The homeowners like to entertain outdoors so they added a brick paver patio, small grill and dining table for their backyard -- but the only real way to get the outside space is down a flight of stairs and through the basement making grilling out a hassle.

Before: Buggy Backyard Buying a cottage on Cape Cod was the homeowners' dream but the weedy, wooded, spider- along with mosquito-filled lot had become a nightmare.

Following: Fantasy Realized Chris Lambton and team push back the wilderness and clean the weeds and fallen, rotting trees subsequently expand the deck to make designated dining and food prep areas. Insect-repellant flowers and blossoms, like lavender and marigolds, keep pests at bay as a grand pathway and patio lead into a small pond along with a shadowed dangling daybed.

Before: Barren Lot With only a few weedy patches surrounded by overgrown bushes this garden isn't the relaxing escape the homeowners envisioned.

After: Personal Oasis New turf on wall tv installation . borders filled with low-maintenance plants along with an outdated World-inspired fountains provide this garden a park-like feel. Landscape designer Sara Bendrick added a lengthy, open pergola leading to a shadowed garden oasis that features cushy seat chairs along with an outdoor fireplace which can also function as a grill.

Before: Safety Hazard A too-small deck that is literally falling apart and failed, overgrown lot filled with leftover construction materials make this unusable backyard the household's least favorite subject of the home.

After: Picture Perfect A sprawling two-level cedar deck and brick patio anchored by an outdoor fireplace and pergola provide ample space for alfresco dining and relaxing with friends or loved ones. To soften all the hardscape, Chris Lambton and team pushed back the wooded area to generate room for a sinuous bed filled with perennials for year-round charm and blooming annuals for shade.

Ahead: Partially Finished Rooftop When you call a metropolitan high-rise residence, your "garden" is hundreds of feet above the ground. The views from this Chicago rooftop are magnificent but the full-sun vulnerability and lack of privacy mean this awesome outdoor space is seldom used by the homeowners.

After: Party Perfect, With a View Interior designer Alison Victoria provides the outdoor room an indoor atmosphere with exotic ipe floors and an outside kitchen complete with a functional sink, mini fridge and granite countertop. Planters filled with mature trees lend privacy as a pergola with retractable fabric awnings provides shade.

Before: Basic Backyard The homeowners like to entertain outdoors so they added a brick paver patio, small grill and dining table for their backyard -- but the only real way to get the outside space is down a flight of stairs and through the basement making grilling out a hassle.

After: Multiple Outdoor Living Places Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri, the Cousins on Call radically increase the home's outdoor living room with a 2-story deck with a complete outdoor kitchen upstairs with a comfy Moroccan-inspired lounge beneath. A massive bluestone patio, hanging fire pit, fresh sod and dining table finish the backyard's transformation.

Before: For the Birds The proprietors of the Los Angeles garden are folk musicians who are trying their hands in raising chickens. Even though the birds are thriving, the lawn isn't -- the chickens have destroyed the grass turning the yard into a muddy mess.

After: Folksy Nightclub To better house the hens, landscape designer Sara Bendrick built a custom multi-level coop subsequently reimagined the garden as an outside club to match the homeowners' fire for performing live music. She used reclaimed timber to build a barn-shaped stage at one side and a massive outdoor bar in the other. A dead tree which formerly divided the property was cut down, then sliced into 4 and 3 inches disks that were used instead of flagstone pavers to make a wide patio and pathways.

Before: Neglected and Unused A tumbled-down cinderblock retaining wall, rusty metal drum, pile of yard trash along with a lone tiki torch will be the unhappy view in the homeowner's deck.

After: Fireside Lounge Chris Lambton and crew clear the brush, grade the yard and put in a wide brick patio, anchored by a custom-built brick and slate fireplace. A pergola, constructed at a sunburst pattern around the fireplace, provides dappled shade and a little more privacy.

Before: Too Little for Socializing This backyard is the social hub of this block -- in which neighbors young and old gather to hang and grill out. Mismatched chairs, barstools and chairs are everywhere but there still isn't enough seats to accomodate the huge parties which gather here on hot nights.

