Hammer vs. Abair

Nestled side by side in an old established Hollywood neighborhood are two 1911 California bungalows. They're in beautiful shape but their yards aren't, and our homeowners want to change that.

The homes have identical 40 x 40-foot front yards with long narrow side yards. The homeowners want to do a makeover, but their design ideas couldn't be farther apart.

John Hammer (red team) wants a lush green lawn with lots of color and a place to romp with his dogs. Jazz saxophone player and singer Mindy Abair (blue team) wants to turn her front yard into a Japanese Zen retreat, a place to escape when she comes off the road from touring. To help these homeowners get what they desire is the husband-wife landscape design team, Chet and Shawn Arens. For Hammer, they propose a contemporary cottage look with new sod, new pathway and bright vibrant plants and colors. To create Abair's Zen retreat, Japanese plants will be added, along with a new stone pathway and a fountain. Host Steve Truitt blows the whistle and the teams are off and running.