The Easy-Care Yard

One reward of overhauling other people's properties for a living is experience that you can put to use on your own place—eventually. For eight years, Vincent Ocampo worked as the contractor half of a design-build team in Southern California with garden designer Nicole Lopez. He loved how their work blurred the boundaries between indoors and out.

Shown: Westchester, California, homeowner Vincent Ocampo and his daughter, Alexis, get set to enjoy a meal outdoors.