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Lakefront Landscaping on Lake Travis

A yard that runs down to Lake Travis has to deal with steep banks, rocky soil, and a water line that moves. 512 Luxury Landscape Design plans and builds lakefront landscapes for homes in Lakeway, Spicewood, and the other communities around the lake. We hold slopes with stone, control erosion, plant for wet and dry years, and plan shoreline work around LCRA rules. The owner stays involved on every job, and estimates are free.

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lakefront landscaping near Lake Travis by 512 Luxury Landscape Design
Built for the Lake

Why Lakefront Lots Need a Different Plan

Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River. It formed when Mansfield Dam was finished in 1942. At full pool it sits 681 feet above sea level and stretches about 65 miles upriver. It is mainly a flood-control lake, so its level moves a lot. Over its history, the gap between its lowest and highest levels is close to 100 feet. That changes how you landscape a lot on the water. The bank is steep limestone. The lower yard can sit dry for years, then go under water after a big storm. Rules from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) apply once you work at or below the shore. We have landscaped across Austin and the Hill Country since 2018. On a lake lot we start at the water and work up. We hold the bank, route the runoff, and pick plants that can take both drought and flooding. Then we build the patios, paths, and beds that let you use the view.

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Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 28 Google reviews

Why 512 Luxury Landscape Design

Why Lake Travis Homeowners Choose Us for Lakefront Landscaping

Building on a lake lot takes a plan for steep banks, a moving waterline, and the LCRA rules that govern the shore.

  • Rated 4.8 on Google

    28 homeowners have reviewed us on Google, with an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Read our Google reviews

  • Designing and Building Since 2018

    One in-house team designs and builds your project, so there is no handoff between a designer and a separate crew. The owner stays involved from the first walk-through to the final cleanup.

  • We Plan Around LCRA Rules

    We check where your project sits against the lake's regulated pool level before we plan, so you know up front if LCRA needs a notice or a permit.

Lakefront Landscaping Services on Lake Travis

FROM THE SHORELINE UP TO THE HOUSE

Lakefront landscaping covers everything between your back door and the water. At 512 Luxury Landscape Design, we plan it as one project, so the walls, drainage, planting, and paths all work together. This work is part of our full landscaping services, and it draws on our stone, concrete, and design crews too.

What We Build on Lakefront Lots

  • Retaining walls and stone terraces that turn a steep bank into flat, usable space.
  • Limestone steps and walkways that lead from the house down toward the dock.
  • Land grading and drainage that move runoff around the house and slow it before it reaches the lake.
  • Native beds and buffer plantings that hold soil on the slope.
  • Patios, outdoor kitchens, and shade structures placed to face the water.
  • Landscape lighting on steps and paths so the walk to the water is safe after dark.

Holding the Bank and Stopping Erosion

Most lots on Lake Travis fall toward the water across rocky hillsides. When heavy rain hits, water runs downhill fast and pulls soil with it. Left alone, that cuts gullies, undermines paths, and sends mud into the lake. We grade the slope and build walls and terraces that step down the hill. We add drains that carry water where it can soak in or leave the lot cleanly. Deep-rooted plants between the terraces help hold the soil that is left.

Planting for a Lake That Rises and Falls

The lower part of a lake lot lives two lives. In a drought it can sit high and dry for months. After a flood it can be under water. Plants there need to handle both. Up on the lot, the soil is thin and rocky over limestone, and summers are long and hot. We use tough natives like Texas sage, agave, yucca, rock rose, and native grasses. Where roots need more room, we build raised beds with good soil. LCRA suggests native buffer strips along the shore to filter runoff from lawns, and we build those into the plan.

Working Near the Dock and the Shoreline

We build the steps, paths, walls, and lighting that connect your yard to the dock. The dock itself has its own rules. It must meet LCRA's Safety Standards for Residential Docks, which cover things like flotation, lighting, anchoring, and how far a dock can reach from shore. Walls, riprap, or fill placed below the lake's regulated pool level fall under LCRA's Highland Lakes Dredge and Fill Ordinance. We check where your project sits against that line before we plan, so you know up front if LCRA needs a notice or a permit.

What Lakefront Landscaping Costs

We price every lake lot on its own, so we do not post flat numbers. A few things move the cost most. How steep the lot is matters. So does how hard the rock is to dig and how easy it is to get equipment down the slope. Retaining walls, an HOA review, or LCRA paperwork for shoreline work can add steps. A planting and drainage refresh sits at the low end. A terraced bank with stone walls, steps, and a patio sits much higher. We walk your property and give you a clear written estimate for free, so there are no surprises.

Lakefront Landscaping Across the Austin Area

We offer lakefront landscaping for homes across Central Texas, including Lakeway, Spicewood, and Austin. See every community we work in on our service areas page.

Planning ahead? Read our guide to xeriscaping in Austin.

Ready to make more of your lake lot? Contact 512 Luxury Landscape Design today to schedule your free lakefront landscaping estimate.

