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Wood deck with a flagstone pathway and planting beds in a shaded Riverplace garden
5.0

Wood Deck Installation in Austin, TX

Real-wood decks built for the Texas climate. Thrive Landscape and Design installs Western Red Cedar, pressure-treated pine, and premium ipe decks across the greater Austin area, framed and flashed to stand up to UV, humidity swings, and Hill Country slopes.

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Thrive Landscape and Design is a locally owned design and build company serving the greater Austin, TX area. We specialize in real-wood decks built for Central Texas: Western Red Cedar for its natural rot resistance and softer feel underfoot, pressure-treated southern pine for budget-friendly builds, and ipe or other tropical hardwoods when clients want a 25-plus year deck with a premium look. Every wood deck we install is engineered around the realities of Austin: brutal UV, sharp humidity swings between summer and winter, sloped Hill Country lots, and clay subgrade that can chew through cheap fasteners. We flash the ledger, gap the boards for seasonal movement, and use stainless or coated screws so your deck stays tight, level, and rot-free season after season.

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  • 500+ Projects Completed
  • 19+ Years Experience
  • 5/5 Average Rating
What We Do

Full-Service Austin Deck Builder

  • Custom-designed deck with string lights over a turf patio in Bee Cave

    Custom Deck Construction

    Decks designed around your home, your lot, and how you actually use the backyard, drawn before we cut a single board.

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  • Composite deck with a firepit, turf, and privacy screen in Bee Cave

    Composite Deck Installation

    Low-maintenance composite boards that skip the staining and resist the worst of Texas UV.

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  • Multi-level deck with a retaining wall and steps on a Lost-Pines slope

    Multi-Level Deck Construction

    Stepped decks built for Austin slopes, with engineered framing and proper drainage on every tier.

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  • Deck and pergola over a flagstone patio and fire pit in Lakeway

    All Deck Builder Services

    See every deck service we offer in the Austin area, from new builds to repairs and re-seals.

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Our Process

  1. Wood deck with pavers and planters chosen for a Lost-Pines project

    Material Selection

    We start by walking your property and talking through how you will use the deck, then match you with the right species: Western Red Cedar for the classic Austin look, pressure-treated southern pine for budget builds, or ipe and other tropical hardwoods when you want 25-plus years of life. We bring real samples so you can feel the difference before you commit. Wood properties are documented by resources like the USDA Forest Products Laboratory and the Texas A&M Forest Service.

  2. Framing

    Every wood deck we build starts with a solid pressure-treated frame, ledger-flashed against the house to stop the number-one cause of deck rot in Austin. On sloped Hill Country lots we engineer the post layout and footings around the grade so the deck sits level and drains away from the structure. We follow current NADRA deck-building best practices and pull permits through Austin Development Services when the project requires them.

    Wood deck framing tied into a stone retaining wall on a Lost-Pines lot
  3. Deck boards installed around a firepit and turf in a Bee Cave backyard

    Decking Install

    We install the deck boards with the correct gap spacing for Texas humidity swings so the wood can expand and contract without cupping or buckling. Fasteners are stainless steel or coated for our clay subgrade, and we offer hidden-fastener systems on cedar and hardwood for a cleaner, splinter-free surface. Cuts are sealed and end grain is treated before it ever sees the sun.

  4. Stain & Seal

    Texas UV is brutal on raw wood, so we finish every wood deck with a penetrating stain or sealer rated for full sun. We will tell you exactly which product we used so you can re-coat on the right schedule, usually every 18 to 36 months in the Austin climate. We also offer a re-seal service if you would rather hand it back to us when the time comes.

    Finished wood deck with a firepit beside decomposed granite beds in Riverplace
Wood deck with steps down to a retaining wall on a Lost-Pines lot
Deck and pergola over a flagstone patio with stone planters in Lakeway
Wood vs. Composite

Signs Wood Is Right for You

When real wood beats the alternatives

Wood is still the most popular deck material in Austin for good reason: it looks natural, feels softer underfoot, and costs less up front than premium composites. Here is when a wood deck is the right call.

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  • Cedar, redwood, and tigerwood weather into warm, organic tones that pair with limestone, stucco, and native landscaping. Composite cannot match that grain or color depth.

  • Pressure-treated southern pine and cedar both come in under composite per square foot. If you are happy to re-stain every couple of years, wood is the more affordable way to get a great-looking deck.

