Southview Design Wins 2016 Award for Excellence in Landscape Design From the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association

Southview Design’s Tim Johnson won a 2016 MNLA Award for Excellence in Landscape Design from the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA).

The MNLA Landscape Awards recognizes installed landscapes by MNLA-member companies that offer design, installation, design/build, bid/build, or other landscape specialty to their clients.

Johnson’s landscape design transformed a modest mid-century, two-story home in Minnetonka into a head-turner and the site of family and neighborhood gatherings. His design ameliorated nearly every aspect of this property – the home’s façade, driveway, walkways, side deck and fence as well as the front, side and back yards.

“The reason this landscape works is because it all flows together,” Johnson said. “We connected the outdoors with the indoors, so they can literally spend as much time outside as they can inside.” Johnson said the project was also unique in the cooperation it required not just between contractors, but also between neighbors.

When a close friend of the owner bought the home next door, the two women got together to design the side yard they shared so the two families can enjoy a wide variety of activities outside. A stone stepper path lights the way between the two houses.

A wide variety of issues made this project particularly challenging, according to Johnson. The front yard sloped dramatically causing the street and garage floor to be lower than the driveway. The front entry, steps and the old asphalt driveway were demolished, and diseased or dying trees also had to be removed.

The extreme makeover took place over two years; Southview Design first laid the foundation for the design and built hardscapes such as the driveway, walkways and patio. In the second phase, the transformation was completed with the addition of a backyard dining area, fire pit, water feature, hot tub and outdoor shower.

For before and after photos and a full description of this Minnetonka property transformation, visit http://southviewdesign.com/landscape-designs/traditional-landscape-design.html.