Ahmed Hassan: Do you watch the landscaping and gardening shows on TV?

Brad: Sometimes.

Ahmed Hassan: Did you ever want to be on one?

Brad: Not usually.

Ahmed Hassan: Yesterday, homeowners Brad and Dave hit the store armed with a long shopping list.

Ahmed Hassan: So what are we doing.

Brad: I don't know what you are doing.

Male Speaker: They were getting ready for a little backyard bash until a mad decided to crash the party.

Ahmed Hassan: The crew is here and it's time to start. Good morning.

Brad: Good morning.

Ahmed Hassan: Have you ever seen this many guys standing across the street from your house?

Dave:No.

Ahmed Hassan: They are all here for you guys. You have got some friends this morning?

Brad: Yes.

Ahmed Hassan: And we have got some friends. I like you to meet Ian Hall landscape designer. Ian brings the whole team when he comes out. Alright?

Male Speaker: That's great.

Male Speaker: But first we want to get some tools and get to your backyard. Alright. Take it all to the back.

Male Speaker: Finally, with everyone in the backyard they can discuss the plan. You might remember, these guys were pretty skeptical.

Brad: What if we don't like your ideas?

Male Speaker: You are not just like a crazy man.

Ahmed Hassan: No, this is not my first one. You guys aren't my guinea pigs.

Male Speaker: Now, here is why I told you okay, if you have got a nice design there which you guys can see in just one minute.

Brad: Okay.

Ahmed Hassan: I told them that you like to party, you are having a party actually. And you have this deck space here but you really have this huge yard and nowhere to really go in it. This all give just free room of it.

Brad: Right, yeah.

Ahmed Hassan: So we figured that dogs can still have some free room of it. But, we want to bring here a little bit more. You have got the tree.

Brad: Yeah.

Ahmed Hassan: You have got the old brick fireplace there, fireplaces in the middle.

Brad: Right.

Ahmed Hassan: And what we are going to put in is a new gravel patio. It's going to have a nice border here. This is actually a seating wall to replace your busted picket fence around the tree. But, that gave me a good idea.

Brad: Okay.

Ahmed Hassan: You already had this area defined, but now we are going to actually give some functionality to it.

Brad: Is this the seating?

Ahmed Hassan: This is a little seating, so we get a little dual use out of that, set up with nice little paintings up there to kind of soften up that well.

Male Speaker: What's this here?

Male Speaker: That's called the new counter top in your bar area. Basically, we are putting you in, in outdoor bar back here in your backyard.

Brad: Awesome.

Ahmed Hassan: Alright, so that's first things first, we have got to break some ground. Ready? Let's go.

Ahmed Hassan: Let's do it.

Male Speaker: With the yard all cleaned up, that marks up the area for the gravel party patio.

Dave: I don't adapt the change very well. So it's a big design. It was much bigger than I was expecting.

Brad: Dave is at the patio, and has came all the way to the deck. So now that we see the spray paint there, I think that's making him feel better.

Ahmed Hassan: Yeah, okay.

Male Speaker: We need to get about four inches of gravel in here, and we still want it to be just at about this height that it is. So we have to straight down about three to four inches to do that.

Male Speaker: I am going to come in here and just make some passes around here. I need you guys to come behind me with square shovels, basically like a plaining tool to help straight down and get to that four inches of depth.

Male Speaker: A string line grid allows you to check that a surface is leveled. In this case it needs to be exactly four inches down to provide the correct base for the gravel patio.

Ahmed Hassan: We are taking the high spot and putting it into the low spot.

Male Speaker: Well, the crew grids the surface, Tommy is up in the tree, stringing power for lights.

Ahmed Hassan: Hey Tommy, how are you doing up there?

Tommy: Doing awesome.

Ahmed Hassan: Alright.

Male Speaker: Down below, the guys pour the four to five inch concrete footing that will be the foundation of the rock retaining wall. Once complete, it's ready for rocks.

Male Speaker: So if you wanted to cut it off, it kind of have a flat piece upfront and it matches in with this, then go ahead and fit in the concrete.

Brad: Alright, and that doesn't matter that the height is not exactly the same?

Male Speaker: No it doesn't, we can match it up with a smaller rock. It's kind of like a big puzzle.

Brad: And the ones in the back are the ones that are least attractive.

Male Speaker: Least attractive ones go in the back.

Male Speaker: The same type of concrete footing used for the rock wall also supports the border of the patio.

Ahmed Hassan: Now all this is going to do is support this and bring it up to the height that we needed. So all I need you to do is come in here and keep beating the wood.

Dave: I've got a rock.

Male Speaker: The seating wall is starting to take shape. The crew is using a hidden mortar technique that simultaneously makes this wall sturdy enough to sit on, what will keep the mortar hidden when done. Mortar is placed between the rocks, and then excess is cleaned away. So it looks like the rocks are simply stacked. Like the seating wall, mortar is used in the slate border.

Ahmed Hassan: Well what you want to do is take the sponge, you are cleaning it and you are moistening it.

Brad: Okay.

Male Speaker: Ahmed instructs Dave to put the stones together, leaving a one inch gap between each for mortar. It's also important to keep the outer edge flush or smooth.

Ahmed Hassan: Don't worry about deep shoveling it too much, because I am going to actually use a sponge, kind of like a trial, and just make sure it's smooth like that to just kind of sneer it with the sponge.

Male Speaker: That old brick bar has been updated with a stylish slate surface. The only thing left is for Ahmed and Dave to drop in that shiny new built in blender, and this party will be on.

Ahmed Hassan: And we want to make sure that this is nicely centered over that hole, we get on shot on this.

Brad : Okay.

Male Speaker : Finally with hardly a moment to spare, this crash is complete. Ahmed and his crew transformed that old dust ball into a rich looking Gravel Patio flaked by flagstone. Building a stone seating wall around the magnificently lit tree creates a real centerpiece and provides the perfect place for an outdoor party.

[Music Playing]

Brad: It was a very good on their part to say yes and agree to do it.

Dave: I have never been more sore or exhausted but I learned a lot.

Ahmed Hassan: Alright, that's our signal, and that's our time to go. When that happens, we go.