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Built for Lake Travis

Lake Travis Rules and Conditions We Plan Around

Two things shape every lakefront yard on Lake Travis: the slope and the water. The lake sits on the Edwards Plateau, the limestone shelf that forms the Hill Country. Soil is thin and rocky, with hard caliche in spots, and lots drop steeply toward the shore. The water level moves a lot. It fell to about 627 feet in late October 2023, more than 50 feet below full pool. Heavy rain in early July 2025 then brought it back to about 90 percent full by July 20.

Most of the shoreline rules come from LCRA. Its Highland Lakes Dredge and Fill Ordinance took effect January 1, 2022. It covers seawalls, retaining walls, riprap, and fill placed below the regulated pool level. Smaller jobs, under 500 cubic yards or 500 feet of shoreline, need a written notice to LCRA. Bigger ones need a permit. When the lake is below 676 feet, you can mow or hand-clear land plants on the exposed lakebed without a notice, but pushing, dragging, or digging with equipment needs a notice first. LCRA's Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance adds stormwater rules for larger projects in the Lake Travis watershed, and some cities, like Lakeway, run that program locally.

  • Steep limestone banks, handled with grading, retaining walls, and stone terraces that hold the slope.
  • Thin, rocky soil with caliche in spots, handled with raised beds, imported soil, and deep-rooted natives.
  • A lake level that has swung nearly 100 feet over its history, so the lower yard is built for both flood and drought.
  • LCRA notice or permit rules for walls, riprap, and fill below the regulated pool level.
  • Lakefront homes in Lakeway, Spicewood, Hudson Bend, Point Venture, Briarcliff, Volente, and the Hill Country neighborhoods in between.
landscaping near Lake Travis by 512 Luxury Landscape Design
Questions & Answers

Lakefront Landscaping FAQs

  • Do I need a permit for lakefront landscaping on Lake Travis?

    It depends on where the work sits. Planting, beds, and lawn work up on the lot usually do not need anything from LCRA. Work at the shore is different. The Lower Colorado River Authority's Highland Lakes Dredge and Fill Ordinance, in effect since January 1, 2022, covers seawalls, retaining walls, riprap, and fill placed below the lake's regulated pool level. Smaller jobs, under 500 cubic yards or 500 feet of shoreline, need a written notice to LCRA. Bigger jobs need an LCRA permit. Your city or HOA may have its own rules too. We check what applies to your lot before we plan the work.

  • How do changing lake levels affect my yard?

    Lake Travis is mainly a flood-control reservoir, so its level moves a lot. Full pool is 681 feet above sea level. It dropped to about 627 feet in late October 2023, then heavy rain in July 2025 brought it back to about 90 percent full. That swing dries out and then floods the lower part of a lake lot. We build that zone for both. We use erosion control, terraces that hold the bank when the water drops, and plants that handle wet and dry spells. Up on the lot, we build a yard that does not depend on where the water line sits.

  • Can you build retaining walls on a steep lakefront lot?

    Yes. Most lots on Lake Travis fall toward the water across rocky limestone hillsides. We grade the slope, build retaining walls and stone terraces that step down the hill, and route drainage so runoff leaves cleanly and does not carry soil into the lake. Terraces also turn an unusable slope into flat space for a patio, beds, or a path to the dock. Walls placed below the lake's regulated pool level fall under LCRA's Dredge and Fill Ordinance, so we check that line first.

  • Can I clear brush on the exposed lakebed when the lake is low?

    Often, yes. LCRA allows mowing, shredding, chainsawing, and hand removal of land plants on the exposed lakebed without a notice or permit when Lake Travis is below 676 feet. Work that pushes, drags, or digs in the lakebed with equipment needs a written notice to LCRA before it starts. Plants growing in the water are a separate matter. LCRA says managing aquatic plants on Lake Travis needs approval in advance from Texas Parks and Wildlife and LCRA.

  • What plants work on a Lake Travis lot?

    The ground around the lake is thin and rocky over limestone, with hard caliche in spots, and it dries out fast in a long Hill Country summer. Deep-rooted, drought-tough natives do best. We lean on plants like Texas sage, agave, yucca, rock rose, and native grasses that hold a slope and handle the heat. Where the soil is too shallow, we build raised beds and bring in good soil. Near the shore, LCRA suggests native buffer strips that filter runoff from lawns, and we plan those in.

  • Which areas around Lake Travis do you serve?

    We serve lakefront homes around the lake, including Lakeway and Rough Hollow, Spicewood, Hudson Bend, Point Venture, Briarcliff, and Volente. These areas share the same conditions: steep limestone lots, thin rocky soil, and LCRA shoreline rules on waterfront parcels. See all of our service areas for the rest of the Austin area.

  • What does lakefront landscaping cost?

    Every lake lot is priced on its own, so we do not post flat numbers. The price moves most with how steep the lot is, how hard the rock is to dig, and how easy it is to get equipment down the slope. Retaining walls, an HOA review, or LCRA paperwork for shoreline work can add steps. A planting and drainage refresh sits at the low end. A terraced bank with stone walls, steps, and a patio sits much higher. We walk your property and hand you a clear written estimate for free.

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