Barndominium Builders in Sealy, TX

Barndominium builders look closely at land around Sealy, and it is easy to see why. The town sits on Interstate 10 about 49 miles west of downtown Houston, with US 90 and State Highway 36 also running through, at about 200 feet of elevation on the eastern edge of the Texas German belt. Sealy grew from 6,019 people in 2010 to 6,839 in 2020, while Austin County as a whole reached 30,167. That is a lot of open country for a shop home within an hour of the city.

How the town started

Sealy was created in 1879 when San Felipe sold part of its original 22,000-acre township to the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad. It took its name from George Sealy, a Galveston businessman and the railroad's majority stockholder. BNSF and Union Pacific lines still cross town.

Austin County's Permit Order

Austin County's Planning and Development Department in Bellville publishes a step-by-step guide for unincorporated property, and the order matters. The guide we reviewed is dated December 2016, so we confirm current rules with the county before each job.

• 911 address first. The address comes from the Austin County Emergency Communication District, and its letter is attached to the development application. The address has to be posted before permits are issued and at final inspection.
• Development Permit next. The guide says it must be obtained before anything is moved onto or built on the property. You submit the application, a copy of the recorded deed and the address letter. If the property is in a flood hazard area, an elevation certificate from a surveyor is required before the permit is issued.
• Septic (OSSF) permit after that. The development permit has to come first. The septic application must be in the property owner's name and signed by the owner, with a site evaluation, a design for an alternative system if one is used, a maintenance agreement for aerobic units, and an affidavit to the public filed with the County Clerk. The county suggests applying three to four weeks before installation.
• Driveway and culvert. On a state highway or FM road, TxDOT handles access. On a county road, the county form has to be signed by the commissioner, and the entrance must leave a 12-foot by 12-foot clear area for emergency vehicles.

The guide also says fees are doubled if construction starts or a structure is moved in before a permit is pulled. That is reason enough not to clear a pad early.

One House per Acre

The only lot rule stated in the county guide is one residential structure per one-acre tract. If you want a main barndominium and a separate guest house or second home on the same land, check the acreage against that rule first. A shop attached to the house under one roof is often the cleaner way to get both uses.

Septic on Larger Tracts

Texas allows a possible exemption from OSSF permitting for a single-family home on a tract of 10 acres or more, but only if a site evaluation is done, every part of the system is at least 100 feet from the property line, the effluent stays on the property, the house is the only dwelling and the system meets state standards. TCEQ is clear that local programs can be stricter, so in Austin County we plan on the permit unless the county confirms otherwise.

Designing for the Site

Around Sealy you will find open pasture, wooded draws and creek bottoms within a few miles of each other. A pasture site may need little more than a raised, compacted pad. A lower site may need more fill, a longer culvert and an elevation certificate. We look at the drainage path across the whole tract before we pick the house location, then design the slab after a soil test.

Layouts that suit the land

• A long gable barndo with the shop on one end and living space on the other
• Wraparound porches for afternoon shade
• Tall sidewalls and wide doors for trailers and equipment

Call (832) 850-5283 or

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to go over your Austin County tract.