Design-Build Landscaping in Austin, TX
One veteran-owned team takes your project from master plan through hardscape, planting, structures, and drainage. No designer-versus-builder finger-pointing, one contract, one point of contact. 5.0-star rated, with over 20 years of design-build work across the greater Austin area.
The traditional way to build a landscape splits the job in two. You hire a designer to draw a plan, then hand that plan to a separate contractor to price and build. The gap between them is where projects go sideways: the design blows the budget, the builder reads the drawing differently than the designer meant, and when a problem shows up, each side points at the other. Design-build closes that gap. The team that draws your master plan is the same team that sets the stone and plants the beds. Thrive Landscape and Design is a veteran-owned, design-build landscaper with over 20 years building projects across Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties, and we hold a 5.0 Google rating from 70+ reviews. We design and install the whole project: hardscape, planting, retaining walls, walkways, drainage, lighting, irrigation, and structures. We handle the permits and any HOA review, and we design for the soil you actually have, whether that is Blackland clay or Hill Country caliche. Our process and code references follow the City of Austin Development Services and Travis County Development Services standards.
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- 500+ Projects Completed
- 20+ Years Experience
- 5.0 Google Rating
Explore Our Full Landscape Construction Lineup
Outdoor Living Spaces
Covered patios, kitchens, pergolas, fire features, and pools planned into one cohesive outdoor plan.
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Landscape Renovation
Reworking a tired or overgrown yard into a clean, low-water landscape built for Central Texas.
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Patio Construction
Paver, flagstone, and stone patios built on stable bases that drain and hold up to Texas heat.
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All Landscape Construction
See the full range of design-build, outdoor living, renovation, and structure work we do in Austin.
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Our Process
Free On-Site Consultation
We walk the property with you, look at how you want to use the space, and note the slope, the sun, the soil, and where water runs in a storm. We listen to your goals and your budget. You get honest direction and a clear next step, with no pressure to commit on the spot.
Site Analysis & Master Plan
We map the grade, drainage, soil, and existing trees, then draw a master plan that ties hardscape, planting, structures, and lighting into one design. You see the full vision before any dirt moves. If you plan to build in phases, the plan accounts for every phase so later work never tears out what you already paid for.
Permits & HOA Approval
We handle the paperwork so you do not have to. If your project needs a City of Austin or county permit, an Edwards Aquifer review, or an engineered design for a wall or structure, we coordinate it. We also prepare and submit your HOA architectural review package for boards in Lakeway, Steiner Ranch, Westlake Hills, and similar communities.
Phased Build
Our own crews build the project: grading and drainage first, then hardscape, structures, planting, irrigation, and lighting. We work in the right order so each trade sets up the next. You build the whole plan at once or in phases that fit your budget, and you always know who is on site and what is happening.
Final Walk-Through & Care Plan
We clean up the site, haul off all debris, and walk the finished project with you. We check the drainage outlets, show you how the irrigation and lighting controls work, and explain how to care for the new plants through their first season. You end with a finished space and a clear plan to keep it looking right.
Trusted Design-Build Landscaping
Travis, Luis and the crew did an amazing job on our front yard landscaping. Travis had a vision that we could've never come up with on our own. They were communicative, hard working and had incredible attention to detail. We were really impressed with our experience and will… Read more
We’ve been very impressed with Travis and his team at Thrive Landscaping. From the initial design consultation through revisions and installation, the entire process was smooth, thorough, and high quality. We needed an HOA-compliant design that improved drainage and reduced… Read more
Travis was very responsive on the pricing . Luis and the crew did an amazing job and fixed a lot of problems that the prior firm had created. Very pleasant group and seem to want to please clients.
Great people providing outstanding service. Our yard has never looked better. And best of all, they stand behind their work. If something needs attention after the job is finished, they’re right on it.
After interviewing several companies, we chose Thrive Landscape to create some hardscaping for our back yard. They installed stone paving for our patio and pool area, a gravel area for our fire ring, and a raised gravel pad for a greenhouse. Everything looks great! We had a good… Read more
Thrive replaced some dying plants in a white rock bed and left it clean and beautiful. You would never know they had been in the rock bed at all - no dirt, no disruption - they left it better than they found it!
