Axel Landscapes

Serving the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul metro areas

Winner: 2007 MNLA Award for Residential Hardscape

Winner: 2005 Hedberg Award for Segmental Retaining Wall

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Phone:
612-819-2828

Fax:
612-605-1938

Email:
sales@axe...

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 RECENT  PROJECTS 2007

Check out what we're up to this season!

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Winter 2007:  We found out we won an Award!   2007 MNLA Hardscape Award Winner: This project was installed partially in fall 2006, with the rest completed this spring and summer. It includes a 550 s.f. patterned bluestone front entryway which has radiant heat for winter, a 4500 s.f. paver circle driveway (also with radiant heat), 1000 s.f. of sidewalks around the house, and approximately 4500 s.f. of paver terracing in the backyard pool area.

The pavers are Belgard Mega Bergerac and Regular Bergerac in color Bluestone.

 

Pool Deck Before

 

 After

 
Upper rear terrace before

 After

 

Front Entry Bluestone

 

 Front Entry facing Driveway

The little round white thing is the sensor that activates the radiant heat system.
Driveway Before

 Driveway After

 
Sidewalk and Driveway

 

 Front bluestone and driveway

Video Tour of Rear Terrace

 

Completed Late June, 2007: Here we took an old Southwest Minneapolis backyard and turned it into a gorgeous area for entertaining guests. Have a look at the raised fireplace and sitting wall! The patio is Anchor Kingston in color Fieldstone, and the wall is Belgard Weston Wall in Ashbury Haze.

Before

 After
The raised fireplace is a safe,
fun way to have a fire outside.

Video Tour

 

Client Letter from this project

> Chris - I wanted to drop a quick note to extend a HUGE THANK YOU for our new
> back yard.  You exceeded our expectactions by a mile and our backyard is the
> highlight of our home.  We have spent more time in our backyard in the past
> 3 months than we have in the last 3 years.  For your team to have pulled off
> the amazing transformation in just 2.5 days....WOW!  Amy was a blast to work
> with right from the start of us looking at ideas.  Thank you again, we look
> forward to having your team back soon to transform our front yard.
> 
> PS- Thank you for the note (on the Corona box) this past weekend.  As you
> can see - we tend to have a little "too much" fun in our new back yard.
> 
> 
> Torrey K.
> Mpls, MN

 

Completed November, 2007: This was one of our last planting projects of the year. Yes, you can plant in November! We replaced the old concrete sidewalk with pavers, veneered the stoop in pavers, and did all new front yard plantings. We also mulched and planted the sides of the house. After pictures will be better next year when the plants grow in.

Front Before

 Front After
Stoop Before

 Stoop After
Sitting Area of Sidewalk

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 

Completed October 2007: Here's a home in Plymouth which had a horrible old concrete sidewalk leading to an old deck. It's always nice to remove wood (which needs frequent maintenance) and put in pavers, which need basically no maintenance. This is Anchor Charleston pavers in color Millstone, with a border row in color Charcoal.

We made new stoops out of wall block and pavers. The curved stoops are very labor-intensive, but they look fantastic.

Sidewalk Area Before

 Sidewalk After
Patio Area Before

 Patio After
Sidewalk Detail

 Stoop Detail

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 

Completed Fall 2007: Here's a small commercial planting project. They were getting water in the building when it rained for years so we built the beds up, forcing water to move back into the parking lot. No more wet dentist offices! They wanted sturdy, reliable plants with winter foliage so we chose Taunton Yews.

Project Completed Fall 2007: This is a new entry area for a home in North Oaks. We started this in spring, installing the boulder walls, granite steps, and paver patios/walkways. Then the clients completed their remodel projects and we came back in fall to put in the plants, edging, rock, and steppers. The paver is Anchor Kingston in North Oaks. (Yes, they have a North Oaks color!)

A neat feature is the boulders mixed in with the edging line to soften and naturalize the edging. The plants look scrawny because it was so late in the season.

Photo of the landscape plan we designed
Sidewalk area before

 Sidewalk After
Wider before view

 Wider after view
After

 After showing detail of edging and boulders

Click to open the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

Project completed Fall 2007:  We revisited a client from earlier this season (their project is pictured lower down on this page) and added a circle patio, small boulder wall, and raised fireplace. We sure love the look of these raised fireplaces! Paver is Anchor Kingston in Fieldstone. The wall block is Belgard Weston Wall in Ashbury Haze.

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 

 

Project completed Fall 2007: Here's a new construction townhome development we landscaped for a friend. We rarely do commercial work (we're focused on residential design/build) but the landscaper of this development dropped out and our friend needed a hand. So we helped! Always fun to show our versatility.

Front Yards Before

 Front Yards After
Rear Wall Before

 Rear Wall After

 

Project Completed Fall 2007: Apple Valley home of a chef who wanted a space to entertain. You can see the site doesn't have a lot of space, but the new hardscape makes the most of it. These are Belgard pavers and Belgard block for the walls and firepit.

Firepit area before

 Patio area before
Firepit After

 Patio After

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window.)

