CENTRAL TEXAS OUTDOOR LIVING LLC
LET US CREATE A PARADISE IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME
THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME
About Us
My name is Charles B. Whilden and I am the owner of Central Texas Outdoor Living. I have been in the construction industry since 1985 with the majority of that time spent in the commercial and high end custom home markets. I have worked my way up through every part of this industry. I started as a laborer and worked my way up to heavy equipment operator, foreman, supervisor, estimator/project manager, etc. I have "hands on" experience in every level of this industry and that is what I am trying to bring to you. When you call Central Texas Outdoor Living, we will meet and find out not only what your needs are, but what your dreams are. Then together, we will come up with a design. I have seen many of my competitors give a price and then try to fit your dream into that price by short cutting the process. We will determine how best to build your project with structural integrity as one of our highest concerns. We do not give you a price and then try to build the job as cheaply as possible within the price we gave you. We will figure exact material quantities, access, man/equipment hours and THAT is what determines the cost.
CENTRAL TEXAS OUTDOOR LIVING is not some run of the mill landscaping company. We specialize in outdoor living with the years of experience to deliver your dream. The Central Texas area has some unique qualities that can present problems for the average landscaping company. When building retaining walls and terraced patios many home owners want a structure on top of them. Something as simple as a fireplace or detailed (and heavy) as an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and a roof create "Loads" that have to be accounted for in the design, whether these "structures" on top are being built along with the initial patio/wall or possibly in the future, the building pad or "foundation" is the most important part.
WHAT THE OTHER GUYS AREN'T TELLING YOU: The Central Texas area has a lot limestone rock and caliche which is a good "foundation" material to build on. But this area also has a lot of "fatty clay" (or black gumbo as many old timers call it) that sits on top of the limestone. If these clays are not properly identified and taken into account during the design and construction phase you could have a big problem on your hands that could be very expensive to fix. The Central Texas area can go for long periods of time without significant rain fall and if you went with the cheapest price to install your outdoor living dream you might not have a problem during these dry periods but when an "act of God" rainfall comes (and you know it will) if these soil types have not properly been taken into account the rushing rain water could run along the top of the limestone rock level below the fill that holds up your outdoor living space and blow out the bottom of the retaining wall that holds it all up. Or the "fatty clays" could expand and swell when saturated so much that they crack and destroy patios or structures that are constructed on top of them and then cause them to crumble when they dry and settle. The truth is, you have to be able to identify soil types and problem areas, understand how different soils perform when "loaded" and how water moves through those soils and then determine what types of materials and or drain systems will perform best for the "building pad" for that project. That's why we take the time to find out what your needs are, not just now but in the future, because if you just go with the cheapest patio and then two years down the road you want to add an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, you may have to tear out the whole patio and start over. Now you have increased the cost of the new job and wasted the money for the original project.
CENTRAL TEXAS OUTDOOR LIVING is not some run of the mill landscaping company. We specialize in outdoor living with the years of experience to deliver your dream. The Central Texas area has some unique qualities that can present problems for the average landscaping company. When building retaining walls and terraced patios many home owners want a structure on top of them. Something as simple as a fireplace or detailed (and heavy) as an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and a roof create "Loads" that have to be accounted for in the design, whether these "structures" on top are being built along with the initial patio/wall or possibly in the future, the building pad or "foundation" is the most important part.
WHAT THE OTHER GUYS AREN'T TELLING YOU: The Central Texas area has a lot limestone rock and caliche which is a good "foundation" material to build on. But this area also has a lot of "fatty clay" (or black gumbo as many old timers call it) that sits on top of the limestone. If these clays are not properly identified and taken into account during the design and construction phase you could have a big problem on your hands that could be very expensive to fix. The Central Texas area can go for long periods of time without significant rain fall and if you went with the cheapest price to install your outdoor living dream you might not have a problem during these dry periods but when an "act of God" rainfall comes (and you know it will) if these soil types have not properly been taken into account the rushing rain water could run along the top of the limestone rock level below the fill that holds up your outdoor living space and blow out the bottom of the retaining wall that holds it all up. Or the "fatty clays" could expand and swell when saturated so much that they crack and destroy patios or structures that are constructed on top of them and then cause them to crumble when they dry and settle. The truth is, you have to be able to identify soil types and problem areas, understand how different soils perform when "loaded" and how water moves through those soils and then determine what types of materials and or drain systems will perform best for the "building pad" for that project. That's why we take the time to find out what your needs are, not just now but in the future, because if you just go with the cheapest patio and then two years down the road you want to add an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, you may have to tear out the whole patio and start over. Now you have increased the cost of the new job and wasted the money for the original project.
