“We received proposals from and interviewed 3 different landscaping contractors for our project. While James was priced competitively, we got a strong “good guy” vibe from them and that was the deciding factor for us. Once they started work on our project, our vibe was quickly affirmed and became reality. They communicated exceptionally well and were very transparent in their billings. James did exactly what they said they would do and more… Their finished work was stellar. But what was most impressive was this – our project ran into late fall and with the early arrival of winter, we still had one minor final change to complete. With James, I had no reservations whatsoever about ‘waiting till spring’ to complete the task even though I had paid in full. By mid-March, James had called me to schedule completion of the work. I did not need to call him. That should say it all right there!”

– Dan & RaVon Rasmussen

“Our Goal: We hired Urban Design to remove the existing deck on our house and build a new screen porch, deck, and landscape the west side of our property. The design we wanted sought to fully integrate with the current home design, while refreshing the 40-year-old landscaping. We wanted high quality materials, workmanship and had a specific deadline to meet with a major family reunion pending.

The Outcome: Urban Design aggressively tackled the project. While any project has unexpected delays and challenges, this team led by James Stelten coordinated their own efforts with that of materials suppliers and sub-contractors to meet our milestone goals. They were as respectful of our home and space as possible during construction. The quality of construction was excellent. The few issues that arose were solved fully.

Strengths of Urban Design: Communication was daily. They show up when agreed and work long hours to keep up with construction schedules. While they are primarily a landscape company, they have an excellent network of subcontractors to enable full-service construction management.

Because of our positive experience and working relationship with Urban Design and James as the project manager, we would not hesitate to recommend them for a building, remodel, or landscape project and are likely to hire them for any further work again in our own home.”

-- Dale Williams

"My wife and I hired Urban Design Company to do a major project renovation to our property. Our lot is at least .75 acres. They removed buckthorn from the entire lot and replanted native Minnesota hardwood and native prairie plants throughout. We had them build a 12-foot diameter ring walkway/garden with flagstone steps and walkway in front of the house. Brick walkways and two stone raised-bed gardens in the backyard. A brick wall and walkway along our house and driveway. In the far back area, they build a flagstone walkway and 12-foot diameter flagstone patio with a raised flagstone fire-ring in the middle. Their work is beautiful, and our property is beautiful. In the summer, the plants are spectacular! The attention to detail is fantastic. They always offered design suggestions and communicated with us, so we always knew what was going on. It was a wonderful experience and now we have a beautiful property to enjoy for years to come!”

– Dave Nyseth