Custom Solutions from One of the Most Experienced Landscaping Companies in Dripping Springs, TX and the Surrounding West Austin Area

Our smallest projects run 1 day each way and are about $2,000 for materials and labor. We really don’t have a minimum because we let the property define the scope of work instead of forcing our scope on the property.

Size doesn’t even dictate price that much either. What’s underneath and accessibility are the two biggest drivers of cost. It costs more to excavate caliche and shallow limestone than it does dirt. Slopes with excessive grade or limited access require more equipment time (and maybe terracing). If water is running across your property instead of downhill, we will fix that before laying any decorative materials because that layer is unseen but protects everything you want to see.

We don’t quote from a menu. We provide a pricing guide here so you aren’t guessing when you call us, and you’ll receive an itemized quote for your project after we’ve walked through your property. If it’s more than you want to spend in a year, we can phase it so you build toward one plan, landscape-style, instead of starting from scratch each year.

Yes. Whether you call or fill out the online form, you will receive a call back from Shawn within one business day to talk about your ideas, budget & timeline, and make sure that we’re a good fit prior to us sending anyone out.

The visit to your site is next. We walk the property, discuss grade, drainage, and existing structures, make measurements, and request a copy of your survey or site plan if you have one. If you have already had a design drawn up by another company, we’ll start there.

One week after that visit, we’ll provide a detailed quote and design drawing — complete with itemized costs so you know exactly what each piece costs. You can decide what to build now versus later. For larger projects, we’ll schedule a follow-up visit to the site within one to two weeks. You’re dealing directly with Shawn the entire time, not transferred to a salesperson.

Projects can last anywhere from one day to approximately one month. Factors such as the scope of work and weather affect the timeline. We won’t pour stone if the ground is saturated or plant material during a hard freeze just to meet a deadline.

Sites throughout the Hill Country present their own challenges as well. Digging in limestone/caliche usually takes longer than expected, and building on steep lots takes longer since we can’t always gain access with larger equipment.

We set an estimated completion date when starting your project and do everything we can to hit that date. If circumstances alter the schedule, we will let you know in advance instead of surprising you when the crew doesn’t show up. If your project is of a larger scale, it’s possible to phase it over a longer period of time to better fit your budget or desired lifestyle while the project is taking place.

Locations we serve extend throughout Austin and west & south of Austin in the Hill Country: Dripping Springs, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Westlake, Spicewood, Barton Creek, Driftwood, Wimberley, Blanco, Steiner Ranch, Tarrytown, Barton Hills, Circle C, Oak Hill, and Travis Country.

If your project is large enough, we might consider making the trip even farther. Just ask.

Yes. We are licensed and insured, and will happily show you current copies prior to starting work if you wish.

Why does that matter? When it comes to hardscape work on this property, it means big equipment on hillsides, digging around irrigation and utilities, and masonry teams carrying around pallets of rock. Proper insurance isn’t negotiable when you let someone do that on your property.

We guarantee plantings against root damage for one month and our hardscapes against craftsmanship issues for one year.

Neither plant nor hardscape are warrantied against improper owner maintenance, overwatering or underwatering, extreme weather, drought, or freeze. That isn’t so much fine print as Central Texas fact — the biggest threat to a new planting around here is a watering schedule that isn’t matched to the season.

Which brings us to the care review at your final walkthrough: how to water your plants while they get established, what to STOP watering when they are established, and how to care for your hardscape. We don’t want to have to replace anything, so we’d rather spend the time talking to you about it.

Yes — drainage and erosion control. This is one thing we get called out for more than any other, and quite often it’s the first thing we go fix.

Water makes almost every problem around here worse. Our thin soil over limestone doesn’t absorb much water, so when we get a hard rain it sheets right off instead of soaking in. It gathers speed on a hill and takes the bed of your patio with it. Clay soil, on the other hand, sucks the water right up against your foundation. Either way, if you build your patio before you take care of the water, it will eventually settle, crack, or lose its joints.

Site work is dependent on the area, but we often utilize terracing, retaining walls to decrease grade, dry creeks and swales to direct runoff someplace it can be directed, permeable pavers or decomposed granite when infiltration will do some good, and regrading to direct water away from structures. We’d rather fix things below than give you something attractive laying on top of a problem.

Locally quarried limestone, flagstone, Lueder stone and boulders, masonry and brick, wood, large-format and permeable pavers, decomposed granite and gravel, porcelain or honed stone (if you desire no threshold between house and patio).

We favor local stone for reasons beyond budget. Stone quarried from our own Texas Hill Country looks like it belongs on a Hill Country property, and performs predictably in our extreme heat and freezing temperatures. And did we mention that Lueder is tough underfoot and doesn’t require annual painting and resealing like a wood deck will?

Choosing materials is part of the overall design discussion, not an afterthought. We will discuss with you how each material ages, what your costs will be, and how it complements your home.

Native plants that are drought tolerant and adapted to Austin climate include: agave, prickly pear, Texas sage, blackfoot daisy, autumn sage, desert willow, oleander, ornamental grasses, and live oaks. They embrace the heat, thin soil, and dry spells best.

The short list for your yard is much shorter, though. Deer can determine half the plants on that list — out in the country west of Austin, if it’s edible, they consider it hors d’oeuvres. So we lean towards plants they don’t seem to care for. Amount of sun and areas of moisture dictate the rest.

When done correctly, a native landscape won’t feel like you compromised on design. It will look like you planned it to look great in August too. It will survive a watering restriction and won’t need replacing every few years.

Two seem to come up most often. The first is modern and minimalist — clean lines, large format stone, limited planting, often designed with a flush transition from house to patio beyond. The other is rustic Hill Country style that embraces native stone, boulders and looser, naturalistic planting.

Both tend to be built on a xeriscape base these days. Sustainable, low water-use planting stopped being an option here some time ago and became a necessity.

What’s more important than what we call it is whether it works with the lot. A ridgeline property with a view wants a design that won’t compete with it; squat columns with a street-front lawn just look wrong up there. A flat street lot in town can handle more architecture. We’ll let you know which way we think we’d go and why.

The most common requests we get are for custom patios, outdoor kitchens/fire places/fire features, retaining walls, stone walkways/pathways, pool surrounds, native/privacy plantings, pergolas/arbors, landscape lighting, and outdoor audio/video.

Most of that is dictated by climate. Our outdoor season stretches a long time on both sides of summer, so having shade, a fire feature, and lighting extend the number of hours per day your yard is comfortable — or really, usable. Lighting again, because between June and September the only time it’s comfortable to be outside is after dark.

A lot of those things tend to get built together on sloped lots. If your yard is sloped, you usually need to create a flat spot to build your kitchen/fire pit/etc. Leveling out that spot is worth doing in conjunction with the outdoor living build, even if you elect to tackle it in stages.

Each and every project ends with a walk-through covering future care, watering until established, seasonal maintenance, and how to care for your hardscape joints & color.

If there is something that doesn’t perform as we promised, let us know.