Congratulations! Your outdoor space is beautiful.
Thank you for being level headed and entertaining in such a nice way. Your team is the highlight of episode 4.


BTW - What happened to all those pieces of wood that Eric cut?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: yardbee,

do you think the wood pieces went in that first fire?

eric and lauren had my vote from the beginning even tho i didn't think they had much of a chance. i thoroughly enjoy eric's show and plan saturday mornings around it. i never watch lauren and notice a lot of people post that they don't like her. but from what i saw of her in action last night, i came away a fan of hers. i'd love to see her do rooms other than kitchens. hint hint.

she was like the 'david' of last week... kept busy, didn't mess with other people's heads and showed her talent by creating a gorgeous space. their whole yard was visually stunning, imo. eric was just as focused and their collaboration yielded lovely results.

truly the winners this week deserved to win.

I am sorry - but I did not agree. Eric/Lauren were the winners with the way they got along but as for winners of the design? I do not think so only because -
1. The HO asked for a new fence - not given
2. The HO wanted a spot to take their daughter - soon to be toddler. Nothing was safe- the curtains were waving, there was water ( a child will gravitate) right by a fire pit with soot at child's level. The only thing that yard had for the child was a tiny table. I know kids and they will sit at that table for less than 5 minutes. They toddle. The potting bench was just another thing to clean, the wood close to the house will bring termites and the child will pull one out and really hurt herself. If Eric would have put all the tree trim up - that child would have had splinters.
THE CHILD WAS NOT THOUGHT OF WHILE PLANNING THE YARD. That child will have that bistro table in the grass tumbling down so fast. Why did they even add it - noone could sit on the chairs , they had pointed legs, they would sink into the dirt. It was beautiful, it was just what us adults would love but......that is not what the HO asked for. They asked for a fence and a place that their child would be safe to play. It was not given so I disagree with you.

note: When Steve could not get the flagstone and had to make do with the rock - steve/sabrina space ceased to be safe.

In closing, there was not enough thought to the focus of what the yard was all about- a place where the toddler (remember when we had them) could play.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: chrissyfrog,

As a mother, grandmother and foster parent - I know safety and I will holler when I don't see it. The kid was not thought of - Leghorn- I already ate my crow, I gained 5 pounds but I will argue that anything like that 2nd plan was safe for a child. Now...an older couple like myself - it is a different story.

I do not think the rocks in Steve/Sabrina were safe either.

The judges on this show just do not base their decisions on the instructions given to the designers by the homeowners. They appear to pick the winners at random. Anyway, I am late with my comments because I had to go to Whole Foods and buy a special organic low-fat crow.

What was number 1 on the homeowner's wish list? GET RID OF THE CHAIN LINK FENCE! Team Eric & Lauren totally forgot in their haste to make fire and water for the baby to play in.

Tsk, tsk, judges...

Eric did say that the bamboo screen was intended to cover the fence if they had had enough time. It would have looked nice as well. Their design was so great that even without the fence cover it stood out miles ahead of the playhouse yard. As for safety, the firepit had a stand out surround of wood and a screen that looked pretty safe. Any parent that let their kid play out there with a fire going without supervising should have their head examined, IMHO..

Come on, you guys. Eat your crow with good grace. Steve ain't all that. I bet Sabrina runs for the hills if she's asked to work with him again. Steve reminded me of Rob on DS when he undermined Kim every step of the way, then tried to blame it on her when he lost.

Still love ya! Kisses!

BTW, I was pleasantly suprpised by Lauren. I have always liked her guts. Now I see she also has a style of her own, which I like very much. Kudos to the people who let her show what she can do without a script.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: witchiwoman,

No, you're wrong, he did say it. That felt good, can I say it again? No, you're wrong, he did say it.

1st of all - the bamboo for the chain link fence needed to be put on before the construction began. Eric forgot or ran out of time? That bamboo does not last long attached the way they do. A good fence like the one Steve made would cost 4x the cost and the quality is unbelievably sturdy.

The firepit/ water fountain was unsafe. The fire pit was half under the pergola. The firepit has soot after it has cooled down and the water is an attraction for the toddler. I have seen toddlers dart out so fast and I know I was watching them carefully. A good parent cannot protect her child from harm but she can see that the environment is safe. There were too many hazards for that child and not enough places for the child. It was an adult yard. The only thing for the child was the picnic bench next to the fire pit/ water fountain.

I have no problem that I ate crow, I had fun doing so. I ate with grace and a whole of hilarity. Steve turned me off completely. I am just saying that the yard designed had no purpose for a family with small children and not one of their needs were met. It met my needs - an older couple. It was too dangerous for words and I am sorry that I look for that. Many of us have had our kids rushed to the hospital from an accident while we were watching. We are told to put the covers over the sockets, the electrical lines out of reach and try to view things from their height. That yard was dangerous and she had no place to play.

