Backyard Builds is a Canadian home renovation reality series, which premiered in 2017 on HGTV (Corus).1 Hosted by designer Sarah Keenleyside and contractor Brian McCourt, the series features the duo redesigning and renovating homeowners' back yards into more flexible and versatile outdoor living spaces.2
The series received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Lifestyle Program or Series at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.3
Production of the series went into hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada,4 with its final episodes airing in 2021. McCourt subsequently launched a home decor line for Harry Rosen5 and continued with his own design and construction firm, Brian McCourt Designs, while Keenleyside moved to Prince Edward County in 2024 with her husband, singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge, and returned to television in 2026 in the new HGTV (Rogers) show The County.6
References
References
- "Backyard Builds takes renos outdoors in new series". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, April 6, 2017.
- "Investing in backyard retreats". Windsor Star, April 29, 2017.
- "Cardinal, Letterkenny and Kim’s Convenience top 2018 Canadian Screen Award nominees". TV, eh?, January 16, 2018.
- Gregory Furgala, "Sarah Keenleyside’s Backyard is (Finally) Fit For Shoulder Season". Designlines, September 15, 2021.
- Jean E. Palmieri, "Harry Rosen Offers Home Product Through Collab With Brian McCourt". Women's Wear Daily, September 30, 2022.
- Karen Valihora, "All Things County". Picton Gazette, March 25, 2026.