Southview Design Wins MNLA Award for Vadnais Heights Backyard Design

Southview Design won an award for Excellence in Landscape Design from the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) this month.

Southview Design landscape designer Tim Johnson won the award for the swimming pool landscape design he created for a Vadnais Heights couple.

The original pool wasn’t installed correctly, causing groundwater to seep into the pool. Adjacent to natural wetlands, the house had serious drainage issues. Runoff from the owner’s house and the neighbor’s yard created puddles in the backyard, rendering it nearly unusable.

Southview’s first order of business was to turn the soggy backyard into a livable area by re-grading the yard and installing drain tile to redirect the runoff. Installing a concrete base and decorative drain tile in the pool deck also helped solve the drainage issue. Finally, Southview installed a drip irrigation system with multiple drip areas that redirects water to the gardens.

What was once a diving pool is now a lap pool with colored laminar jets – a better fit for the empty nesters. Southview was able to reuse the pool equipment, hot tub and garden fountain in the award-winning design. The outdoor hot tub was moved onto a poured concrete base to a more private location, tucked away at the base of the deck stairs.

Johnson’s design also included creating an outdoor living room under the deck. Bluestone pavers accent the living space under the deck and line the pool deck, while an outdoor lighting system provides ambiance.

Colorful perennial gardens and mature trees line the outer edge of the property, which is accented with boulders. Many of the existing garden plants – hostas, astilbe, arborvitae, hydrangea, and daisies and even several key trees were also saved. Southview treated the trees prior to construction to minimize the stress and they’re thriving nearly two years later.

While the Vadnais Heights couple had rarely ventured beyond their deck, they are now enjoying their new backyard, swimming in the pool in the summer and soaking in the hot tub in the winter. Their new favorite pastime is relaxing in the new outdoor living room space overlooking the pool, gardens and wetlands, teeming with wildlife.

Tim Johnson accepted the award at the MNLA Awards Gala on Jan. 14, 2015.

For photos of the award-winning backyard design, visit the page on Southview Design: http://southviewdesign.com/landscape-designs/award-winners/suburban-pool-landscape.html. For more landscaping and backyard design ideas, visit www.southviewdesign.com.