By the way - I really loved Eric and Lauren. They worked so well together and after the way Steve was acting - I wanted them to win until I analyzed what they designed. I think I am too OCD when I see a design that is meant for a family w/ child

This message has been edited. Last edited by: chrissyfrog,

I really didn't like either one. That was not a back yard it was another room with no roof. They took up every inch of the space with STUFF. Maybe my idea of a backyard is different.

Eric and Lauren did an incredible job and more than Steve Watson.

I am a huge fan of both Eric and Steve - but, if you look at what was completed, Eric definitely exceeded. Yes, he forgot the bamboo on the fence, but overall, he was far more creative than Steve. Steve goofed in not checking to see if they had flagstone for the walk first. Also, all they did was built a wood platform for the chairs, a doll house and wood gazebo - that is it!! If you look at Eric's look at all the creative work they did overall and all the plantings. The fire pit and water feature, was not kid friendly - but we all have unfriendly kids things in our homes and yard. You teach your child to not touch!!

Overall I preferred Eric and Lauren's yard. The firepit (kids or no kids) I wouldn't want and the table and chairs on the grass didn't thrill me. But my neighbor has his table and chairs on the grass so oh well, what do I know. As for Steve and Sabrina, I just couldn't get past their snarking. Very annoying. The platform was too small for the table and chairs. Let somebody push their chair a tad too far back when getting up and oooops, an accident waiting to happen. Drapes, no thanks. That tiny platform with two chairs, too small. You could sit on the chairs (but why) and your feet would have nowhere to go.

quote:

The fire pit and water feature, was not kid friendly - but we all have unfriendly kids things in our homes and yard. You teach your child to not touch!!

The HO asked for 2 things in the beginning - a new fence and a yard that was a place where their daughter could play. I thought design was all about what the HO wanted. I did not think it was how many designs you could put together in 8 hours. I am sorry but a child needs a safe environment and yes, I have taught my kids and grandkids not to touch. How many times did your kids not listen to you? In my experience with kids - not listening is a natural occurence. I think that is what our designers did - they did not listen. I am saying that accidents happen - if you intentionally know that you have hazards in your back yard and the child gets hurt - then it is not an accident - it is gross neglect

I don't think any plan was safe for the child. No one was a winner.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: chrissyfrog,

Who won? Not the homeowner. The decision of the judges-JMHO, the best of the worst!

I agree Chrissy. It's been proven that a toddler has an attention span of just a minute or so. That's why you keep having to say no over and over, they just don't have the capacity to remember at that age. So why ask for trouble. Also I wasn't impressed with the playhouse, it should have had a floor. While I didn't think either one was practical (or safe) Eric's was the "prettiest".

Well, I'm 0 for 4 now. Guess that should tell me something - though I'm not sure exactly what.

I thought it was interesting that the judges chose to sit around the table in Steve/Sabrina's yard, yet chose the other yard as the winning design.

Sabrina/Steve did a much batter job of creating a yard appropriate for a young family with a soon-to-be toddler, IMO. However, the white drapes looked like a cat (not a Kat) had gotten into the TP. The pergola would have been much nicer without those.

Chrissy nicely articulated everything I thought was wrong with Lauren/Eric's yard. It was not a child-friendly yard at all.

I also thought the idea of sod on top of the wood pile was a little odd. Not only will the wood pile attract termites and other buggy critters to the house (right outside the back door!), but watering the sod will keep the side of the house - and even the wood pile itself - wet.

As on DS, I would like to hear more of how the judges reached their decision. With my excellent () track record so far, I apparently have much to learn.

Yes indeed congrats to the winners.

But I'm also sure they'd be the first to admit their design wasn't perfect. Neither was.

BOTH teams should have taken more time (from what we saw) to plan the yard a little more.

Then perhaps Eric would have thought to put up his bamboo fence FIRST. Then get to building.

(He was visibly disappointed about the fence, and his mistake with the wood pieces)

OR Consult with Lauren on those bark chip pices even HE conceeds turned out horribly -- AFTER he'd spent so much time on them.

And Steve would have known what materials he had.

IF they'd consulted more PERHAPS Lauren would have said great idea on the fire pit and water feature -- but make them smaller so there's more room for seating and a child friendly play area.

A little more consultation and BOTH spaces would have turned out better.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: clbselah,

Child-safe. Leaving out firepits, it drives me nuts when I hear someone on an hg show shopping for a new home that's child safe, to turning one down because they have a toddler and the back patio is cement or something. Kids are toddlers for a very short time. Who puts a toddler out back unattended anyway? Kids need to learn to live in this world without being bubblewrapped. However did we live to grow up ourselves?
There was an episode of househunters international where the single dad wanted his daughter to have her own bathroom. I'm thinking she must be in her 20s. She was probably 10!