the big box stores. Don’t forget to vote everyday for your favorite ugly backyard, they can’t win if you don’t vote. One last note: I have Kim & Amy’s shovels ready & waiting for them.
What's Next: Makeover Updates! It’s hard to believe two weeks have gone by since the Backyard Makeover voting has ended & the winners were chosen. You probably think it’s been a quiet two weeks after all that craziness of the voting frenzy. In fact the opposite is true, we’ve have been busy organizing, scheduling, ordering & meeting with the winners, contributing business members & local reporters. So busy in fact that I am writing this during the only free time I’ve had this week, as we drive to Orlando to pick up some of the donated goodies & to attend a landscape trade show. We thought it was time to give everyone an update as to what happens next. First we didn’t want the 10 finalist to go home empty handed so we asked all of the participating businesses to help us fill a packet with coupons & freebies that we will be sending out to them on Monday. We also gave the second place yard, Michelle #5, a $50 gift certificate for Backyard Getaway & the third place yard, Derek #8, received a gift certificate to Bone Appetite. In case you aren’t familiar with Bone Appetite it’s a local pet boutique that carries all natural pet foods & treats & some of the cutest accessories. The makeover officially begins Monday with a visit form Sunshine Dig. Sunshine Dig is a non profit that offers a free service to homeowners & contractors. Before you dig in your yard they will schedule all the utility companies to come out & check for underground wires, cables, plumbing, etc. Joey, our winner, found out the hard way the other day & cut through their cable wire while trying to remove a stump. Shame on you Joey, you should have called “811”. Don’t worry we know you were just trying to make the yard pretty for us. Just like any project this one had a couple of hiccups. One of our original contributing businesses will not be able to contribute. I panicked for about a minute then after a few quick phone calls we were back on track. There truly are some amazing business owners in our area. Two companies came forward to help knowing that they would not reap the benefit of all the advertising & promoting we had been doing over the last couple of months. Trucking Southern Style agreed to supply us with the ground cover items we lost & Ruck Brick/OldCastleCoastal will be supplying the flagstone for the walkways Dave will install. Please visit www.whatabackyard.com click on the local contributors link & view the info about these companies. Another concern we had was due to a mistaken assumption on my part. I didn’t realize that the shade sail did not come with it’s support post. I was told that I would need to get 4” schedule 40 galvanized pipe at 16’ long. Where was I going to find that! I called Brad at All phases Welding (one of our contributors) & he stepped up & offered to donated them too. On Tuesday we will lay out the yard marking where each feature will be installed. Wednesday will be the day we break ground. Digging for the pond & setting footers for the arbor & shade sail. Thursday & Friday will be very busy days with installation of the pond, arbor, shade sail, shed, hydroponics, landscape lighting, paver patio and walkways, all while being followed by our videographer & photographer. Oh, almost forgot there will be a couple of other surprises Dave has up his sleeve. Don’t worry Joey & Heather, there won’t be any mini grills, ponds or sheds. Friday afternoon Joey & Heather will be sent away to the Best Western Midtown to spend a relaxing night & to keep them from seeing the finishing touches that we will be installing on Saturday. They will return home Saturday evening to their new $16,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover & we will be off planning our next project. I think a party at the Patoray’s sounds like more fun!
I10/5/09: It’s a sure sign that the backyard makeover has officially begun when you see the dump trucks dumping loads of dirt, sand & mulch on the property. Randy Kovach owner of Trucking Southern Style was at the Patoray’s this morning bringing in the mulch & sand that he donated for our makeover. Trucking Southern Style is a family owned company that has been in business in Manatee county since 2000. Randy has been driving a truck on the Sun coast for 23 years. Karen does all the work behind the scenes while Randy is on the road sometimes visiting five counties in one day. They will haul things away or bring items to you. Randy says the typically haul rock, dirt, top soil, sand, mulch & asphalt but will haul just about anything. A while back they hauled a load of bananas from Port Manatee. Contact Trucking Southern Style at 941-739-3951 . It's day three of the makeover & the yard is really starting to take shape. We now have a beautiful arbor & paver patio with retaining wall seating that is perfect for a cozy firepit & of course the pond is starting to take shape. Thanks to Michelle Donner Photography spending three hours in that nasty sun yesterday we get to show you a sneak peak into the backyard. Dave left at 5:30 this morning to beat the heat & to get a head start on today's installations. It's going to be a busy day... Historic Shed will be transporting the made to order potting shed all the way from Brooksville. Hydro-Taste farms will be installing the HydroStacker gardens, Dave & David with the help of a couple of volunteers will finish up the pond & lay the walkway, Laurie & Roger will be on hand to plant the Plumeria trees they donated & Florida Native Plants inc will be bringing out a truck load of plants for us to plant tomorrow.