Following: Ready for a Crowd To make food prep easier, cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri added a raised deck area off the home's kitchen to home the grill with steps leading down to the deck's main area below. Bonus: The raised deck conceals a swing-arm-mounted table which pivots out to give extra seating when needed. Built-in cedar benches on either side accomodate more guests while custom planter boxes are a great place for the family to grow veggies or herbs.

Before: Weedy Hillside With both a stay-at-home toddler and daughter, the homeowners need an area where they can relax while watching the children play.

Following: Outdoor Playroom The Moving Yard crew turn the formerly unused corner to some family-friendly hangout where mom and dad can kick back in the hammock while the children perform hopskotch or draw on the chalkboard nearby.

Before: Overgrown and Unused These young homeowners love the outdoors and have a huge backyard but are at a loss as to how to care for it. Woodpiles, that have brought snakes, clutter the land along with the little vegetable garden they attempted was soon eaten by rabbits.

After: Beachy-Keen Backyard Chris Lambton and team clear the house then make designated zones for gardening, dining, collecting around a sandy firepit and an enclosed outdoor shower. To give shade, a classic ship's sail covers the doorway to the house whereas a purple leaf plum tree, chosen for its vibrant leaves and short stature, is planted within the deck. Beachy Elijah blue fescue and other ornamental grasses unite with sun-loving celosia, butterfly bushes and sunflowers to fill the yard with colour.

Before: Untended and Embarassing This long-neglected garden is a overgrown tangle of 6-foot-tall weeds with a dilapidated carport full of tarp-covered heaps of plastic storage bins. The homeowners are so embarassed by their own abandoned-looking backyard they never invite friends or family over.

After: Tidy and Maintenance-Free The yard's previously rundown state proves that maintenance is not a priority for the homeowners so professional landscaper Chris Lambton chooses easy-to-care-for plants and chooses for maintenance-free decomposed granite instead of living grass in the backyard.

Before: Cramped and Too Sunny With a very small patio and no trees or structures to give colour, this too-sunny backyard on a hillside in San Diego, California is both too little and too hot for the homeowners to use as they would like for entertaining family and friends.

Following: Shady and Spacious Licensed builder Matt Blashaw substituted the small concrete pad using a huge paver patio shaded by a sailcloth-covered pergola. Artificial turf, rather than grass, and beds full of sun-loving succulents make sure the landscaping is low maintenance. Matt also constructs a stuccoed island bar with built in grill grill so the homeowners could create their dream of entertaining large collections reality.

Before: No Lawn in Any Way This Cape Cod backyard, full of wood chips and stains of poison ivy, is completely unused by the homeowners -- even the family's dog won't stray away in the deck since the splintery wood chips hurt his toes.

Following: Lush and Inviting After eliminating the poison ivy and ill-conceived wood chips, then the crew expand the present deck topping it having an abysmal bar. A broad paver patio boasts a dining table for six at one side and a shady pergola in the other. Professional landscaper Chris Lambton adds life to the yard with fountaingrass, late-blooming lilacs, spirea and unexpected pops of colour with decorative peppers, asparagus and lettuces.

Before: Diamond in the Rough All these Atlanta homeowners like to cook outside, but their existing terrace is too small to even hold a table with seating for six. However, on the plus side, their lot is huge and comparatively horizontal, giving them lots of space for expansion.

After: Party Central Designer/contractor Processor Wade considerably expands the patio to add 2 shady cabanas for lounging, an outdoor fireplace and just a bocce ball court. A built-in grill and drink nicely under the gazebo make entertaining big groups of friends a snap. To balance all of the hardscaping, Chip surrounds the terrace and fills concrete planters with low-maintenance, plants that are native.

Before: Blank Slate This spacious empty lot is big on potential but short on grass or any type of landscaping.

Following: Fascinating Oasis The Yardcore team flip this clean slate of a backyard into a work of art using a hardy farmhouse-style dining table flanked by a massive pergola. Underneath the dining table, a copper water feature provides a relaxing soundtrack while stately Arborvitae add solitude and rugged purple variegated fountain grass, lavender and potted patio roses add color.