Jeff Blunkosky may be a landscaper, but the 30-year-old has become another son to Gerri and Bob Pletcher, of Nevillewood, Pa.
Blunkosky has spent the better part of six years transforming the couple's 2 1/2-acre backyard into a soothing paradise. Three huge koi ponds are connected by a meandering stream with two gushing waterfalls that spill cool water over strategically placed rocks and stones. More than 100 varieties of plants and trees surround the ponds and waterfalls. Blunkosky installed 3,000 square feet of retaining walls and built patios, too.
The cost? A mere $350,000.
"It was absolutely worth the money," says Bob Pletcher, 70, a retired principal for the Keystone Oaks School District. "It was done for our own enjoyment, not for resale value. I spend a lot of time here in the evenings when Gerri's working."
HGTV was so impressed with Blunkosky's work they sent a film crew out to the house last year and filmed a segment for the series "Look What I Did" that will air at 6 p.m. Monday. Blunkosky says that one of the HGTV producers saw his Web site and called him from California, asking for pictures.
"They were blown away," says Blunkosky, who co-owns Pittsburgh Stone and Waterscapes with his dad, Bob, out of Canonsburg. "They came out here for a full day of filming. It was a lot of fun."
Gerri Pletcher, 62, a retired teacher who is now the senior regional vice president for Party Lite Gifts, Inc., says the property had been all wooded when they built the house and they were going to keep it that way.
"But Bob (Pletcher) had a couple of ideas," she says. "Bob Blunkosky did a nice job of landscaping the front of the yard. I wanted to hear running water."
The couple met with Jeff Blunkosky and went over some ideas with him. He had some ideas of his own, so they met halfway.
"We allowed Jeff to have freedom to do what he did because that's his craft," says Gerri Pletcher.
Pittsburgh Stone and Waterscapes built outdoor systems that are ecologically balanced, with no chemicals, according to Blunkosky. The fish, plants and beneficial bacteria balance each other. If you walk into a natural pond, he says, you'll see that the broken down leaves and twigs make the water murky. The pump in the skimmer box makes sure that plants don't have a chance to decompose and make that sludge.
"It's a low-to-no-maintenance concept," says Blunkosky. "It has been around for a long time, but Pittsburgh has been behind the times. We're just starting to catch wind of it here. The national broadcast will show that we're doing things just as well as the rest of the people around the country."
Blunkosky and the Pletchers have become such good friends that Blunkosky spends a lot of his free time there now, too. It's not uncommon for him and his girlfriend to go over to the house on the weekends.
"This is my showpiece, my favorite," he says. "They have the same passion for this as I do. It's very stress-relieving. It's a nice backyard sanctuary -- almost like a park. It's a great environment to come home to."