Barndominium Builders in Corpus Christi, TX

Barndominium builders around Corpus Christi build where the wind is part of daily life. The city has one of the highest average wind speeds of any coastal city in North America, enough to make it a wind-sports destination. Corpus Christi is the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, with limits that reach into Aransas, Kleberg and San Patricio counties. It sits at about 6.6 feet on Corpus Christi and Nueces bays, with Padre and Mustang islands to the east, about 130 miles southeast of San Antonio.

Every county the city touches is a windstorm county

Nueces, Aransas, Kleberg and San Patricio counties are all on TWIA's list of 14 first-tier coastal counties in the area designated by the Commissioner of Insurance. A home there generally needs a windstorm certificate to qualify for TWIA wind and hail coverage. The Texas Department of Insurance says most new construction in these areas needs an inspection, and the WPI-8 certificate comes from inspections done while the work is in progress by a TDI-appointed engineer or TDI inspector. There is also a flood insurance rule: in V, VE or V1-30 flood zones, buildings built or substantially changed on or after September 1, 2009, must show proof of NFIP flood coverage where it is available.

A barndominium is a good fit for wind country when it is engineered for it. Steel frames, through-bolted anchorage, closely spaced roof fasteners at edges and corners and wind-rated shop doors are where the windstorm design shows up.

The 1919 storm and why it still matters

On September 14, 1919, a hurricane devastated Corpus Christi and killed hundreds; only three structures survived on North Beach, and the seawall followed. Celia in 1970 and Allen in 1980 also caused damage, and Harvey's 2017 surge eroded Packery Channel down to bedrock. Coastal and bay-front land needs a hard look at elevation and surge exposure. That is one reason to weigh inland farm tracts west of the city against land near the water.

Farmland clay west of town

Nueces County covers 1,166 square miles, 327 of them water, and rises from sea level to about 180 feet. Between 61 and 70 percent of the land is considered ideal farmland. The Victoria soil series has its type location in Nueces County: a very deep, calcareous clay on flat coastal plain that cracks when dry for 90 or more days a year, with cracks that can reach 5 feet deep. Water enters fast when it is cracked and very slowly when wet. That is classic expansive clay, so the slab design, the pad and the drainage plan all assume movement.

Water to a rural tract

Corpus Christi draws its water from Lake Corpus Christi, Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Texana, all outside city limits, with a 101-mile pipeline bringing Lake Texana water in. If your tract is outside the city system, settle early how water will get to the house: a rural water supplier, a well, or a hauled and stored supply. The answer affects where the pressure tank or storage goes and how the mechanical room is laid out.

Climate

Corpus Christi averages about 31.74 inches of rain a year, far less than the upper Texas coast, but storms can dump it all at once: 9.86 inches fell on July 2, 2007. The record high is 109 degrees F, set on September 5, 2000. With salt air near the bays, we also pay attention to panel coatings and fasteners.

Permits and septic

Inside Corpus Christi, Robstown, Port Aransas or another city, local codes and permits govern, and a city code also applies in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. In unincorporated areas of covered counties, Section 233.153 of the Local Government Code sets a version of the International Residential Code for new homes without requiring county pre-approval. Septic permits come from the authorized agent for the county under TCEQ's OSSF program, and expansive, slowly permeable clay often affects the system design.

A growing county

Nueces County grew from 340,223 people in 2010 to 353,178 in 2020; 59.6 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied.

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