ORLANDO, Fla. — When the Barnes family moved into their $1.3 million Monterey Mediterranean home in Orlando, Fla.'s Baldwin Park two years ago, they were thrilled with everything except the backyard.

Nothing more than a blank square of lawn with a fringe of low shrubs, it faced an alley lined with garages and garbage cans to the rear, and was overlooked by neighboring two-story houses on two sides."It was like living in a fishbowl," says Bill Barnes, an attorney.

"It needed a lot of work," says Suzanne Barnes, an architect.

She took charge of contacting landscapers, pool builders and suppliers of decking, paving and outdoor fireplaces. She also contacted the producers of the HGTV "Ground Breakers" series, who decided to feature the transformation of the Barnes' backyard in the program's 2009 lineup.

The couple had four goals for the $100,000 transformation:

Establish privacy from adjacent homes.

Hide open garages and garbage cans in the back alley.

Provide a safe play area for their two children and small dogs.

Create three distinctive areas for year-round outdoor entertaining.

The first three goals were quickly achieved after consulting landscape architects from Redmon Design Co. in Maitland, Fla. Improvements included installation of a tall, white-lattice fence from Preferred Fence in Sanford, Fla., and lush boundary plantings of palms and low-maintenance shrubs by Alfresco Living in Maitland.

Designing and building the three entertainment areas took several months, thanks in part to delays caused by Tropical Storm Fay's lingering deluge in August.

Opening off the home's family room is the first of the three entertainment zones — a covered patio that can be enclosed with automated ClearView screens from Gulf Coast Retractable Screens for extra privacy or when bugs are bothersome.

On the west side of the yard is a vine-covered pergola, assembled from a kit by Average Joe's Pergola Depot. It provides a shady, al fresco dining and lounging area. At the far end of the pergola is an outdoor fireplace faced with electric fire.

The pool runs parallel to the pergola on the east side of the yard. Designed by All Pro Pools of Central Florida, it is colored a custom shade of aqua to match the tile trim, and is surrounded by a travertine sun deck by Tremron. At the far end is a privacy wall and fountain; at the near end, a raised spa.

"We love real materials — wood, granite, travertine, stone, steel," says Suzanne. "But we also investigated materials like fiberglass, concrete, resin and fake stone and wood, which are usually less expensive." Suppliers included Tropic Decor, Pre-Cast Designs and Coral-Light Stone Products.

Finishing touches include wrought-iron and wicker patio furniture, bright linens and flower-filled planters.

During the final taping of the show, "Ground Breakers" host Justin Cave has his camera crew focus on each of the three entertainment areas.

"It's a small space but makes a big impact," says Cave.

And best of all, say Bill and Suzanne Barnes, they no longer feel as if they're living in a fishbowl.

The yard was featured on the June 7 "Ground Breakers" show.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.