Stacy Paulson Design + Build

Stacy Paulson Design + Build Austin, TX based
Design firm by Stacy Paulson
A creative visonary with an eclectic eye for design & a viligant, methodical drive.

Stacy Paulson Design + Build is an Austin based company. Stacy has an eclectic eye for design accompanied by a viligant, methodical drive that she and her team bring to all her projects. While always attentive and understanding of her client's needs, she is also a creative visionary blending new ideas with existing elements. She is adept tackling an entire home design and remodel, setting realisti

c expectations for costs and timelines, while maintaining as little impact to her client's home lives as possible. Always apporachable with any thought or idea, Stacy consistantly communicates with clients regarding the status of their individual projects, and handles unplanned interruptions with the utmost professionalism. All of this while having F U N! Stacy has a great rapport with numerous vendors and subcontractors, who offer unparalleled professionalism and quality. She is responsive to sudden, inevitable changes, communicates clear expectations concerning cost and scheduling, and will bring any project to completion - design vision, execution, and lastly fruition. An organized project manager, the SPD team delivers quality and completed work on time and on budget.

06/16/2026

Install day for the patio project, and I'm so excited to finally show you this.

We're bringing in all the pieces today: two beautiful rugs (with rug tape doing its job underneath), a dining table headed for the area near the seating zone, and candle chandeliers being hung from the ceiling right now. These aren't your average chandeliers either, they hold little candles that flicker and sway, and they're remote controlled. At night this space is going to glow.

On one side we've got a relaxed seating area facing the TV. On the other, a love seat and two swivel chairs the homeowners wanted specifically because their kids love rearranging furniture (relatable, right?). Small side tables are coming too so everything has a place to land.

What I love most about this project is that every choice was made around how this family actually lives outside, not just how it photographs.

This is what a patio looks like when it's built for real life in Austin.
If yours has been on your mind, email us at [email protected] and let's talk about it.

🔨 Behind the Build / Outdoor Living25 years of doing this has taught me a lot.Most of it applies indoors and out. But so...
06/13/2026

🔨 Behind the Build / Outdoor Living
25 years of doing this has taught me a lot.
Most of it applies indoors and out. But some of the hardest lessons I've learned came specifically from outdoor builds.

Here are 6 things I wish every homeowner knew before starting an outdoor renovation:

Drainage before everything else. You need to know where water goes across your whole property before a single square foot of hardscape goes in. Water always wins, and it's expensive to fix after the fact.

Outdoor kitchens need permits. The moment you add gas, electrical, or any permanent structure to your backyard, you're in permit territory. Most homeowners find this out too late.

Design for July, not April. The best outdoor spaces in Austin aren't the biggest ones. They're the most shaded ones. A beautiful patio that sits in direct sun all afternoon is a patio nobody uses in the summer.

The outdoor furniture budget is always an afterthought. It shouldn't be. Texas sun will destroy the wrong fabrics in a single season. Check lightfastness ratings before you buy anything.

Swipe through all six. Save this. Share it with anyone who's planning a patio, outdoor kitchen, or backyard transformation.

Which one surprised you most? Drop the number in the comments.

If you're planning an outdoor project, email me directly - [email protected]

✨ Stacy's POVIn 2015, the Blanco River rose 44 feet in one night.It was a devastating tragedy. Destroyed 350+ homes. And...
06/09/2026

✨ Stacy's POV

In 2015, the Blanco River rose 44 feet in one night.

It was a devastating tragedy. Destroyed 350+ homes. And it knocked down ancient cypress trees that had been growing along those banks since before anyone alive can remember.

The slabs in these photos came from that flood. Local ranchers pulled the logs out of the river. Air-dried them. Kiln-dried them slowly so they wouldn't crack. Then let them sit in a barn for 10 years before anyone touched them with a saw.

What came out of that process is called sinker cypress. Old-growth wood preserved by decades underwater, protected by a natural oil called cypressene that resists rot and pests. The submersion tightens the growth rings, making it harder and more durable than almost anything you can buy new. The color in a single slab runs from honey amber to deep olive green depending on where it rested in the riverbed.

It's one of the most prized materials in fine furniture. And the Wimberley flood created a modern supply of it, in wood that is hundreds of years old.

I think about what I put in people's homes. Not just how it looks, but where it came from, what it's made of, how long it's going to last. That table didn't come from a lumber yard. It came from a specific place, a specific night, and a group of people who decided that something valuable could come out of something devastating.

That's the kind of material I want in my projects. And it's the kind of thinking I bring to every single one.

