Canyon Lake · $70,000–$100,000 · 8 weeks
Terraced lake hillside
A 30% slope down to a lake view, stabilized with three low limestone terraces, 38 lit steps and a composite deck with cable rail.
700+ projects since 2013
Landscape projects across the Hill Country
Every case study lists what it cost, what it’s made of, how long it took and who ran it. Those are the things you’ll want to know about your own project, so we show them for ours.
Featured case study · Boerne
Hill Country terrace
A backyard that fell 14 feet from the house, turned into two limestone terraces with a flagstone patio, a cedar pergola and native planting.
- Budget
- $100,000–$150,000
- Build time
- 7 weeks
- Project lead
- Danny Ochoa
- Finished
- 2024
“Danny walked us through every stake before they dug. Two summers in, the walls haven't moved, the mud is gone, and we eat dinner under the pergola most nights from April to October.”
Case studies
Start to finish, with the numbers
Fair Oaks Ranch · $45,000–$70,000 · 4 weeks
Live oak shade garden
A failing lawn under four heritage live oaks replaced with a deer-resistant native shade garden, drip irrigation and tree uplighting, designed in 3D.
New Braunfels · $25,000–$40,000 · 3 weeks
Prairie front yard
A dead St. Augustine front yard on blackland clay replaced with native prairie beds, a dry creek bed for the downspouts and three drip zones.
Seguin · $50,000–$75,000 · 5 weeks
Pecan grove backyard
A flat half-acre under five mature pecans that held water for days, regraded with a French drain, new Zoysia, garden beds and a cedar fence.
San Antonio · $120,000–$160,000 · 9 weeks
Stone Oak outdoor kitchen
A cracked concrete slab replaced with a covered outdoor kitchen, a gas fire pit and a new LED lighting system that replaced a failed halogen setup.
Recent jobs
More recent work
Smaller projects from the last few seasons, with the same crews, warranty and fixed-price proposal.
Boerne · Cordillera Ranch · 2025
Pool and live oak lighting
A 34-fixture LED system lighting a pool deck, limestone steps and three live oaks, designed on site at night to keep glare off the hill views.
Lighting design and installation · Tree uplighting
$14,000–$20,0001 weeks
Canyon Lake · Canyon Lake Forest · 2025
Lake house drip conversion
Five spray zones converted to drip on a weekend house, with a smart controller the owners manage from their phones in San Antonio.
Drip irrigation · Sprinkler installation and repair
$6,000–$9,0001 weeks
Helotes · Near Old Town Helotes · 2025
Native garden and path lighting
A front garden of cenizo, agarita and Lindheimer muhly around existing live oaks, with a stepping-stone path and 12 path lights.
Native planting design · Path and step lighting
$30,000–$45,0003 weeks
San Marcos · West of Ranch Road 12 · 2025
Hilltop deck and path lights
A 360 sq ft cedar deck on a hillside lot west of town with Hill Country views, plus 14 path lights on the walk to the drive.
Decks · Path and step lighting
$40,000–$55,0004 weeks
New Braunfels · Veramendi · 2025
Engineered retaining wall
A 4 ft 8 in segmental block wall with geogrid, engineered and permitted through the City of New Braunfels, creating a flat play lawn on a sloped lot.
Retaining walls · Sod installation
$40,000–$60,0004 weeks
Canyon Lake · Mystic Shores · 2024
Waterfront walkway
A limestone slab walkway with 16 steps from the house to the shoreline, lit with brass path lights and edged with native grasses.
Walkways · Path and step lighting
$20,000–$30,0002 weeks
Fair Oaks Ranch · Fair Oaks Ranch · 2024
Outdoor kitchen and fire pit
A 10 ft limestone outdoor kitchen and gas fire pit on a new flagstone patio, with gas and power run under the stone in one phase.
Fire pits and outdoor kitchens · Patios (flagstone and pavers)
$65,000–$90,0006 weeks
New Braunfels · Gruene · 2024
Flagstone patio and fire pit
A 480 sq ft flagstone patio and wood-burning limestone fire pit behind a 1940s Gruene cottage, built around a pecan with a dry-laid root zone.
Patios (flagstone and pavers) · Fire pits and outdoor kitchens
$35,000–$50,0003 weeks
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Helotes · Off Scenic Loop Road · 2024
Limestone boulder terraces
Three tiers of limestone boulder walls turning a steep, rocky backyard into planted terraces with a flat seating area at the top.
Retaining walls · Native planting design
$45,000–$65,0004 weeks
San Marcos · Kissing Tree · 2024
HOA-approved xeriscape
Front and side lawns replaced with decomposed granite, boulders and native beds, approved by the HOA's architectural committee in one round.
Xeriscaping · Drip irrigation
$25,000–$35,0002 weeks
Seguin · Walnut Springs area · 2024
Patio cover and garden
A 14 × 18 ft metal-roofed patio cover with fans, plus new beds of Turk's cap and salvia along a flat backyard on blackland clay.
Patio covers and shade structures · Garden beds and mulch
$30,000–$45,0003 weeks
San Antonio · Shavano Park · 2024
Steel pergola by the pool
A 14 × 20 ft powder-coated steel pergola with cedar rafters shading a pool lounge area, on footings drilled into limestone.
Pergolas
$22,000–$30,0002 weeks
San Antonio · Alamo Heights · 2023
Native cottage front yard
An overgrown 1930s front yard replanted with native perennials and a mortared flagstone walk, with two Mexican plums kept and featured.
Native planting design · Walkways
$25,000–$35,0002 weeks
San Marcos · Blanco Vista · 2023
Backyard dry creek bed
A 70 ft dry creek bed and 40 ft French drain carrying runoff from an uphill neighbor around a patio and out to the drainage easement.
French drains and dry creek beds · Grading and erosion control
$12,000–$18,0001 weeks
Boerne · Esperanza · 2023
Deer-resistant front entry
Front beds rebuilt with cenizo, Texas sage and Mexican feathergrass behind a cut limestone border, after deer stripped the builder planting twice.
Front yard design · Tree and shrub planting
$30,000–$45,0003 weeks
Fair Oaks Ranch · Fair Oaks Ranch · 2023
Front yard redesign
A front yard redesigned with deer-resistant natives and a widened flagstone walk, approved by the HOA with no changes.
Front yard design · Walkways
$30,000–$40,0003 weeks
Helotes · Off Scenic Loop Road · 2023
Ranch fence and drive gate
620 ft of steel pipe ranch fence with welded wire for deer and a 14 ft steel drive gate prepared for automation, on a 3-acre property.
Fences and gates
$28,000–$40,0003 weeks
Seguin · East side new construction · 2023
New build lawn and sprinklers
A new irrigation system and 6,200 sq ft of Bermuda sod on a new build, with the lot regraded so water runs away from the slab.
Sod installation · Sprinkler installation and repair
$14,000–$20,0001 weeks
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