Michelle Donner was out again on friday, braving the heat & mosquitos, taking pictures of our guys hard at work on the ultimate backyard makeover. The yard now has a shed, hydro-stackers, a pond, paver patio with seating, an arbor & a beach. Today is the final day, we still have to finish the walkway, install the shade sail, paint the post, plant all the plants, add the artwork & furniture be ready to reveal the Ultimate Backyard to the homeowners by 4pm
Yesterday was another scorcher in the Patoray's backyard. We were short a few volunteers but managed to complete most of the work thanks to the help of Bill Jr. & Bill Sr. of NDC Carpentry Manasota & our family. Dave's mom Dianne, my dad Clay, our niece Kayla, our daughter, Carrie & our son, David (who volunteered everyday) all pitched in staying until the job was completed. We snuck in a couple of extra surprises, a beach area next to the pond was created with a bench for relaxing by the waterfall & to give the Tiki an appropriate home, at the opposite end of the yard a Zen garden was added & in the back horseshoe pits. By mid day the heat was getting to all of us & even ended up sending Dianne home with a touch of heat exhaustion. Kayla was able to find a way to cool off by taking a dip in the pond. We had a nice turn out for the reveal with volunteers & business owners on hand to see how much Joey & Heather loved their new backyard. Bay news 9 was once again at the site capturing the reveal for the evening news. As soon as we have the new link we will share it with you. Joey & Heather even shared a bottle of champaign with all of us while Joey made a toast to everyone who was a part of making their backyard beautiful. Through out this project it was great to see so many people from different local businesses, whom had never worked together before, working together in such a short amount of time to create this beautiful backyard retreat for Joey & Heather. Not only did they work on their own portion but at times would pitch in to help each other. Even our videographer, LaJuana Pruitt of Premier video, who was there to capture the entire project on video, pitched in & helped when needed. There are still a couple of items that need to be added. On Monday Tampa Bay Landscape Lighting will be installing the landscape lighting, Roger Gaille will be installing the Plumeria Trees & Dave will be adding the rain barrel, & of course Joey has to finish laying his sod. What's really important is that little Piper approves of the new yard!
11/14/09: Backyard Makeover Finally Completed I can’t believe it’s actually completed. It took me and my wife Lisa six months to prepare for this. Long days and nights of finding a sponsor and local contributing businesses, setting up the contest & counting the 1000’s of votes all leading up to picking a winner. The winners, Joey & Heather Patoray wrote an essay about their barren yard & included a picture of their tiny dog Piper all alone in this huge sand pit they called their backyard. It all came down to 4 days of hard labor in the blistering sun. What a hot day it was. My face was red, my cloths were soaking wet and I was drinking water as fast as I could. I was watching as every one started slowing down from the heat, some were laying under the neighbors tree next door, some went under my tent for shade. My son, David, who helps me build koi ponds & I were laying cement block in the ground to keep the sugar sand from falling in to the hole. We put wet towels on top of or heads to keep us cooler while working. The pond itself took up a lot of our time during 2 ½ days of the makeover. Imagine how much fun it is to install scorching hot rubber liner in an open yard with no shade, no wind & a microphone attached to your shirt all the while being video taped. David & the homeowner, Joey, found a way to cool off by jumping into the pond once it was full. The pond was not the only new item in this backyard. We added a beach area Next to the pond with a bench & one of a kind hand carved Tiki, (one for Joey & one for Heather), a rain barrel that was painted by a local artist, 4 hydrostackers, a hand crafted shed, landscape lighting, a butterfly garden filled with Florida native plants, an arbor, a paver patio with seating area, a shade sail with galvanized post, a zen garden, horseshoe pits, hanging baskets, a metal art mosquito & a paver walkway, all completed in four days! Do you see why they contractors & volunteers where dropping like flies. Our film maker LaJuana of Premier Video Productions was having fun. LaJuana is a professional videographer who donated her time to film us during the four days of the backyard makeover. We discussed how on the home improvement shows on tv you only ever see makeovers & ponds in California never in Florida. The makeover was filmed non stop during the four days we were working on the yard. LaJuana wrapped up those 4 days into a nice neat little 30 minute video. Boy was that a hard decision trying to decide what was kept in & what ended up on the cutting room floor. Our goal is to have the film aired on local television to show how you can transform your yard from barren wasteland to paradise! We topped it all off with a reveal party at the Patoray's home the first weekend in November. They had a great turn out with over 100 people attending, a DJ & a ton of food! We even premiered the makeover video on a big screen in the backyard. | |
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