BEE LAWN SPECIAL | Contact us TODAY about BEE FRIENDLY LAWNS
BEE LAWN SPECIAL | Contact us TODAY about BEE FRIENDLY LAWNS
A lot of Bloomington’s backyards belong to postwar ramblers and split-levels — solid, comfortable homes whose patios and decks were never designed with afternoon shade in mind. On a flat, open lot under a July sun, that patio can sit unused for hours. A well-built pergola turns it back into usable space, adding shade overhead, structure to the yard, and a finished look that suits the home rather than fighting it.
Minnehaha Falls Landscaping designs and builds custom cedar and timber-frame pergolas for homes across Bloomington, from the established neighborhoods around Normandale Lake to newer builds near the Minnesota River bluffs. We build for local ground truth: Bloomington’s heavy clay soils and Nine Mile Creek drainage don’t forgive shortcuts, so every pergola stands on concrete footings poured below the frost line, with 6×6 cedar posts and steel hardware sized for freeze-thaw, wind, and snow load. What you get is a permanent structure, not a big-box kit that works loose after its first hard winter.
★★★★★
We are long time customers of Minnehaha Falls Landscaping. As I sit on my porch watching the monarch butterflies enjoying my pollinator garden I appreciate the service we’ve had over the years. It started with their snow removal service as we decided doing it ourselves was too much. Next up were the pollinator gardens and replacing our lawn with no mow bee gardens. This year we added garden maintenance to the mix so gardening is not a chore but is enjoyable. We recommend them very highly.
★★★★★
Minnehaha Falls landscaping did an amazing job transforming our yard. They added beautiful plantings that made the yard feel fresh and new. The lighting they installed really makes everything shine at night. They were professional, creative and very easy to work with. We have had so many compliments from our neighbors! I highly recommend to anyone!
– Laura J.
Every Bloomington backyard is a little different, and every pergola we build reflects that. Each project is drawn for the specific lot and home it belongs to, and it fits neatly within the broader range of our Bloomington landscaping services.
Our signature build: structural 6×6 cedar posts, steel hardware, and a design tailored to your home’s era and lines, whether it’s a classic rambler or a newer build.
Have a patio or deck that just needs shade? In most cases, we can build a pergola right over it, setting the footings around the existing surface, so you upgrade the space without tearing it out.
Starting from scratch? We design and install patios, walkways, and retaining walls together with your pergola, planned as one space, and mindful of Bloomington’s lot-coverage limits from the start.
On an open lot, the right pergola placement cuts the worst of the afternoon heat, frames the views you want, and adds a sense of enclosure without walling anything off.
Our heavy 6×6 posts and deep footings give climbing plants like clematis, wisteria, grape, or hardy annual vines a sturdy frame to grow on, so the pergola can green up over the seasons.
A pergola works best as part of the whole. It pairs naturally with our custom deck construction and cedar or aluminum fence building, so the backyard comes together as one deliberate design.
Every pergola is built from materials chosen to last, sustainably harvested cedar timbers, solid steel hardware, aluminum, and treated lumber worked into a design that’s entirely your own. Want to see the full scope of what we do? Our pergola builders service page and our combined decks, fences & pergolas page cover everything we build outdoors.
We run a clear, step-by-step process so you always know what’s next and exactly what you’re paying for before we break ground.
We start in your backyard, tracking where the sun falls across the patio or deck through the afternoon, noting how the pergola will look from inside the house, and reading the lot’s grade and drainage. On Bloomington’s flatter clay lots, understanding where water sits is part of getting the build right.
You see a full design drawing before anything is built, so there are no surprises. We help you choose materials that fit your home and budget, warm, sustainably harvested cedar, low-maintenance aluminum, or a blend, and shape the layout to your space instead of forcing your space to fit a template.
We handle the City of Bloomington permit, reviewed under the Minnesota State Building Code, and call in the utility locate before we dig. Then we pour concrete footings below the frost line and sized for clay’s shrink-and-swell, so your posts stay plumb for the long haul. We also keep an eye on the city’s impervious-surface limits when a patio is part of the plan.
Our crew sets the 6×6 cedar posts, joins the frame with solid steel hardware, and braces it using proven wind-resistant methods. When the pergola is finished, we clean up thoroughly and restore any disturbed ground so your yard looks cared for, not torn up.
Before we wrap up, we show you the simple upkeep that keeps cedar looking its best, so your pergola holds its strength and its good looks for decades.
Minnehaha Falls Landscaping goes back to 1957, when the Lindgren family founded it; Russ Henry and Chesney Engquist have led it since 2017. That’s the better part of a century spent learning how Twin Cities ground behaves, and in Bloomington, that means knowing exactly how heavy clay and high-water lots want a structure to be footed and framed so it lasts.
A pergola is something you’ll live with for years, so having a trusted pergola builder matters as much as the lumber. It pays to work with a team that will still be here, and still stands behind the work, long after the last post is set.
Imagine the back of your house with a cedar pergola overhead, the patio cooler in the afternoon, the deck finally looking finished, and the whole yard pulled together. Tell us about your space and how you want to use it, and we’ll design a pergola that fits your home, your budget, and Bloomington’s clay-and-cold reality. It starts with an easy, no-pressure consultation in your own backyard.
Minnehaha Falls Landscaping designs and builds custom cedar and timber-frame pergolas across Bloomington and the surrounding Twin Cities. We're a licensed Minnesota builder and the construction branch of a family-run company founded in 1957, and we keep design, permitting, footings, and construction in-house rather than passing the work to subcontractors.
Yes, and in Bloomington, the soil makes them even more important. Heavy clay expands and contracts with moisture and frost, so a pergola needs concrete footings poured below the frost line and sized to resist that movement. We anchor every 6×6 cedar post that way. The lightweight kits that skip real footings are usually the first to lean, loosen, and pull out of level.
In most cases, yes. If you already have a patio or deck you like, we can typically build a pergola over it by placing the posts and footings around the existing surface. We confirm the specifics during the on-site visit, and if there's no patio yet, we can design and build the patio and pergola together as a single coordinated project.
For most Bloomington homes, sustainably harvested cedar is the top pick. It stands up to our climate, lasts for decades, and looks right on everything from a mid-century rambler to a newer build, especially paired with solid steel hardware. If low maintenance is your priority, aluminum is a strong alternative, and we'll walk you through the trade-offs during the design process.
Most pergolas are reviewed through the City of Bloomington under the Minnesota State Building Code, with the Planning Division handling setbacks and accessory-structure rules and a citywide cap on impervious surface coverage that can matter when a patio is involved. Low-lying or wetland-adjacent lots may also trigger stormwater review. As your builder, we handle the permit and the utility locate for you.
As the education and advocacy branch, we work with community partners to create safe places for our pollinators, one garden, yard, business, school, church, conversation at a time. We know that together, we can build the buzz!
As the construction branch of Minnehaha Falls Landscaping, we build outdoor decks, steps, railings, pergolas, fences, and planters. When it gets colder, we step inside to remodel living spaces with creativity and craftsmanship, including cabinetry.
As the gardening branch, we work within your landscape to grow plants, flowers, shrubs and woodland gardens that are beautiful, restorative, and safe for birds, people, pets, and pollinators. We also install bee-friendly lawns and do spring and fall clean-up.
Call us at 612-724-5454 to see what is possible with landscape design and construction, organic gardening, and indoor remodeling.