location:
Plymouth, Minnesota
 
project characteristics:
Our clients have a very nice setting: a

Prairie-style home, tucked up against

a maple-wooded hillside, right out their

back door.  But, this posed some real

challenges as well.  They needed some

outdoor living space for their family, yet

the steep hill made this difficult.  A place

to escape the summer mosquitoes was

needed as well, when they just wanted

to enjoy the back yard.  They asked us to

develop a plan for their whole property,

with the new living spaces, bug-control,

seasonal color and interest, as the

priorities.  We designed a master plan

setting, incorporating their goals.  Off

their breakfast room doors, a wide

screened porch replaced an unused

deck.  Now, they can have dinner on the

airy porch, with no pesky mosquitoes.

We purposely kept this space rustic,

making for a great garden room.  We

also designed a circle-form “breakfast

patio” for them, in a radiating paver

configuration.  On a nice morning,

they eat brunch out here.
 
A new firepit setting, upslope from the lower patio, provides a warm overlook spot, right in the middle of their hillside gardens.  Nighttime lighting warms the back area and illuminates the paths and steps.  In front, restructured gardens, make for a much more welcoming entry garden, greeting guests at their front door.