Custom Stone Supply

I had used Custom Stone for over 20 years to do various rock projects at my own homes. Now that I manage over 120 properties in Austin I continued to use them for projects that pop up around the rental properties. Last project was a 600 square foot patio. I’d not done a project this large and they estimated that I needed 6 pallets of flagstone. They charged $ 80 to deliver the stone which is fine. Well, I really needed only 3 pallets of flagstone! I was not conservative with rock usage. It looks like any professionally installed flagstone patio. But I have to return about 4 TONS of stone. So they are charging me ANOTHER $ 80 to pick it up though they told me how much was needed for the project. Quite unfair in my opinion and I’m pretty angry about it. Ashley, the supervisor, was of no help. She felt great that they weren’t charging me a re-​stocking fee! They have this formula to calculate how much stone is needed and are sticking to it. So basically, they are blowing off their customers and REALITY. I won’t use them again as I really dislike working for people/​companies that are non-​responsive to their customers. Advice: IGNORE what they decide you need for your project. If you are not a mason, I guarantee you can estimate how much stone you need better than these «pros.» There are plenty of places in Austin to buy stone, I’m heading to them in the future.

I like this place — they handle me being an individual showing up with a trailer and getting product one ton at a time looking ever more disheveled as they day goes on with my 30 dollar charges… 1 ton at a time. Ive purchased fill, rocks, top dressing, decomposed granite, etc and never had a problem and never treated poorly as a little guy in the grand scheme of their business.
The reason Im writing today, was that I was really happy this AM when I rolled in with a shovel and a bucket and asked for 100 pounds of decomposed granite… they didnt blink an eye with my ~$ 1.30 charge and me standing out there in the mist like an idiot shoveling a couple of recycle bins full of dirt.

My landscaper sent me here to pick out my stone for a project we are about to start.
Wow, what a great selection, kinda overwhelming if your not an expert. This is something I felt the staff didn’t understand. The first young guy who helped me was no help at all. He sort of just pointed out into the abiss of stone. I had two pictures, and specs of the project, I was hoping that my preparedness would allow him to walk me right to the type of stone, give me a little piece of advice, and help me make the perfect decision. Nope I was wrong. He sent me aimlessly wondering.
I found what I thought was a close match, went inside and another gentleman offered to help. He was perfect. Showed him the pictures, talked about my project, and he walked me right to the exact stone I needed. He then offered for me to bring a chunk home to ensure this was the perfect decision.
I thought the prices were fair, I am not an expert but I didn’t feel shocked and run screaming.

I’ve doing a helluva lotta landscaping work in my steep yard, mainly to mitigate runoff flooding. French drains, retaining walls, stone steps, patios to cover it all… On the way — and despite developing a pretty chronic case of elbow tendinitis — I’ve learned to love backbreaking rock work! Custom Stone has supplied most of the fuel for this odd hobby and I keep going going back for several reasons:
–they’re pretty close to my Travis Hts. home
–they have a good selection of products, from sand and gravel to flagstones to giant blocks and boulders
–I’ve shopped around and found their prices to be competitive albeit not quite the lowest (Kimberley – pls let me know who’s significantly cheaper)
–I can load smaller amounts of product in the back of my SUV and buy it ‘retail-​real time’ pretty easily if need be
–more typically, I have them deliver to my home, and while they can be a bit off (few hours at most), they’re generally reliable and Rene (delivery man) is very accommodating

Custom Stone has an incredible variety of rocks, gravel, pavers, etc. I purchased some river rock for landscaping from Custom Stone and had it delivered. The price of the rock and delivery was reasonable, but they originally told me it would be delivered around 9 AM. At 10:30 AM, I phoned them to find out how much longer it would be. I was told «he’s on his way». The stone was finally delivered at 12:45 PM. Did I mention the distance between Custom Stone and my home is only 8 miles???

I have been «shopping» at Custom Stone well over a hundred times and believe me, it is not like shopping anywhere else.
First, you walk through an outdoor «showroom» where they have mocked-​up their offerings by building a little castle, fountain, and columns into a hodge-​podge quilt of stone samples. Tumbleweed Tan Big Block and Western Gray Ashlar form part of the wall with Palomino Flagstone on the ground.
The «built showroom» is helpful to see a variety of stone types and coursing types. In addition, they have probably 2 or 3 acres of stone piles and pallets to browse through. When you are choosing the stone for your home, it is nice to have a place where you can see many samples out in the sunlight.
Second, once you have chosen what you want you can go inside and request how many tons you want. If you do not know for sure, but you know the square foot, they will help determine this with you. The also have Decomposed Granite (DG) and a variety of smaller stones and gravel that can be used in landscaping.
Third, you drive your truck over a large scale to the area where they will load it. After your truck is weighed empty, they fill ‘er up with stone. You have to drive back over the scale in your truck and believe me, it feels like stepping onto the scale after a big meal at Fonda San Miguel. Now, your stuffed truck has been weighed and you go back inside to pay.
Great selection but not the cheapest place in town to buy rocks.