Austin Hardscaping: Patios, Retaining Walls & Custom Masonry Since 1993
Hardscape fails in Central Texas for two reasons: ground that moves and water that has nowhere to go. We have been engineering around both since 1993. Every patio, wall, and outdoor kitchen we build comes with a price before work begins, and the guarantee that has defined this family business for 30+ years: you do not pay in full until the finished work meets your complete satisfaction.
Call (512) 740-5831 Family-Owned Since 1993 • 100s of Patios & Walls Built • 5-Star Rated • Licensed & Insured • You Pay in Full Only When Satisfied
The Short Version
You get hardscape designed for this region's actual conditions: bases engineered for moving clay or cut into Hill Country limestone, drainage built in rather than bolted on, and materials that survive both 105-degree summers and the next hard freeze. You get real prices, permits and engineering handled when your project needs them, and a family business that does not consider itself paid in full until you are completely satisfied with the finished work.
Why Patios Crack and Walls Lean Here, and How We Build So They Don't
We have repaired plenty of failed hardscapes over three decades. The failures are predictable, and so is the prevention.
In the limestone corridor, your yard sits on rock. In Cedar Park, Leander, West Lake Hills, Bee Cave, and out through the Hill Country towns we serve, excavation means cutting limestone and caliche, which is why bids vary so wildly. We have priced rock work honestly since 1993, and we will tell you before we start, not after, if your site needs it.
In clay soils, the ground moves your patio every year. Parts of central and east Austin and the eastern edges of Georgetown sit on clay that swells with rain and shrinks in drought. A patio laid on a thin gravel bed there will heave, separate, and crack within a few seasons. We build on a compacted base engineered for the soil, because redoing base work costs three times what doing it right costs.
Water is the wall killer. Nearly every leaning retaining wall in this region failed because of missing drainage, not weak block. Central Texas flash rain loads soil fast, and a wall without weep holes, gravel backfill, and drain pipe becomes a dam. Every wall we build includes engineered drainage as standard, never as an upgrade.
Inside Austin city limits, the city limits how much of your lot you can pave. Austin caps residential impervious cover, commonly at 45 percent of the lot, and patios, walkways, and driveways count against it. For Austin projects we check your lot's cover budget during design and recommend permeable options where they keep your project legal and preserve room for that future pool. Most contractors have never run this calculation. Ask them.
Walls over 4 feet are an engineering project, not a stack of blocks. Taller walls generally require permits and engineered plans. A bidder who shrugs at that is transferring the risk to you. We handle permitting and engineering as part of the job, and it is on the itemized estimate, not hiding in a change order.
The 2021 freeze exposed cheap materials. Concrete poured wet or sealed poorly spalled all over Central Texas after Uri. We spec [materials/sealers rated for freeze-thaw], because this is a place where a patio must handle 105 degrees in August and single digits in February in the same year.
What We Design and Build
Patios & Custom Masonry. Paver and natural stone patios, Lueders limestone work, and the custom masonry details that make a backyard feel finished.
Retaining Walls. Engineered block, limestone, and natural stone walls with drainage as standard, including permitted walls over 4 feet.
Stone Borders & Walkways. Bed borders, entry walks, garden paths, and slope-managing steps in stone and pavers.
Outdoor Kitchens & Living Spaces. Kitchens, fire features, and seating walls built to the same base and drainage standards as everything else we set in the ground.
Every element is designed as one plan with your planting, grading, irrigation, and lighting, so the yard reads as a single landscape. That is the advantage of a company that has done design, installation, and masonry under one roof since 1993.
Choosing Materials for Central Texas
Concrete pavers are the workhorse: strong, repairable one paver at a time. Lueders limestone is the Hill Country's own stone, quarried nearby, and ages beautifully here. Flagstone gives the classic Texas patio look and does best set on a proper base rather than bare ground. Travertine runs cooler underfoot, which matters on a west-facing patio in August. Decomposed granite is the budget-friendly, permeable choice for paths and sitting areas. We will tell you plainly when the cheaper material is the right call. Our founding principle is to offer more in value than we receive in payment, and that starts with not upselling stone.
