Exterior Remodeling & Outdoor Living Austin, Texas

Often, yes. Covered structures, decks over 30 inches, outdoor kitchens with gas or electrical, and window or door size changes all trigger City of Austin permits, and trunks over 24 inches bring the heritage tree ordinance into play. We scope permits in the site plan and handle the package, so review time is on the schedule from day one.

One plan and every trade under it: grading and drainage, concrete and masonry, carpentry, roofing, electrical, gas, irrigation, and planting. The alternative is hiring four companies and being the general contractor yourself. With one design and one schedule, the patio is never poured before the trench it depends on.

Design and permitting run 3–6 weeks depending on structures. Construction on most outdoor living projects runs 6–12 weeks, sequenced so concrete cures and inspections land without idle weeks. Planting waits for the right season, which in Austin usually means fall, and we tell you that honestly up front.

We design with them. Heritage oaks over 24 inches are protected by ordinance, and healthy shade is worth more than any structure that would replace it. Footings shift, decks float over root zones, and the permit package documents tree protection. The Zilker project above was designed around two protected live oaks.

That is the design test. Native and adapted plants on drip irrigation, established through fall and winter, take August dormancy in stride. We also tell you what the first year looks like season by season, so a sparse first winter reads as the plan working, not failing.

Grading is sheet one of every site plan: where a two-inch rain goes, drawn before anything is built. Austin splits at I-35, expansive clay to the east and shallow limestone to the west, and footings and hardscape bases are engineered for whichever your lot sits on. Drainage planes and flashing at the house follow our mold-resistant construction standards, so the remodel protects the structure it touches.

No. We are a design-build remodeling company: outdoor rooms, structures, hardscape, and the landscape design integrated with them. After the establishment year, we hand off a care calendar and can recommend maintenance crews we trust.

You get choices with line-item costs, not an ultimatum. The site plan, utility locates, and grading study happen before pricing, which is why surprise change orders are rare on Enso projects. And if design should have caught it, the Enso Guarantee applies – the cost of fixing it is ours.