Our neighbor a few houses down had Thrive do his property and we liked how it looked, so we decided to contact them to see what it would cost to do our house. Wanted to get rid of the sand burrs and decided to do stone, rock and mulch for the whole yard in front of the house. I… Read more
We have used Thrive landscape for several projects over the past two years. They have delivered outstanding service, careful attention to detail, and impeccable service and care after the project was complete. Travis Odom is outstanding, and his vision helped us transform our… Read more
We were very pleased with Thrive from the initial bid to the completion of the project. We had our front yard and backyard landscaped. Communication was excellent and when a couple issues occurred they were quickly resolved. The onsite crew was great to work with and were… Read more
Excellent service and advice. Knowledgeable, on time, communicative owner, and crew. This is the place you want to call for your landscaping needs! We are extremely satisfied with the outcome and will use the service again. Thank you Travis and crew.
I was really pleased with Thrive. Travis arrived exactly on time for the quote, had a great design, and was able to start quickly once the plans were approved by my HOA. The crew was polite and worked quickly. They left the whole worksite very neat, and my front yard now looks… Read more
Had grass that was dead, Travis and his team transformed my backyard in a few days!
I am a repeat customer of Travis's. He recently transformed my front yard. The design was perfect for what we wanted to accomplish and the crew did high quality work which included clean-up. I will keep coming back to him in the future.
Thrive is a very professional and excellent business - they did a wonderful job on my project and I couldn't be more pleased with the end results. Will definitely use them again!
I had an outstanding experience with Thrive. Quality, honesty, value and customer service were phenomenal! Exceeded my expectations!
Swapped out black stone that were killing my plants with mulch. Added a bunch of plants and sod. Also got my irrigation and stone walkway complete. I say it is all looking great.
I don't know where to begin. Travis and his team provided an amazing landscape design, strategy, and results on our backyard for my 50th birthday celebration. Travis was patient and very detailed with his quote and made sure he covered every detail with me. Once we decided to… Read more
I’ve done two projects with these guys to include a landscaping project where I added sod, metal planters, and plants. The second was a fence repair and both turned out great. They were fairly priced, scheduled quickly, executed on time, and worked through my lunch list at the… Read more
We chose Thrive Landscaping after a friend of ours used them for their own backyard and we could not be happier with our decision. Travis and team were incredibly professional, thorough and communicative the entire time. They added new grass, flowers, gravel and lights to our… Read more
Travis with Thrive Landscape & Design did an amazing job redesigning our backyard! They were hard-working, timely, responsive and appreciated their craftsmanship they put into the project. The space looks better than we imagined — highly recommend!
Wow! Travis and his team did an amazing job refreshing our back yard! They were professional, prompt, respectful and above all had an eye for detail! It was an absolute pleasure working with them to create our dream back yard! I highly recommend Thrive Landscape and DESIGN… Read more
Our project was the tear-out, re-design and rebuild of a fairly substantial deck. Great experience with Travis Odom and Thrive Landscape. Travis is congenial, professional and great to work with. The guys on site did excellent work. We’re very happy with the finished product and… Read more
Mr Travis Odom made an excellent, unique, and original cedar fence design that we ended up using.
Great design and construction for my landscaping project. Travis and his crew were very attentive and detailed. They also took on board our feedback and we’re very willing to evolve their designs.
Travis did a great job fixing the drainage along the side of my house! Was very responsive, timely, and reasonably priced. Would reach out to again for any future landscaping needs.
Travis was very responsive and did an excellent job designing our difficult yard. We LOVE the end result and can’t wait to do phase two. Can’t say enough how happy we are with the design!
One Team, Every Trade
From Master Plan To Finished Yard
Design-build means you hire one company for the whole project. We draw the plan and build it, so there is no gap between the design and the work. Here is what we handle under one contract for an Austin landscape project.
Request A QuoteWe start with a master plan that ties the whole yard together: layout, grade, planting, hardscape, structures, and lighting. You see the full vision and the budget before any work starts, and the plan supports a phased build if you want to spread the project out.
Patios, walkways, retaining walls, steps, and driveways, all built on compacted bases with real drainage behind and beneath them. We grade the site and install French drains, swales, and channel drains so water moves away from the house, not toward it.
Native and adapted plant beds, trees, sod, drip irrigation, and low-voltage landscape lighting. We choose water-wise and deer-resistant species that suit your soil and sun, then group them by water need so the system runs efficiently.
