Client Overview
Chrissy Buskirk and Matthew Alexander recently moved to Minneapolis from Portland, Oregon. When they bought their home in the Longfellow neighborhood, there was a tiny patio attached to the back of the house that was too small to fit any of their outdoor furniture. An outdoor living space is important to Chrissy and Matthew because they like to hang out outside, so they needed a solution. The couple also envisioned gardens in the backyard to break up the grassy areas, and an outdoor environment that would be friendly to animals and insects.
Before
AfterChallenge
In addition to being too small, the backyard patio was in a bad spot, and was not well designed. With just a short chain link fence, the space lacked the privacy Chrissy and Matthew desired. And, like other yards in their neighborhood, grubs had moved in and killed all of the grass in the front yard, so it had turned to unhealthy dirt. Coming from Oregon, Chrissy and Matthew were used to being surrounded by greenery, but other than lilac bushes, all they had was grass.
Solution
Beyond increasing the size of the patio, Minnehaha Falls Landscaping Owner Russ Henry recommended moving it to avoid direct sunlight during peak times of use. Chrissy and Matthew wanted a modern look to match the style of their patio furniture, so Russ recommended two-toned stone that would also complement the color of their outdoor table. A row of fairly fast-growing arborvitae was planted along the fence to provide privacy, and gardens were defined with brick edging. Russ also suggested creating a pathway to the back sidewalk from the patio, and Chrissy says, “I’m so glad he recommended this.”
Results
Chrissy says, “We rarely see a grub now, and, I’m looking forward to gardening in the spring.” And, Matthew and Chrissy agree, “The results are even better than we imagined they would be. The crew was great, and Russ was so accommodating. There was a problem with the tile we picked out, so he rushed new samples over so our project wouldn’t be delayed, and we ended up liking the new ones better than the originals.” Matthew and Chrissy are enjoying happy hours on their contemporary new patio, and their furniture is a perfect fit!
“The results are even better than we imagined they would be.” - Chrissy Buskirk