Colorado Springs man, known as ‘The Yardist,’ shares beautiful backyard makeovers
There’s plenty to like about “before” and “after” pictures.
Matt Hiner realized that after he began posting examples of his landscaping makeovers on social media.
A “before” photo from one of Matt Hiner’s projects.
One photo — the “before” — showed the dirt driveway or empty backyard. With one easy slide to the next photo, the “after” showed a beautiful outdoor oasis.
He started sharing these transformations in 2017 under the moniker “The Yardist.” He hoped to show off his artistry when it came to yardwork.
He hoped the account would help get the word out about his business, Hiner Outdoor Living. He also hoped to share his artistry with the yard as a canvas.
On social media, the likes poured in. His following on Instagram kept growing, eventually hitting more than 90,000.
Hiner, 37, learned about the power of “before” and “after” years earlier.
One of Matt Hiner’s bigger projects includes his family’s backyard.
At 15, he got a summer landscaping job.
The Colorado Springs native planned to go to college, but says that route didn’t work out for him.
So he took a different path. He continued to work in the landscaping world and got married at 22.
Soon, the housing market crash of 2008 left Hiner without a job.
With a $300 unemployment check, Hiner spent $250 toward a logo and business cards. He borrowed some old tools from his father, a homebuilder, and hitched a trailer to the back of his truck.
“I declared I was in business,” he said.
Hiner recently shared a selfie from those early days of Hiner Outdoor Living, when it was a business of one. This was before. The next photo, with the “after” caption, showed a team of 18 employees in front of Hiner’s retail space near Fillmore Street.
The Hiner Outdoor Living team outside the company’s retail store in Colorado Springs.
When Hiner “skips forward to today,” he can tell of projects for the Denver Botanic Gardens, a reptile zoo in another country, the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center and luxurious backyards.
But first, he had to prove himself. As a new business, Hiner tested out his biggest ideas in his backyard.
Over seven months, he turned the grassy hill into an outdoor living space filled with picturesque features such as a pond, rock formations, trees, plants, furniture and a fire pit.
Matt Hiner with his family in their backyard in Colorado Springs.
It’s been the perfect place for homebodies such as Hiner and his wife to hang out.
And it inspired Hiner to keep going beyond the typical backyard design, which he calls “the five shrubs and a tree.”
“I just wanted to do more,” he said. “I wanted to create beautiful spaces. I want people to feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, even though you’re in your own backyard.”
When Hiner showed off his backyard, business began growing as others wanted something unique.
This is where another transformation took place.
For years, he had felt insecure about his line of work.
“There was the stigma of being a college dropout and society telling me I wasn’t going to amount to anything,” he said. “Landscaping also reinforced that I wasn’t doing anything with my life.”
Hiner started “The Yardist” to show that his version of landscaping was also an art form.
“It was a way to break free from that,” he said. “I wanted to show you can be successful at anything.”
On Instagram, Hiner shares about these personal “before” and “after” stories.
He also shares about those beautiful yard makeovers. Thousands of people are watching along.
“Some of my favorite comments are, ‘Came for the pictures, stayed for the inspiration,’” Hiner said. “It gives me goosebumps to think that I’m helping people.”
Hiner Outdoor Living, 2785 Steel Drive, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, hineroutdoorliving.com.
Matt Hiner is known as “The Yardist” on Instagram, where he has more than 90,000 followers.
Matt Hiner’s official title is “chief yardist” at Hiner Outdoor Living, which he founded in 2008.
Matt Hiner’s projects, one of which includes his backyard, often feature elements of fire and water.
Matt Hiner is known as “The Yardist” on Instagram, where the founder of Hiner Outdoor Living has more than 90,000 followers.
