Barndominium Builders in Bastrop, TX

Barndominium builders around Bastrop work in country that looks nothing like the limestone hills west of Austin. Bastrop is the county seat of Bastrop County, about 30 miles southeast of Austin, with its downtown on a bluff above the east bank of the Colorado River. The Lost Pines Forest overlooks the center of town. The county sits in the Gulf Coastal Plains at roughly 400 to 600 feet, with post oak savannah, Blackland Prairie and pine and hardwood forest all inside its lines.

The 2011 fire

On September 4, 2011, strong winds from Tropical Storm Lee snapped trees onto power lines and started three fires that merged into the Bastrop County Complex fire. Texas was in the driest 12-month period in its history, and Bastrop County had been in exceptional drought since May. The fire burned at least 32,000 acres over 55 days, destroyed roughly 1,660 homes and 36 businesses, killed two people and fatally damaged about 1.5 million trees. About 96 percent of Bastrop State Park was affected.

Land around Bastrop is still shaped by that event. Some tracts are burn scars that have regrown; others back up to heavy pine and oak. If you are building in the woods here, wildfire belongs in the design conversation.

Fire-aware choices for a barndo

• A metal roof and metal wall panels do not burn, which is a real advantage here
• Keep a cleared, low-fuel zone around the building and under porches
• Screen soffit and ridge vents so embers cannot get into the roof space
• Plan a driveway wide enough for fire equipment, with a place to turn around
• Keep firewood, hay and fuel storage away from the house side of the building

Sandy ground and the Carrizo

The loblolly pines of the Lost Pines grow in the deep, moist, acidic, sandy soil of the Carrizo Sands formation. Deep sand is very different from Central Texas clay. It drains, but it can be loose, so pad compaction and slab edges get attention. Along the Colorado, recent alluvium and terrace deposits fill the floodplain and lowlands. The county's major aquifers include the Carrizo-Wilcox, the Colorado River and Lake Bastrop.

A protected toad in the sand

Those same deep sandy soils are habitat for the critically endangered Houston toad, and the 2011 fire destroyed most of its habitat. If your tract is in toad habitat, ask about any federal wildlife review before clearing begins. It is far better to know up front.

Floodplain and drainage

The Colorado River and its creeks run through the middle of the county. The city of Bastrop paused new development from August 14, 2018 to May 21, 2019 because of flooding and drainage problems. On land near the river or a creek, we check the floodplain map and set the pad and finished floor before anything else.

Permits outside the city

Inside Bastrop, the city's codes apply. In unincorporated areas of counties covered by Texas Local Government Code Chapter 233, Subchapter F, Section 233.153 sets the 2008 International Residential Code (or the county seat's version) for new homes, without requiring county approval before construction and without giving the county zoning power. A city's ETJ code controls where one has been adopted. Septic permits go through the authorized agent TCEQ lists for Bastrop County, and the soil evaluation on sand looks different from one on clay.

Weather range

Bastrop's recorded extremes run from minus 1 to 111 degrees F, with about 37.71 inches of rain a year. Plan insulation and cooling for long summers, and remember that 2011 showed how dry and windy it can get.

A growing county

Bastrop County grew from 74,171 people in 2010 to 97,216 in 2020, up 31.1 percent, with 36,683 housing units and a high share of owner-occupied homes. Elgin is the largest city; Smithville and Bastrop are the other main towns.

Have land in the Lost Pines or along the Colorado? Call (254) 401-5175 or

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