Serving Wimberley, Hays County, TX
Custom Home Builder in Wimberley
Wimberley is one of the most beloved small towns in Texas, and the homes we build here belong to the land: the cypress-lined creeks, the limestone bluffs, and the big-sky views. Served from our New Braunfels and Fredericksburg offices.
Wimberley's Premier Design-Build Firm
Wimberley sits in the heart of Hays County, where Cypress Creek meets the Blanco River and the land still feels untouched. It is one of the rare Texas towns that has held onto its character as the region around it has grown. For homeowners who want privacy, scenery, and craftsmanship, Wimberley is hard to beat.
Building a custom home here is not the same as building in a subdivision. The lots are larger, the terrain is steeper, and the conditions call for a builder who knows what to do when bedrock is six inches down or a hundred-year-old oak stands exactly where the kitchen was drawn. Woolsey has designed and built across the Hill Country since 2006, with a team that brings 25+ years of experience, and our Wimberley work includes the Neon Armadillo and the Leaning Pear.
As a design-build firm, we manage architecture, engineering, and construction under one contract. That means no finger-pointing between architect and builder when a budget assumption breaks. One team, one accountability, one home you want to live in.
Why Build in Wimberley?
Wimberley has become one of the most desirable addresses in Central Texas. It is far enough from Austin and San Antonio to feel like a retreat and close enough to reach a major airport in about an hour. The restaurants punch above their weight, and the natural setting draws visitors from across Texas every weekend.
Hays County land in and around Wimberley commands strong prices, and the homes built here reflect it. Buyers in this market expect natural stone, custom millwork, deep porches, and outdoor living designed for the climate. The homes that age well in Wimberley respect the land they sit on.
If you have land in Woodcreek, Cypress Creek Estates, Paradise Hills, or anywhere in the valley, the difference between a great home and a forgettable one usually comes down to who builds it.
Our Services in Wimberley
Woolsey offers full-service custom home construction for Wimberley homeowners. Our luxury custom home program is for clients who want hand-selected materials, real craftsmanship, and a builder who shows up when they say they will.
Our design-build process begins with a site walk. Before we draw a line, we know where the rock is, where the views are, where the wind comes from, where the water moves, and where the flood map draws its line. That site intelligence shapes every decision that follows.
For clients with larger acreage, we also offer ranch estate and family compound construction: primary residence plus guest houses, barns, equestrian facilities, and outdoor living structures designed as one coordinated place rather than a series of one-off additions.
Building in Wimberley: What to Know First
Wimberley is a small city inside a large unincorporated valley, and nearly every custom home here is built on the county's rules rather than the city's.
The county permits development, not buildings. Hays County requires a development permit for any development in the unincorporated county, and there is no zoning there. The permit covers on-site sewage, floodplain, and driveway access, and the sewage system has to be designed for the house and approved before construction. Inside a city's limits, that city reviews and permits the house under its own codes.
Water is the first question on a western Hays County site. The western part of the county sits over the Trinity Aquifer, managed by the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. State law lets a district exempt a household well that cannot pump more than 25,000 gallons a day on a tract of ten acres or more, and the district sets its own rules inside that. As of this writing the district is in emergency drought stage and is not accepting new permits for non-exempt wells. A lot with no public water and no qualifying well is not a buildable lot until that is solved, so we settle it before the contract on the land. Hays is also one of the counties where the state regulates construction over the Edwards Aquifer, and the same plan-approval question applies on the eastern side of the county.
The creek and the river set the floodplain, and the floodplain sets the house. Cypress Creek and the Blanco River are the reason people build here and the reason the flood map matters more here than almost anywhere in the Hill Country. A lot along either one may sit partly in a mapped flood hazard area, and the county's development permit reviews floodplain on every site. We pull the flood map before the site plan, and where the map calls for it the house is placed and elevated accordingly.
The bedrock is usually right there. On much of the valley the limestone is inches down. A foundation, a pool, a utility trench, or a septic field cut through rock costs more than the same work in soil, and the oaks people buy the lot for sit exactly where a careless plan puts the driveway. We map the rock and the trees before we draw.
Our Design-Build Process
Phase 1: Land Assessment. We walk the Wimberley property and evaluate rock depth, water, the sewage system, floodplain, tree preservation, and view corridors. Wimberley land has personality, and we map it before we design.
Phase 2: Design and Budget. Our design team creates plans that respond to the site and your life. You see the home in three dimensions, review material selections, and settle the scope and budget before construction begins.
Phase 3: Construction. We handle the Hays County development permit, utility coordination, and any HOA approvals. You have direct access to your project manager and regular progress updates.
Phase 4: Handover. Every home gets a full walk-through and a resolved punch list. We do not leave until everything meets our standard, and we stand behind the work after you move in.
Popular Wimberley Neighborhoods & Areas
Building a Custom Home in Wimberley: Common Questions
What is the average cost to build a custom home in Texas?
There is no honest single number, and a builder who gives one on a website is guessing. What we can tell you is what moves the cost on a Wimberley site, in order of how often it surprises people. The land itself comes first, and then what the land needs before a foundation can be poured: in unincorporated Hays County that means a development permit, a sewage system designed for the house, and on the western side a well, where the groundwater district's drought rules decide whether a new well is even available; on the limestone it means rock excavation and drainage across a slope. Then the house: its size, how much of it is glass and steel versus framed wall, the finish level inside, and how much outdoor living it carries. Two homes of the same square footage can be far apart in price on those choices alone. What Woolsey does about it is build the budget before the design is finished, so the number you commit to is one that already accounts for the site and the finishes you actually chose, rather than one that grows after the contract.
Is it cheaper to buy or build a house in Texas?
It depends on what is for sale, and in Wimberley the honest answer changes with the market. Buying an existing home is usually faster and the price is known on day one. Building lets you choose the site, the layout, the materials, and the systems, and it means nothing in the house is someone else's compromise. On raw land, building carries costs that a resale does not: a well or water tap, a sewage system, the driveway, the utility runs, and the site work a rocky lot demands, and those have to be in the comparison or it is not a fair one. Where building tends to win is when the home you want does not exist on the market, or when the land you want is only available as land. Where buying tends to win is when a well-built home on the right site is already for sale. We will tell you which one we think applies to you, including when the answer is to buy.
Can I drill a well for a home near Wimberley?
It depends on the tract and on the district's drought stage, and right now the second one matters. The Wimberley valley sits over the Trinity Aquifer, managed by the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. State law lets a district exempt a household well that cannot pump more than 25,000 gallons a day on a tract of ten acres or more, and the district sets its own rules inside that. As of this writing the district is in emergency drought stage and is not accepting new permits for non-exempt wells, which affects smaller tracts and any well beyond household use. Some Wimberley neighborhoods are on a water utility and do not face the question. A lot with no utility and no qualifying well is not buildable until that is solved, so Woolsey settles it before the land contract.
What permits do I need to build a house in Hays County?
Outside the Wimberley city limits, a development permit from Hays County, which the county requires for any development in the unincorporated county. There is no zoning there. Under that permit the county reviews the on-site sewage system, which has to be designed for the specific house and approved before construction; floodplain, which matters on any lot near Cypress Creek or the Blanco; and driveway access to a county road. Inside the city limits, the City of Wimberley permits the house under its own codes. The groundwater district's rules on wells run alongside the county's permit on any site without utility water. Woolsey confirms the jurisdiction on the first site walk and carries the permit through as part of the project.
Ready to Build in Wimberley?
If you have land in Wimberley or are looking for the right place to build, the conversation starts here. We will help you understand what a site can support, what it will cost, and what is possible before you commit a dollar.