Swipe through to see it from the barn to the studio.

If you were in the Hill Country during the 2015 flood, drop a comment. And if you want this kind of thinking behind your home, email [email protected].

06/06/2026

I've been designing outdoor spaces in Austin for 25 years. Here's what people are actually spending money on right now.

Shade that does real work — not decorative, structural. Pergolas positioned to block heat in summer and hold it in winter.

Mosquito misting systems. Because if you're not comfortable outside, you won't use it. Period.

Outdoor fans. Air movement changes everything in Central Texas.

And fire pits, because a beautiful space that nobody uses isn't a good investment.

The goal has shifted. People don't want a backyard to look at. They want another room to live in.

That's exactly how I approach it.

Thinking about your outdoor space? Email me. [email protected].

Most outdoor contractors do the hardscape. Or the furniture. Or the planting. Almost never all three.That's the part nob...
06/03/2026

Most outdoor contractors do the hardscape. Or the furniture. Or the planting. Almost never all three.

That's the part nobody warns you about when you start planning an outdoor project.

Here's how I do it differently:

→ Design renderings before anything gets built → Full estimate before we break ground — no surprises mid-project → Construction managed by me, on site → Furnishings, shade, lighting, and styling installed at the end

One process. One point of contact. Indoors or out.

If you've ever tried to coordinate a patio build across three different vendors, you already know why this matters.

Save this. Send it to someone planning an outdoor space this summer.

Email me — [email protected]

May recap, and it was a good one.We finished a full kitchen addition and remodel in less than three months. From demo to...
06/01/2026

May recap, and it was a good one.
We finished a full kitchen addition and remodel in less than three months. From demo to done. And we hit that timeline because we did the hard work upfront. Every decision made, every material selected, before construction ever started. That's the process. That's why it works.

Our Westlake addition and remodel is right on track too. Inspections passed, we're in the home stretch, and the crew has been incredible.

This carousel is the version of the month that doesn't make it into the polished portfolio shots. The in-progress moments, the job site reality, the details before they're done. I love sharing this side of the work because this is where the real story is.

June is outdoor living month around here and I have some things in the works that I'm really looking forward to documenting. Stay tuned.

If a renovation project has been living rent-free in your head, email me directly. [email protected]

If you're interviewing design+build firms in Austin right now, these are the questions that will separate the real ones ...
05/29/2026

If you're interviewing design+build firms in Austin right now, these are the questions that will separate the real ones from the ones that just look good on Instagram.

Swipe through for six of them.

Want all ten? I put together a free PDF with every question plus what a good answer actually sounds like and what the red flags are.
Click the link below and I will email it to you directly.

https://shop.beacons.ai/stacypaulsondesign/d233688e-e5ee-479a-bd41-c2cc0b07fdd1

25 years. Hundreds of projects. These are the 7 things I wish every homeowner knew before we started.Don't live there du...
05/27/2026

25 years. Hundreds of projects. These are the 7 things I wish every homeowner knew before we started.
Don't live there during the remodel. Budget for scope creep because it's coming. And if a contractor guarantees you a finish date before they've seen inside your walls? Walk.

The honest stuff. The real stuff. The things I learned the hard way so you don't have to.

Swipe through all 7. Save this post. Share it with anyone you know who's planning a renovation right now.

And then tell me: which one resonates most? Drop the number in the comments.

Ready to talk about your project? Email me - [email protected]

05/23/2026

Same footprint. Completely different life.

This Austin master bath hadn't been touched in decades. Rust slate tile, a raised tub platform, dark granite, black vessel sinks. A very specific look that just wasn't working anymore.

Full gut demo. Then: walk-in shower with frameless glass and sage subway tile, marble basketweave floors, double vanity with quartz counters and real storage, polished nickel sconces, and built-in open shelving in the transition space.

Bathrooms are personal. When one isn't working, you feel it every single morning. When it finally does, clients never stop thanking you for it.

Is your bathroom next? Email me -- [email protected]

05/21/2026

One person. Every step. No exceptions.

I get asked all the time why I only take turnkey projects. Here's the honest answer: because I've seen what happens when you don't. Gaps between the designer and the contractor. Decisions made without context. Homeowners stuck in the middle trying to manage a process they never signed up to manage.

That's not how I work.

Flat-fee design. Cost-plus construction. No surprise invoices. 25+ years of knowing Austin's contractors, codes, and quirks. And one of the only female GC+designers in this city doing it all under one roof.

If this sounds like how you want your renovation to feel, let's talk. [email protected]

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Austin, TX
78757

Telephone

+15124310401

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