It’s the 100-year project, otherwise known as your house. Potential projects continually manifest; some are small and some require a complete overhaul. A Woodbury couple’s plan to update their backyard resulted in a complete yard gut, creating a maintenance-free oasis that fits their busy lives and love for the planet.
The house sits on a cul-de-sac in the Evergreen neighborhood, and the backyard extends into the wooded Tamarack Preserve. “We purchased the property for the privacy,” says Emil Missov, a cardiologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota who, along with his wife, Lina Missov, a family physician at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and daughter, moved into the home 10 years ago. “We just fell in love with that,” Lina says. “It doesn’t feel like you’re in a city.”
The Missovs invested in updates throughout the property, and the latest undertaking was to update the yard and redirect water away from the foundation. “We knew that we didn’t want to do this again in 10 years, so we incorporated all the updates we wanted,” Emil says. The vision was rooted in Emil’s passion for conservation, ensuring that each step of the process would be environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
With a six-figure budget, the team at Warner’s Outdoor Solutions took on their largest project to date. “A job this large has to be broken up into small jobs,” says Nick Fogle, vice president of Warner’s. The wooded yard had a dilapidated deck, under which was home to some critters, and the original pool area had a small patio with old cement. Warner’s essentially gutted the entire property, leaving only the original hole for the pool. “The project included proper grading [leveling of the land] and drain tile systems, including a French drain, to direct the water where it’s supposed to flow,” Fogle says. Warner’s constructed five retaining walls, plus a custom cement paver patio in blue stone with polymeric sand to prevent ants and weeds. “We planted a wide range of trees and perennials, such as grasses, day lilies, and lilacs,” Fogle says. “We set it up so there would be a constant bloom, adding color through the fall.”
These busy physicians admit they don’t have a collective green thumb. “If it survived, it was purely a matter of natural selection,” says Emil, who loves having a yard that takes minimal tending. Even the high-tech irrigation system is so efficient it knows the moisture content of the soil and waters accordingly.
A new saltwater pool was installed and a large patio surrounds the pool in blue stone pavers. At night, next to a beautiful gas fire table, the family enjoys a custom colored waterfall feature that comes out of the patio retaining wall, with LED lighting throughout the yard. Powered by a grid-connected electric system, 43 new solar panels on the roof provide all the electric power for lights that are programmable from a remote control, as is the pool temperature, jets and salinity of the water. The Missovs’ solar panels generate so much energy, they sell it back to Xcel Energy. “There’s a return on investment for being efficient,” Emil says. “But there is a feel-good factor that is priceless.” His next project? A geothermal heating system.
“We just love enjoying our coffee on the patio,” Lina says. “And the neighbors like to come for the evening light show. We still owe them a party for all the construction, though.” Emil and Lina say they are still in awe of the project and all that was accomplished.
When asked what part of the project he’s most proud of, Fogle says, “Customer satisfaction. You’re only as good as your goodbye, and the most important part of any job is making sure the customer is happy.”
