How to save time and money when building your outdoor living space

Posted December 24, 2020 in 3D Design, Blog, Design/Build, General, Landscape Design

Homeowners need to be careful when selecting a builder for their outdoor living project. The wrong contractor could neglect to gain the proper approvals for your project, make mistakes that cause you to spend unnecessary money, or waste the expensive materials you purchased. This is just not fair!

At MasterPLAN, we believe designing and building your dream backyard should be simple, convenient, and fun! This is why we make transforming your backyard stress-free by handling all aspects of your project. Our team is experienced, reliable, courteous, and fully committed to helping you enjoy the entire process of transforming your backyard into an outdoor living space.

President and Founder, Joshua Gillows explains more about MasterPLAN’s design/build process:

  • How does MasterPLAN’s design/build delivery model help save time?

Outdoor construction projects can be overwhelming. Most homeowners don’t have the time, tools, or the resources to create a beautiful and functional design for their space, and overseeing the construction of an outdoor project can be intimidating. This is why MasterPLAN partners with their clients every step of the way.

Working as one dedicated team, we help you create the perfect outdoor design that optimizes comfort, enhances functionality, and maximizes the value of your home. You will save time by leveraging your designer’s knowledge and experience to evaluate and select the best design, features, and details for your new outdoor living space.

We will help you determine the best layout that will optimize the use of your new space, select materials that are easy for you to maintain, develop your plans, obtain the proper permits, and coordinate with our construction specialists to make sure your build seamlessly comes to life. This eliminates the stress and hassle you could feel when overseeing your own general contractors and lets you enjoy the process of designing and building your new outdoor living space.

3 things your Lehigh Valley patio or deck contractor probably won’t tell you → 

  • How does MasterPLAN’s design/build delivery model help save money?

When we create a custom outdoor living space, the goal is to always think of the design comprehensively, with all desired items in one master plan.  This way, a project can be easily phased overtime if needed.

Operating this way makes sure every step is planned in advance and helps avoid costly actions in the future.  For example, phasing a master plan, we can install footers and conduits in phase 1 for features that will come into play during future phases.  This helps save both time and money by making sure you will never have to rip up or modify anything that has already been installed. We are already ahead of the game by working smarter rather than harder!

We also work diligently to be efficient with a “less is more” mentality ensuring that the design created for your backyard is exactly the right size so you don’t waste your hard-earned money on extra space you don’t need and won’t use!

 3 reasons you should design your backyard renovations before you begin construction → 

  • How does MasterPLAN’s design/build model help homeowners eliminate stress?

Homeowners have reported communication is the main point of stress and frustration throughout any home renovation project. By combining your design, project management, and construction we make sure you never feel stressed or frustrated during your backyard transformation.  Here’s how it works:

Design: Comprehensive outdoor projects can be overwhelming in many ways, so we partner with our clients during the design process to make sure they have all the information and tools they need. We know that our job is to listen to our client’s outdoor dreams and translate them into creative solutions to fit their family, home, and lifestyle!  

Since we realize that not every backyard needs the same features, we ask important questions and help our clients make sure they are getting the best return on their investment. For example, if a client feels that they need a hot tub, but would only use it a handful of times a year, we will suggest that they invest that money into an alternate feature that they will use more often for greater enjoyment. 

We are committed to making sure that our clients are investing in their home and family time wisely and we never want anyone to feel stressed when making important design decisions! Our ultimate goal of creating a design for your new space is to make sure you know all your options and make the best design decisions that will let you feel proud of your new space. 

Project Management:  This is a biggie.  No one enjoys the stress of applying for project permits, contacting their HOA, scheduling construction crews, ordering any materials, scheduling inspections…etc.  We make sure that we offer full project management to our clients so they never have to worry or stress about project management. 

Project Management is our forte and we are happy to acquire all permissions and handle all inspections to ensure a code-compliant, safe, well-built, and successful outdoor living transformation.  We believe in strong communication, so we are always in contact with our clients to let them know what to expect and when!

Construction:  Your outdoor investment should be built properly and safely. Our teams do not cut corners, so there is no need to worry or stress during your build!  We hold our standards ridiculously high which translates into quality materials, features that are built extremely well and that will stand the test of time.  

Each team member and MasterPLAN partner eats, breathes, sleeps and dreams of outdoor living 24/7!  We are always creating ways to deliver the most comfortable, efficient and beautiful outdoor living spaces to our clients.  

A part of our philosophy is that if you aren’t comfortable outside in your new space, you certainly won’t engage it.  We take our job of making sure you are content, cozy and comfortable outdoors very seriously, so you can do nothing but enjoy!

  • Can you explain the benefits of having a MasterPLAN designer oversee my build?

We pay extra care to each and every design and get to know each one deeply throughout the process. So it is our second nature to be the firm that also manages the build!  Our trusted partners know our level of expectations and we know the great level of their skill.  It is truly symbiotic!

If certain aspects need to be adjusted during construction, we can all do so with your best interests in mind because we truly understand the construction goals, processes, and procedures as a whole.  Being a homeowner’s sole point of contact while several trades are working in unison prevents unnecessary stress and frustration, making the design/build process extremely positive and a fun experience.

Our goal is always to create beautiful and creative designs, projects built with quality materials with stellar craftsmanship and project management that is beyond compare!  Our word is always our promise.


Planning a new backyard should be a very exciting experience, but we get that it is a significant investment. You might feel overwhelmed thinking about managing the design, permits, budget, bids, contractors, and all the other important details of your project. You are not alone!

At MasterPLAN, we have partnered with hundreds of homeowners– just like you- to take all the heavy lifting out of their backyard transformation. Our proven process has helped them design and build award-winning outdoor living spaces that maximize home value, help homeowners fall in love with their home all over again, and made their backyard a magnet to life’s most important moments!

Here’s how we do it:

Call –Schedule a design meeting!

Collaborate – Create your perfect plan!

Construction– With an approved design, construction starts!

Celebrate– Raise a toast in the backyard of your dreams!

CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR DESIGN MEETING!

(610) 628-2480

In the meantime, sign up for more Design Tips and Tricks so you can avoid wasting time, money, and space by designing your new outdoor living space before we do all the heavy lifting to complete your build!

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