VIDEO SHOWCASE: Backyard makeover

Last summer, Bobcat Company – a global equipment, innovation and worksite solutions brand – announced that Rummer had won the contest, which awarded her a $25,000 backyard makeover using Bobcat equipment.

Rummer survived a car crash in 1995 that left her paralyzed as a quadriplegic and dependent on a power wheelchair. An avid gardener, Rummer loved to spend time in her backyard, but navigating loose, dusty soil and thorny vegetation in her backyard became a challenge. She described the yard as an “eyesore, a big disaster” and an “embarrassment.”

Not anymore. The transformation unfolds in the above video.

“The team at Bobcat is thrilled that we could help Julie achieve her dream of a wheelchair-accessible backyard with room to garden, entertain and get away,” said Laura Ness Owens, Doosan Bobcat vice president of brand and marketing. “Bobcat exists to empower people to accomplish more, and this is a perfect example of doing just that. We hope others are inspired by this transformation and recognize the potential in their own outdoor spaces.”

Rummer’s project was kicked off by using a Bobcat skid-steer loader to prepare the area, as well as the demolition and removal of an existing patio, which made room for a new ramp that the Rummers needed for their back door. Tree removal, relocation and planting was done by HIS Tree Service and concrete work preparations by Ultimate Concrete.