How a Hardscape Project Runs
1. Site consultation and free estimate. We measure, check grades and drainage patterns, identify soil or rock conditions, and for Austin lots, run your impervious cover math.
2. Design and itemized estimate. Scaled plan, material samples, line-by-line pricing including any permits or engineering. No allowances that balloon later.
3. Permitting and engineering (when required). Handled by us, shown on the estimate.
4. Build 7-14days for most patios, 6 weeks for complex projects. Josh Bretz runs the division and is in the field daily. Base compaction is tested before anything pretty goes on top.
5. Walkthrough on your terms. You do not pay in full until the finished work meets your complete satisfaction.
A Family Setting Stone in Central Texas Since 1993
Ben Bretz founded this company in 1993 on a principle borrowed from The Go-Giver: offer more in value than you receive in payment. Thirty-plus years later, Ben and Dani still own and run the business, and their son Josh runs the landscape division from the field, not from behind a desk. Three decades of Central Texas summers, floods, droughts, and one generational freeze have taught this family exactly what survives in this ground, because we walk back onto our own work year after year and see what held.
That is also why final payment waits until you are completely satisfied. When your name is on the company and your son is on the jobsite, you do not build things you would not stand behind.
Where We Build
Based in Cedar Park and serving the greater Austin metro and Hill Country, including Austin, Bee Cave, Cedar Park, Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, Georgetown, Johnson City, Lakeway, Leander, Liberty Hill, Marble Falls, Spicewood, Steiner Ranch, West Lake Hills, and Wimberley.
Austin Hardscaping FAQ
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall? Walls over 4 feet generally require engineered plans and a permit. We handle both, and the cost appears as its own line on your estimate.
What is impervious cover and why does it matter for my patio? Inside Austin city limits, the city restricts how much of a residential lot can be covered by impervious surfaces, and patios, walks, and driveways count. We calculate your remaining budget during design and use permeable materials where it helps. Skipping this check can create real problems when you sell or remodel.
Will a paver patio crack like my old concrete did? Individual pavers flex with ground movement and can be reset one at a time. Poured concrete cracks as a unit. The base preparation matters more than the surface, and ours is engineered for your soil or rock conditions.
How long does hardscape installation take? Most patios take [X] to [X] days on site. Walls, outdoor kitchens, and multi-element projects run [X] to [X] weeks. You get a written schedule before we start.
When do I pay? A deposit schedule is set out in your estimate [confirm terms], and final payment is not due until the finished work meets your complete satisfaction. That has been our policy since 1993.
Can you match my hardscape to a full landscape design? Yes, and it is usually cheaper and better to plan them together. We have designed and installed complete landscapes since 1993, so drainage, grading, irrigation, planting, lighting, and stone are engineered as one system.
Built by the Family Whose Name Is on It
Tell us what you want to build and where. We respond with a free estimate and honest guidance on cost, permits, and site conditions before you commit to anything.
(512) 740-5831 | bbretz@outsiderscl.com | Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Outsider Solutions is a family owned residential landscape design and installation company serving Cedar Park and the greater Austin area. We design and build custom landscapes, hardscapes, outdoor lighting, and irrigation systems that turn your yard into the outdoor space your family actually uses. Projects range from $5,000 to $100,000. Every estimate is free. You do not pay in full until the finished work meets your complete satisfaction.
If you have been looking at your yard for months thinking it should be more than it is, you are in the right place. We make outdoor visions a reality, and we have been doing it in Central Texas since 1993.
Ready to Love Your Yard?
If you are a Cedar Park or Austin homeowner ready to stop tolerating your outdoor space and start enjoying it, we would love to talk. All estimates are free, and we serve Cedar Park, Leander, Round Rock, Georgetown, Pflugerville, and the greater Austin area.