Patrick & Brittany’s Story
Maxwell: Patrick and Brittany currently have an empty backyard. They’ve hired PLANT Design Group to help them utilize that space, so their family can spend more time outside.
Brittany: Currently we don’t use the backyard space just because there’s nothing back here. Sometimes they’ll run through with a ball, but mainly we’re out front because we have the driveway where we’ll set up chairs and set up the grill and everything. So, once we have that space back here… then we’ll be able to really enjoy [it]. The kids will probably feel more comfortable playing out back because we’ll be hanging out back out back, having dinner out back.
Maxwell: Patrick and Brittany have thought of everything. Their vision includes a patio with a seating wall and moveable fire pit along with a pavilion covering the deck- which means they can use it rain or shine.
Patrick: We met with Ed and Javan- and they were the most helpful and really cared about what we wanted long-term and wanted to customize the project for us.
Maxwell: The design is ideal for every occasion. Whether they’re having dinner as a family or the kids want to play in their own space while the adults are nearby and for when they have friends and neighbors over and need the space to host.
Brittany: The addition of the flagpole was something that he has always wanted to have out front of his home. He’s a veteren and he’s served a few tours. And I know that Ed is going to come up with a beautiful design to embrace that and make the front of our house look really stunning.
Maxwell: Let’s make it happen. The first step with any job is building a solid foundation.
Mario: Normally people think that the top is the most important thing- but it isn’t. The foundation is the most important thing.
Maxwell: Concrete footers are a key element to making the structure sturdy. The field team dug deep holes below Pennsylvania’s frost line and filled them with concrete, ensuring that the structure won’t move.
Rain is always a factor in landscaping. It can easily slow a project down. But it came at a moment in this project where Mario and his team needed to push through to make it happen.
Mario: I’m not a fan of the rain. Normally we just leave the site. Today because we have the pipes set and we need to lay the patio, we do it because otherwise we’re going to lose our levels. It’s really frustrating when it rains because the machine gets stuck, you get all muddy, you get all the mud on the pavers… nobody’s happy about it.
Maxwell: You’ve seen what it takes to give the structure a sturdy footing. Now, it’s time to see the beautiful end result.
Brittany: It’s so nice to have it finally finished. We pretty much are out here for most meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner- as much as we can. The kids love being out here, they’re excited to come out in the morning and since we have the forest they will just try and look for birds and it’s nice that we can sit out here and watch everything.
Patrick: I think we actually use it more than I ever would have imagined. The pavilion I wasn’t a fan for- Brittany pushed it and Javan thought it was a great idea and we really like that part of it.
Brittany: Yeah, now everytime we’re out here he’s like, ‘Oh, this was a good idea, I’m glad we did it.’ The one night the kids went to bed and we came outside and we were just having a couple of drinks and it started downpouring but we didn’t have to get up and leave because we were fine under the roof… so it was a nice addition to it.
I wasn’t sure how it would turn out with the wall that we had and I thought, ‘Oh, are we really gonna sit on it? Are the kids gonna sit on it?’ But now everybody sits around the wall- our extended family is large so everybody has a place to sit- not only on the furniture but then with the wall. So I’m really glad that we did that as well.
Everybody is really blown away by the transformation of the backyard. Especially because we had nothing out here and now all the sudden we have all of this. Everyone’s been really excited, the feedback’s been really positive.
Patrick: I remember when I was talking to Javan and I said, ‘If you could, I’d like the flagpole up for the 4th of July.’ And I remember he came out and gave us a couple of different options and it looks really nice.
Brittany: It was important to him to come out and make sure that that got done on a timeframe he was hoping for.
They really care about their customers. And that’s really why we chose them. Because we could sit down and talk about things and talk about what we wanted. I think if we had gone with a different company it would not have been as customized as it is. So, we’re happy with it.
Maxwell: The deck and patio are the new focal point for family time. Now, while the kids are young and they continue to grow, it’s a space that’s ideal for every occasion.