 

Project Completed August 19, 2007: Minnetonka home where we removed some existing timber walls and replaced with Belgard Weston wall block. We also did a 150 s.f. patio at the side yard, Weston Wall as edging, and a new paver driveway. (Pavers will cover the 1100 s.f. at the top of the driveway, and the rest will be asphalt.) The pavers are Belgard Mega Bergerac in 80% Ardennes Gray and 20% Bristol Beige.

Our client for this project is a very avid gardener, so she's going to take her time and plant the beds herself after spending some time with the new garden spaces.

 

Side Yard Before

 Side Yard After
 

Front Yard Before

  

Front Yard After
 

Driveway Before

  

Driveway After

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 

Project Completed August 16, 2007: Eden Prairie paver driveway, paver veneers on the front stoop, granite steps, boulder wall and small circle patio. The driveway paver is Belgard Mega Bergerac with two colors blended--- Lannon (80%) and Tuscan Amber (20%).

We hose down our projects before photography so you can see the colors. In real life, the colors are more muted. This paver blend EXACTLY matches the masonry on the front of their house, which you can see below in the Veneering photo.

Driveway Before

 Driveway After
 

Driveway looking uphill

  

 
 

Veneered front stoop. Both the pavers and masonry veneer is wet in this photo.

  

Granite Steps getting started
 

Granite stairs after (shady photo, I'll get a better one.) 
Also shows the small boulder wall and circle patio on the right.

I love the gentle curves of the steps.

 

Project Revisited from 2005: This house was on the luxury home tour in 2005. We did the complete landscape. It's unique to see a waterfall raised up with a limestone wall. Even more unique is the staircase made of 17 seven-foot-wide limestone steps. You see in the final photo that the project still looks great 2.5 years later.

 

Way Before--- You see how far
ahead the process starts.

 Before still--- more progress
on the house.
Limestone wall up, digging pond.

 Pond and steps installed
Steps Detail-- 7' wide Fondulac limestone

 After photo from fall 2007

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 

 

Completed Late June 2007: Front sidewalk and granite slab stoop. Also a rear circle patio, and granite slab stoop going from the mud room down to their pool.

 

Front Sidewalk

 Closeup of front granite stoop.

These are three-foot granite steps side by side to make a 6' wide stoop.

Rear Stoop Before


Rear Stoop After

I love this stoop!
 

Rear Circle Patio

 

Completed Late June, 2007: This is a roughly 250 square foot patio for a small space in a mature existing backyard landscape. The paver is Anchor Kingston in color Fieldstone.

We can install a patio this size in one long day, if you have decent access. This one took two days because it rained about two inches partway through the project and we had to go home. (Only rainout of the year so far, though!)

 
Cute Small Patio Before
 

After

  

After

 


Completed mid June, 2007:   This client wanted a combination of steps up to the front door and a sitting area. We made an Anchor Highland wall/sitting wall, with granite steps leading up. It's about a 10x12 patio on top, just the right size for a cozy morning coffee.

 
                   Before:                 After:
 

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 
Completed early June, 2007:  Here we did a full landscape with plantings, mulch, boulder walls, and a rear patio/landing area at the walkout.

Back Walkout:     

       
Front Yard: I really like this raised perennial garden.

 

Here is the plan we drew for this project

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 


Completed early June, 2007:  A steep berm in a Minneapolis front yard is replaced with a retaining wall and planting area. While the neighbors were keeping their berm, the graduated tie-in back to the sides gives a smooth transition.

This is a wall block you don't see very often, and I like it a lot. It's a stunning project when you see it in person. One of the prettiest walls we've ever made.

 

In Process:

After:

 

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 


Completed late May, 2007:  A front paver sidewalk, patio area, sitting wall and raised planting beds add depth to the whole front of the house, and balance out the space between the front windows and the ground.  Paver veneer on the concrete steps polish it off.

 

Just after tearing out the old sidewalk: 

After:

 

Click for the Video Tour (opens in a new window)

 


Completed May, 2007: Areas where grass wouldn't grow are turned into nice planting beds, and some older old-of-control front trees are replaced with new smaller arborvitaes that open up the entryway.

 

Completed May, 2007:  Multched planting beds and a bubbling water rock sculpture add interest to the front of this home.  In the back, granite steps and a contoured slope joins the back door of the garage to the rest of the backyard.

 
Front Yard Before:
 Front Yard After:

 
Back Yard Before:
 Back Yard After:

 

Video of the waterfall rock in action. Pretty neat!

 

 
Completed May, 2007:  A paver patio adds usable living space, with a built-in gas firepit. A small retaining wall at the slope near the boulder retaining wall wraps around into a free-standing sitting wall around the fire-pit. 
 

 

Completed January 17, 2007: I went on a climbing trip to Ecuador, and got to the top of Cotopaxi, a volcano, elevation 19,347. I made a couple photos up there to thank our two biggest suppliers, Hedberg and Bachman's. So they are *kind of* landscape-related photos. Enjoy!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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