Why Design Is the Most Important Part of Your Patio Installation Plan
Ask your average homeowner what they think the most important part of the patio installation process will be and you might get answers about paperwork, safety, or even detail finishing. All of these matter, and you could probably make an argument for a dozen other steps along the way.
After 20+ years helping people make their backyards more beautiful and usable, however, I think the design stage of the process matters more than anything else.
To be clear, I’m using “design” as a catch-all term for everything that includes dreaming, planning, and drawing. It’s the phase of the project where ideas are shared and decided upon. At the start of the design phase anything is possible; at the end you have a vision for the way your property will look when the work is completed.
In a way, this is the step where everything happens. In another sense, nothing has happened at all – the whole plan lives on paper instead of reality. So why do I think this is the most important part of a patio installation project? Let’s look at a few of the reasons…
Landscaping Should Never Begin Without the Right Vision
Most of my team have been with me for a long time. I know I could let them loose in someone’s backyard and tell them to “make it better.” Some of the changes would be obvious, and some might reflect personal choices or styles that make sense given the configuration of the property, etc. In the end, though, the space will look fantastic.
That isn’t the goal of our work, though. Our mission is to give homeowners exactly what they dream of with pation installation. We only find out what that looks like during the design phase of the patio renovation process. That’s why asking and answering questions is so critical to getting everything right.
With Good Planning All the Elements of Your Backyard Work Together
In the same way, it’s very easy to start choosing “good” ideas for your property. You might have a certain kind of patio installation in mind, or some lighting that looks particularly good. You might even choose a pool or appliance that is being offered at a lower price because of a seasonal special.
Once again, though, the idea isn’t to simply collect good ideas or to put in different backyard elements that look nice on their own. You want a cohesive style and vision that won’t just give you the exact outdoor space you’ve been dreaming of, but also a set of elements (including lighting, colors, sightlines, safety features, etc.) that all work perfectly together. That can’t happen unless you have a good plan at the beginning.
A Good Patio Installation Plan Solidifies Budgets and Schedules
Homeowners always want to know how long their patio installation renovation project will take and how much it will cost. That’s only natural, given that time and money are the two biggest constraints our customers have to deal with. Starting out with the right plan greatly reduces the ambiguity you face on either of these topics.
Simply put, when you know as a patio contractor what you are building and what the purpose for each item or fixture is, you can work backward with confidence. That means you can tell your customer what they should expect in terms of time and cost with the knowledge that you won’t have to adjust your calculations later. That kind of clarity can be beneficial for everyone involved.
Good Planning at the Start Prevents Indecision Later
It’s easy for a patio contracting project to take longer than it should. Parts can be delayed, permits can take time, and even the weather can put a working crew behind schedule. The most common and significant delays don’t come down to any of those issues, though. Instead, it’s homeowners feeling indecisive or changing their minds that cause most of the major setbacks we encounter.
Experience has taught me that these sorts of issues crop up far less frequently when we spend extra time on the design process. When the customer knows exactly what they want – and exactly what we plan to deliver – they are less likely to backtrack. So, we make sure we are as clear as possible about the direction of a project before we get started, for our benefit and theirs.
You Never Want to Regret a Patio Renovation Project
Even worse than having to restart your patio renovation project is seeing it finished and regretting the choices you have made. Luckily, this isn’t something I have encountered with my customers. However, my team and I have been called to fix other patio installations that were partially completed or went badly.
It goes without saying that there are some inexperienced and unreliable operators in our industry (just as there are in any other business). But I also think that a good planning process can go a long way toward clearing up confusion. On the one hand, it forces everyone concerned to get on the same page about the desired result. And on the other hand, it makes it far less likely that a patio contractor who isn’t planning on doing a good job will be able to answer questions and fill in details.
Who Is Helping You Design and Plan Your Patio Installaion?
If you can tell me who you have working on the finer points of your patio renovation plan, then I can probably tell you how successful it will be in the end. The design step is that important to getting timelines, budgets, and the final product right from the start.
Don’t work with any contractor who doesn’t take this step seriously. And if you are looking for a team of patio installation experts in the Northeast Massachusetts area, then do yourself a favor and contact Stefano’s first.
Every project starts with a free consultation at your home so you can get the answers and information you need. Get in touch today so we can get started.