Service Areas

We build across Dallas-Fort Worth, an 11-county metro area (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise) that the 2020 census counted at more than 7.6 million people. Most barndominium buyers here look for acreage on the edges: Kaufman, Rockwall, Collin, Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson and Ellis counties.

East and north: Blackland Prairie

Kaufman, Rockwall, Collin and Ellis counties sit largely on the Texas Blackland Prairies, a belt of dark, alkaline clay that runs about 300 miles from the Red River to San Antonio. Less than one percent of the original prairie is left; most of it became farmland and now subdivisions and small acreage tracts. The clay is fertile and flat, but it is the reason slab prep, moisture control around the foundation and good surface drainage come first on these builds. Septic systems on slow-draining clay often need engineered designs.

West: Cross Timbers and Fort Worth Prairie

West of Fort Worth the land changes. The Western Cross Timbers cover large parts of Wise and Parker counties, around towns like Weatherford: post oak and blackjack oak on coarse, sandy soils and rolling hills. The USDA Windthorst series, with its type location in Parker County, has a sandy loam surface over subsoil that is 35 to 50 percent clay. Parts of Denton, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties are Fort Worth Prairie, with rockier soil and mostly ranch land. Here, tree clearing, driveway length and rock can drive site costs more than clay does.

In between: the Grand Prairie and Eastern Cross Timbers

The Grand Prairie, a flatter strip between the two Cross Timbers bands, takes in Fort Worth, Granbury and Denton. The narrow Eastern Cross Timbers forest runs through Denton, Tarrant and central Johnson counties, with Cleburne along its eastern side.

Permits by county

Outside city limits, the county handles septic and development permits, and each county has its own process. Collin County, for example, requires a permit for any project that disturbs ground or adds footprint, does not assign addresses to raw land until permitting, and sends culvert and driveway inspections to its Public Works department. We confirm the rules for your parcel before you commit to a plan.