Be sure to tune in Tuesday July 6th and watch the crew from TropicScapes featured in this episode of "Yard Crashers" on the DIY Network airing during "Crash Week".
View Yard Crashers website here "
View Photo Gallery from this show on tbo.com here »
TAMPA - The DIY Network's "Yard Crashers" are hard at work this afternoon, wheeling towering palms into place, schlepping potted plants and otherwise transforming the Iarossi family's backyard into a landscaping work of art.
"At this pace, we can get finished tomorrow before dark," the show's host, Ahmed Hassan, boasted. "What I've been told is it will come later in the day," he said of rain forecast for Thursday. "We can deal with a little bit of drizzle and a little bit of rain. If it starts to pour, we're done."
The busy crew included four relatives of Brooke and Tom Larossi, the lucky homeowners selected for the 48-hour makeover that includes improvements exceeding $35,000.
Colleen and Kenny Keane of Port St. Lucie, were initially skeptical when their daughter phoned Sunday to say she had been selected for the landscaping blitz.
"We were actually coming to town anyway," to attend Saturday's Christening of Brooke's first child, 9-month-old Isabella, Coleen said. Brooke suggested, "Just come a little earlier to help out."
Today, they were doing just that, toting materials and otherwise assisting the TV show staff and the several local landscaping crews working on the project.
Now, Colleen said, Saturday's post-Christening party scheduled for nearby Ballast Point Park can instead be held in the newly reborn backyard. It will have an outdoor kitchen, grill area, a raised water feature with fountain, 108 bags of mulch and lots of Florida-feel landscaping.
"It's beyond expectations," Brooke said.
While Hassan dug in with every tool he could get his hands on, from shovel to sod buster, he did have some local professional help. Jason Smith of Outdoor Impressions in Valrico, which specializes in hardscape features such as pavers and fountains, is the lead contractor on the job. That company is working closely with TropicScapes Landscape Design & Installation and Werever Outdoor Products, which specializes in cabinetry.
Mac Garner of TropicScapes and Hassan "scratched something out" for a loose design, and Garner used that to draft a meticulous plan Monday and Tuesday. A big camphor tree in the middle of the yard provides a lot of shade, so the design is heavier on hardscape than landscape. But it does include plenty of plants: birds of paradise, Hawaiian ti, Confederate and Asian jasmine, flax, impatiens, and a bromeliad garden, among others.
A contingent of volunteers, including members of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue who work with Brooke's brother, Blake Enriquez, are moving quickly, hoping to get a lot done today because of the threat of storms tomorrow.
The yard should be transformed for the big reveal late Thursday afternoon.
The Iarossis won the makeover after spending all day — 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Sunday at the South Tampa Lowes with their 9-month-old baby as Hassan and his producers struggled to choose whose yard would win a makeover and be featured in a July episode. Usually, Hassan ambushes unsuspecting shoppers at California home-improvement stores, a process that results in a winner in about three hours. This time, his visit was advertised in advance and hundreds of hopefuls turned out.
"It was a cool experience," Cascio said. "People in line became friends, sharing stories about their horrible yards. There was a good energy, even though they were sitting there for hours. They even bought lawn chairs."
Show air dates and repeats:
- Dec 5, 2010 - 7:30 AM e/p
- Nov 29, 2010 - 10:30 PM e/p
- Nov 29, 2010 - 1:30 AM e/p
- Aug 08, 2010 - 2:30 PM e/p
- Aug 14, 2010 - 7:00 PM e/p
- Aug 24, 2010 - 7:30 PM e/p
- July 31, 2010 - 8:30 AM e/p
- July 31, 2010 - 3:00 PM e/p
- July 11, 2010 - 10:30 PM e/p
- July 11, 2010 - 1:30 AM e/p
- July 07, 2010 - 2:30 AM e/p
- July 07, 2010 - 11:30 PM e/p
- July 06, 2010 - 11:00 PM e/p
- July 06, 2010 - 2:00 AM e/p
View Yard Crashers website here "
View Photo Gallery from this show on tbo.com here »
"Yard Crashers" dig in on South Tampa Backyard
Original Story in The Tampa Tribune | by George Wilkens
TAMPA - The DIY Network's "Yard Crashers" are hard at work this afternoon, wheeling towering palms into place, schlepping potted plants and otherwise transforming the Iarossi family's backyard into a landscaping work of art."At this pace, we can get finished tomorrow before dark," the show's host, Ahmed Hassan, boasted. "What I've been told is it will come later in the day," he said of rain forecast for Thursday. "We can deal with a little bit of drizzle and a little bit of rain. If it starts to pour, we're done."
The busy crew included four relatives of Brooke and Tom Larossi, the lucky homeowners selected for the 48-hour makeover that includes improvements exceeding $35,000.
Colleen and Kenny Keane of Port St. Lucie, were initially skeptical when their daughter phoned Sunday to say she had been selected for the landscaping blitz.
"We were actually coming to town anyway," to attend Saturday's Christening of Brooke's first child, 9-month-old Isabella, Coleen said. Brooke suggested, "Just come a little earlier to help out."Today, they were doing just that, toting materials and otherwise assisting the TV show staff and the several local landscaping crews working on the project.
Now, Colleen said, Saturday's post-Christening party scheduled for nearby Ballast Point Park can instead be held in the newly reborn backyard. It will have an outdoor kitchen, grill area, a raised water feature with fountain, 108 bags of mulch and lots of Florida-feel landscaping.
"It's beyond expectations," Brooke said.
While Hassan dug in with every tool he could get his hands on, from shovel to sod buster, he did have some local professional help. Jason Smith of Outdoor Impressions in Valrico, which specializes in hardscape features such as pavers and fountains, is the lead contractor on the job. That company is working closely with TropicScapes Landscape Design & Installation and Werever Outdoor Products, which specializes in cabinetry.
Mac Garner of TropicScapes and Hassan "scratched something out" for a loose design, and Garner used that to draft a meticulous plan Monday and Tuesday. A big camphor tree in the middle of the yard provides a lot of shade, so the design is heavier on hardscape than landscape. But it does include plenty of plants: birds of paradise, Hawaiian ti, Confederate and Asian jasmine, flax, impatiens, and a bromeliad garden, among others.A contingent of volunteers, including members of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue who work with Brooke's brother, Blake Enriquez, are moving quickly, hoping to get a lot done today because of the threat of storms tomorrow.
The yard should be transformed for the big reveal late Thursday afternoon.
The Iarossis won the makeover after spending all day — 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Sunday at the South Tampa Lowes with their 9-month-old baby as Hassan and his producers struggled to choose whose yard would win a makeover and be featured in a July episode. Usually, Hassan ambushes unsuspecting shoppers at California home-improvement stores, a process that results in a winner in about three hours. This time, his visit was advertised in advance and hundreds of hopefuls turned out."It was a cool experience," Cascio said. "People in line became friends, sharing stories about their horrible yards. There was a good energy, even though they were sitting there for hours. They even bought lawn chairs."
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