Garden Junkie Designs

What if you could contact one company that could discuss both the engineering side of a project and the garden? Unique? Of course.

At Garden Junkie Designs we are experienced engineers in the State of Minnesota, passionate about design, and business minded with an entrepreneurial spirit. We've worked with office, retail, education, industrial, mixed use and residential projects. Materials utilized have included post tensioned concrete, mild reinforced concrete, composite steel construction, timber and masonry.

We also do single family homes: creating drawings and calculations for additions and remodels. Our goal is to create safe, economical and constructible designs for each customer.

GJD also branched out into the world of garden design. It started as a hobby and turned into a very fun extension of the business (and defined the name!). A great outdoor space starts with structural features of the garden or the "backbone". It's building off this that really sets our designs apart to create an artistic outdoor escape utilizing native and hybrid plants.

Structural Engineering

We are licensed structural engineers in the state of Minnesota. Whether the goal is to open up some more space in your home, expand your existing business square footage or make the jump and build a new building for your family or clients we'll work with you to make it a reality. With more than a decades' experience working side by side with Architects, Designers and Project Mangers we know what it means to be a team player and to deliver a quality project on schedule.

Garden Design

We create garden designs for the do-it-yourself-er who just needs a plan. We work together deciding how you want to live in your outdoor space, then create a set of full plans; a paint by numbers approach! If you are in need of additional assistance we are happy to recommend a number of skilled landscape installers.

Meet and Greet

The first step of any project is an initial meeting to determine the goal. What do you need and what do you want? Two very different questions, but an understanding of both is a must for a successful design. Reconnaissance, an inspection of existing framing for any structural work on any remodel project is a must. If it's garden design, a review of what the existing space looks like - what plants are there, the elevations of the ground - how does the light change across your landscape?

Quote

You will be provided a quote to complete the project design. Once there is a sign-off to begin and we have a direction the real work begins. Full design and calculations will be completed for structural framing work while design layouts for the garden move forward.

Drawings

Once design is finalized a set of drawings are prepared.

For engineering this would be a set that can be submitted for permit or straight to a contractor for bidding.

For garden design this is when you get your shopping list of everything you need to move forward on your own design now that your paint by numbers is complete!

My name is Elizabeth and I'm a licensed structural engineer in MN and a helpless GARDEN JUNKIE! I love designing and creating gardens, outdoor spaces and decor.

A graduate of Iowa Sate University with a Masters in Structural Engineering, I quickly found work in Minnesota. And soon fell in love with the community and can do spirit that had my spouse and I looking for a home to purchase and set down roots. After becoming a homeowner, I was constantly using my structural degree to cut out extra openings, extend the second floor and build a 2 story garage. However, my garden too became a workshop of design ideas and plant experiments. Eventually enough people asked me for assistance I created a business to work with other garden junkies and home owners, helping them design their ideal home indoors and outdoors.

Formerly with Opus AE Group, I have gained experience in office, retail, education, industrial, mixed use and residential projects. Materials utilized have included post tensioned concrete, mild reinforced concrete, composite steel construction, timber and masonry.

I've had the honor to work on several of the University of St. Thomas's campus buildings like the Anderson Athletic Center and McNeely Hall while working at Opus Group. While at Opus I've also gotten to work on projects like ware house facilities throughout the extended metro, Syngenta, AMC, Chipotle Mexican Grill Offices and The Foundry for Iowa State University Student Housing.

Since we live in Minnesota almost half the year all we see from our gardens are sticks and stones. I firmly believe that structures (whether it's your home, a well placed conifer or the slope of a roof) are as important as the traditional basic framing and plantings. Since everything else gets covered in snow, why not make what stands out beautiful?

Garden Junkie Designs is based in Hopkins, MN

Email anytime: contact_at_gardenjunkiedesigns.com

Call for a consultation: 612-424-0453