  • Light-colored wood reflects more heat than dark composite boards. On west-facing Austin decks, a cedar or stained pine surface stays noticeably cooler underfoot in August than a dark capped composite.

Aerial view of a finished deck and flagstone patio in a Bee Cave backyard
Deck area with a firepit, flagstone patio, and bench seating wall in Steiner Ranch

Why Choose Thrive Landscape and Design?

  • Built for Texas Heat

    We gap boards for humidity swings and finish every deck with a UV-rated stain so the wood does not gray, crack, or splinter in Austin sun.

  • Right Wood for the Job

    Western Red Cedar, pressure-treated pine, ipe, redwood, or tigerwood. We help you pick by budget, look, and how long you want the deck to last.

  • Hill Country Framing

    Sloped lots get engineered post layouts and properly flashed ledger boards so water runs away from the house, not into the framing.

  • Fasteners That Last

    Stainless steel and coated screws so Austin clay subgrade does not corrode your fasteners and pop boards loose in a few years.

Our Service Areas

Austin’s Go-To For Wood Deck Installation

Build a wood deck that fits your home and your lot. We install cedar, pressure-treated pine, and ipe decks across the greater Austin area, from Hill Country slopes in Westlake to flatter backyards in Round Rock and Pflugerville.

  • Lakeway
  • Driftwood
  • Westlake Hills
  • Round Rock
  • Lake Point
  • Bee Cave
  • Shoal Creek
  • River Place
  • Cedar Park
  • Steiner Ranch
  • Pflugerville
  • & more
Our Portfolio

View Our Gallery

Wood decks we have built across the greater Austin area. Cedar, pressure-treated pine, ipe, and tigerwood, in everything from simple ground-level platforms to multi-level Hill Country builds.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Western Red Cedar looks better, is naturally rot and insect resistant, and stays cooler underfoot than pressure-treated pine. Pressure-treated southern pine is the most affordable option and lasts a long time structurally, but it tends to crack and twist if it is not stained on a regular cycle. For most Austin homeowners we recommend cedar for the visible deck boards and pressure-treated for the substructure.

  • A properly built and maintained Western Red Cedar deck in Austin typically lasts 15 to 20 years. The substructure (pressure-treated framing) often outlasts the deck boards. The biggest factors are flashing the ledger correctly, gapping the boards for humidity swings, and keeping a fresh stain or seal on the wood every 18 to 36 months to block Texas UV.

  • In the Austin climate we recommend cleaning and re-staining or re-sealing a wood deck every 18 to 36 months. Decks in full sun or facing west burn through finish faster than shaded decks. We will tell you which product we used so you can match it later, and we offer a re-seal service if you would rather not do it yourself.

  • Ipe (Brazilian hardwood) is roughly two to three times the cost of cedar, but it is extremely dense, resists rot and insects without chemical treatment, and can last 25 years or longer in Texas conditions. It is heavy, hard on tools, and harder to source. If you want a premium look with the lowest long-term maintenance, ipe is worth it. If budget is the priority, cedar is the better value.

  • Texas UV is hard on unfinished wood. Without stain or sealer the surface grays, cracks, and splinters faster than in cooler climates. The fix is simple: a quality penetrating stain on a regular cycle, proper gap spacing so boards can expand and contract with humidity swings, and good drainage under the deck so moisture does not sit on the framing.

  • Eastern Red Cedar (the local mountain cedar, Juniperus ashei) is locally available and very rot resistant, but it tends to come in shorter, knottier boards that are harder to use for clean deck surfaces. Western Red Cedar from the Pacific Northwest comes in longer, straighter, more uniform boards and is the standard choice for deck surfaces in Austin. Eastern Red Cedar is great for posts and accent features.

  • We repair existing wood decks all over the Austin area. The most common issues are rotted ledger boards where flashing was skipped, soft deck boards near downspouts, and corroded fasteners in clay soil. We can swap individual boards, replace the deck surface while keeping a sound substructure, or rebuild from the framing up depending on what we find on the walk-through.

  • Call (512) 503-1935 or fill out the contact form on this page. We will schedule a free on-site visit, measure the space, talk through wood species and budget, and send a written, itemized quote so you can see what each piece of the deck costs.

Let’s Talk About Your Wood Deck

Cedar, pressure-treated pine, ipe, or something else. Tell us how you want to use the space and we will design and build a wood deck made for Austin. Call (512) 503-1935 for a free on-site quote.

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