Why Choose Thrive Landscape and Design?
One Team, One Accountability
The team that designs your project is the team that builds it. One contract, one point of contact, and no designer-versus-builder finger-pointing when a question comes up on site.
Master Plan, Phased Build
We draw the full plan first, then build it all at once or in phases that fit your budget. Footings, drainage, and rough-ins are planned up front so a later phase never undoes earlier work.
Permits & HOA Handled
We manage City and county permits, any engineered design, and HOA architectural review for communities like Lakeway, Steiner Ranch, and Westlake Hills, so the paperwork does not stall your build.
Veteran-Owned, 20+ Years
We are a veteran-owned, design-build landscaper with over 20 years in Central Texas and a 5.0 Google rating from 70+ reviews. You work with the team that designs and builds your project.
Austin’s Design-Build Landscape Company
We design and build landscapes across Austin and the surrounding Hill Country, from clay-soil lots in central Austin to rocky west-side properties in Westlake Hills and Dripping Springs, with full attention to local soil, drainage, permit, and HOA requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
In design-build, one team designs your project and builds it. The traditional path splits those jobs: a landscape architect draws a plan, then a separate contractor bids and builds it. The gap between them is where problems live. The design may not fit the budget, the builder may read the drawing differently, and when something goes wrong each side can blame the other. With design-build, the people who draw your master plan are the same people who set the stone. You get one contract, one point of contact, and one team that owns the result.
It depends on scope. A focused front-yard or planting project can start in the low five figures, while a full backyard with hardscape, structures, drainage, and planting often runs well into the tens of thousands. The big cost drivers are square footage, hardscape materials, how much rock we dig in caliche or limestone, structures, drainage, and any permit or engineered design. We design to a budget you set up front, and every build estimate is itemized so you see what each piece costs.
We handle the whole project. One team draws the master plan and builds the hardscape, planting beds, retaining walls, walkways, drainage, lighting, irrigation, and structures like pergolas. We pull the permits and coordinate any engineer or specialty trade the plan needs, including pool builders. You sign one contract and call one number. That single line of accountability is the point of design-build: no designer-versus-builder finger-pointing, because we are both.
Yes, and we recommend it on many projects. We draw the full master plan first so every phase fits the long-term vision. Utility rough-ins, footings, grading, and drainage all get accounted for up front, which means a later phase never tears out work you already paid for. A common path is hardscape and drainage in year one, structures and planting in year two, and lighting later. You build to your budget without losing the design intent.
Yes. Many Central Texas communities require approval from an architectural review or modifications committee before you change anything outside your home, including landscaping and structures. In Steiner Ranch, for example, exterior and landscaping changes need approval from the Architectural Controls Committee. We design with the board in mind and format the drawings, specs, elevations, and color samples the way these committees ask. We have prepared submittals for boards in Steiner Ranch, Lakeway, Westlake Hills, Circle C, and Avery Ranch, and we manage the submittal so it does not stall your build.
Austin sits on a soil divide that roughly follows I-35. East and central Austin sit on deep Blackland clay that shrinks, swells, cracks, and pushes against walls and slabs. West of I-35, through Westlake, Lakeway, and Dripping Springs, you hit thin soil over caliche and solid limestone. We design for the soil you have. On clay we plan footings and drainage for that movement. On rocky Hill Country lots we plan for rock excavation and use native, drought-tolerant plants that thrive in shallow, alkaline soil.
We plan where water goes before we set a single stone. Austin storms drop a lot of water fast, and clay soil sheds it instead of soaking it up. During design we map the grade, the low spots, and the path runoff takes in a hard rain. The build then includes the right mix of regrading, surface swales, French drains, channel drains at hardscape, and gravel beds, all sized to carry water away from the house and off your patios. Done right, the landscape stays put and your foundation stays dry.
Yes, and it is how we design most projects. Central Texas swings between drought and flood, so a smart landscape uses less water without looking bare. We lean on native and adapted plants, group them by water need, add efficient drip irrigation, and use mulch and permeable surfaces to hold moisture in the soil. Many Hill Country lots also have deer, so we choose deer-resistant species where it counts. A water-wise design looks full and green, costs less to run, and holds up through a dry summer.
