Patio Installation and Deck Builders in The Woodlands, TX

Poured concrete runs $15–$25 per square foot, concrete pavers $18–$30, and natural stone or travertine $25–$40. Decking is higher: composite is $30–$50 per square foot and cedar or hardwood $45–$70. Most single projects land between $7,200 and $20,000 once the base, edges, steps and reinstatement are included. Access and level change move the number more than area alone.

Composite, for most people in this climate. Gulf humidity and direct sun are hard on timber, and a cedar deck needs cleaning and re-oiling on a cycle to stay looking the way it did at handover. Composite costs more up front, has no maintenance beyond washing, and does not splinter or silver. Cedar is the right answer when the material itself is what you want, and we will build it — but you should choose it knowing the commitment.

A straightforward paver patio is three to seven working days on site. A deck is typically one to two weeks depending on height and framing complexity, and a multi-level project combining both runs two to four weeks. Design and ARC approval happen first and add two to six weeks depending on the committee calendar.

A patio at grade usually does not need a building permit, but a raised deck generally does, and almost everything needs ARC or HOA approval in Montgomery County communities. We prepare the architectural submission with dimensioned drawings and material specifications and handle the permitted work, because committees and inspectors both reject on missing detail more often than on design.

Larger than most people first draw. A six-seat dining set needs roughly twelve by twelve feet of clear space once chairs are pulled back, and a separate lounge zone needs about the same again. If you want both on one terrace you are looking at 24 feet in one dimension. We mark it out on the ground so you can stand in it before committing.

Sometimes, and it can save the demolition cost. An overlay of thin pavers or a floating deck frame over sound concrete works well. What we will not do is overlay a slab that is already cracked and moving, because the movement comes straight through — in that case removing it is the cheaper answer over ten years.

Pavers want joint sand topped up every few years and an occasional wash. Natural stone and travertine want sealing on a cycle. Composite decking needs washing and nothing else. Cedar needs cleaning and re-oiling annually or biannually to hold its color. Poured concrete needs crack repair, which is the maintenance nobody budgets for.

It can if it is laid straight over a root plate. Mature loblolly pines are why people buy on these lots, and excavating six inches across their surface roots will eventually cost the tree. We survey root zones first and design around them — stepping a terrace, floating a section, or moving the footprint — rather than cutting roots to hold a line on a drawing.

Yes, and terracing is usually better than flattening. Two or three defined levels connected by steps read as separate outdoor rooms and cost less than importing and compacting enough fill to fake one flat plane. Fill also settles and often redirects water towards the house, which is a problem you do not want to have bought.

On paving it covers settlement, joint failure, edge movement and drainage performance — anything that traces back to how the base and installation were done. On a deck it covers the frame, the fixings and the board installation itself. What it does not cover is storm damage, drought and ordinary weathering, which we price as a separate maintenance plan if you want one, written into the estimate up front rather than argued about later. Boards and pavers also carry their own manufacturer warranties, which we register for you at handover.