Diving into a dream backyard

The Bethlehem, Pa., homeowners were wavering between a beach house and developing the backyard in their new home. Through careful conversations, they had decided that their new construction home had unlimited outdoor potential and would transform their home space into the vacation home they always dreamed of. However, the family could not visualize what a “California-style” space could look like and how it could all be executed, but MasterPlan Outdoor Living was up to the task.

While MasterPlan virtually had a blank slate to start from, the builder had installed the underground gas tank directly off the driveway and in the line of future improvements causing challenges. As the design for the garage grew from a single bay, pre-fab unit to the fully custom two bay unit, the tank needed to be relocated. The original idea of a patio had a staircase that was taking up too much valuable real estate in the plan, and the family also needed a mosquito-free solution to their lounge space. Lastly, the swimming pool needed to be the main focal point of the backyard but allow ample green space for the kids to play.

The design began as a patio and quickly matured into a seamless transition deck that would become their three-season lounge and dining space. MasterPlan created a feature wall for additional privacy. The skylights allow natural light to flood back into the space and MasterPlan also installed fixed screens around the structure and under the decking so the family could be completely bug-free. The swimming pool design is clean and streamlined to match the architecture of the home.

It features a sunshelf with lounge chairs and a church step entry. The adjacent spillover spa with iridescent tiling catches the sunlight at all hours of the day making the tiles sparkle and gives the space extra life. The board and batten exterior of the garage was painted to be as black as midnight itself, with white trim to complement the home and copper fixtures. A playset was installed at the corner of the property, where most of the green space was left untouched for the family to run and play games. The project took about 21 weeks to complete everything.