Barndominium Builders in Wylie, TX

Barndominium builders working near Wylie are building on Blackland Prairie ground between two big reservoirs. Wylie sits on State Highway 78 about 24 miles northeast of central Dallas, with the Lavon Dam and Reservoir 5 miles north of town and Lake Ray Hubbard to the south. The city now reaches into Collin, Dallas and Rockwall counties, though it was once entirely in Collin County. Census figures put Wylie at 41,427 people in 2010 and 57,526 in 2020.

Black clay and what it does to a slab

Wylie lies in the Blackland Prairies region. The USDA's Houston Black series, a clay of large extent in the Blackland Prairies, is very deep, very slowly permeable and has high shrink-swell potential. When it dries, it cracks 0.5 to 4 inches wide from the surface down 12 inches or more, and those cracks can stay open 90 to 150 days in most years. A barndominium slab on that kind of soil has to be designed for movement. We get a soils report, follow the engineered foundation design, and pay close attention to drainage and gutter discharge so the soil around the slab stays as even in moisture as possible.

Weather numbers from Lavon Dam

The closest long-term weather station is at Lavon Dam. Its 1991-2020 normals show:

• Average annual high of 74.0 F and average annual low of 54.4 F
• Record high of 111 F and record low of -3 F
• About 39.79 inches of precipitation a year
• Only about 0.2 inches of snow a year

The bigger threats are wind and ice. A tornado struck downtown Wylie on May 9, 1993, and a hailstorm hit the city on April 11, 2016. For a metal barndo, that history points to engineered framing and anchorage, careful roof panel and trim selection, and a shelter location planned from day one.

Which county is your lot in?

Because Wylie spans three counties, permitting depends on where your land sits. Inside city limits, the city handles building permits. In unincorporated Collin County, development permits for new homes go through the county's online portal, and the county requires third-party inspections at foundation, framing and mechanical, and final. Collin County also handles septic permits outside city limits and will not release permanent power until septic inspections pass. Rockwall County land outside city limits needs a septic permit from the county Health Coordinator and at least 1.5 acres of suitable land per dwelling.

Lake and creek parcels

With Lavon Lake upstream and Lake Ray Hubbard downstream, there are plenty of tracts near water. We check the floodplain maps for every parcel and set the barndominium on the highest practical pad. Collin County's interactive maps show city limits, ETJ and floodplain status, which helps early in planning.

Railroad history

The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway laid tracks here in 1886, Wylie incorporated in November 1887, and the St. Louis Southwestern arrived in 1889. A freight line still roughly parallels SH 78. Wylie sits around 518 feet elevation.

What we build around Wylie

• Barndominium homes with attached two- and three-bay shops
• Shop houses for owners who work from home
• Metal building homes finished to look like a traditional farmhouse
• Interior finish-out of existing barndo shells

Call (469) 310-8310 or

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to talk through your Wylie-area land.