Custom Homes and Whole-Home Remodeling in Wimberley, Texas
Owner-run custom builds and whole-home remodels in Woodcreek, along the Blanco River, and across the Wimberley Valley.
A budget range and a straight read on scope, at no cost and with no obligation.
Riverbend Hill Country Homes builds custom homes and whole-home remodels in Wimberley, Texas, including Woodcreek, the river neighborhoods, the areas just outside the city limits, and Hays County acreage. The company is run by Vanessa Harris and her husband Dan from nearby Dripping Springs, twenty minutes up Ranch Road 12.
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$1.3M featured remodel in San Marcos
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What We Check on a Wimberley Lot First
A Wimberley lot can fall under any of three permitting offices, and land near the Blanco River carries flood rules on top of that. Which combination applies to your parcel depends on where it sits.
On the first visit, Vanessa and Dan check jurisdiction, flood exposure, water source, and septic capacity. You get the results in plain English with numbers attached, before design starts.
If the site points toward a different project than the one you have in mind, you hear that on the first walk, with the flood data and the septic numbers behind it.
The Finish Level We Hold on Every House
These interiors are our own finished work: a whole-home remodel in San Marcos, thirty minutes from Wimberley, photographed as the project wrapped.
Walk through the whole San Marcos remodel, before photos included →
What Building in the Wimberley Valley Involves
Five things shape a Wimberley project: the flood maps, which office permits your lot, your water source and septic capacity, the remodel-or-rebuild math, and the dark sky lighting rules.
We handle all five for you. Here is what each one means on your project.
We Read the Flood Maps Before We Price Anything
In 2015 the Blanco River went from calm to major flood stage in under an hour, and some of the houses it damaged sat outside the mapped floodplain. We pull the current, preliminary, and advisory flood data for your parcel. When we build in the flood-hazard area, we set the finished floor at least two feet above base flood elevation, certified by an engineer.
Three Permit Offices, One Point of Contact
Depending on where your lot sits, approvals run through the City of Wimberley, the City of Woodcreek, or Hays County, which covers both unincorporated land and the review zone just outside the city limits, known as the ETJ. Each office has its own requirements, such as the City of Wimberley's site-plan review on slopes over fifteen percent. We identify the authority on the first visit and run the whole path, so the decisions on your desk are about the house.
Water and Septic, Answered Before Design
Your water source depends on the parcel: Wimberley Water Supply, Aqua Texas, a subdivision system, or a private well drilled into the Trinity Aquifer. Septic depends on the parcel too. The septic permit ties system capacity to your bedroom count, so an addition can require a septic upgrade. We settle both questions up front and carry the costs into the budget you approve.
Remodel or Rebuild: We Run Both Numbers
In the flood-hazard area, once renovation costs reach half the building's value, the whole structure must meet current elevation standards. That threshold changes the math on an older river house. We price both paths side by side on the first visit and give you the comparison in writing.
Dark Sky Lighting Rules in Wimberley and Woodcreek
The Wimberley Valley earned its International Dark Sky designation in 2018, and the two towns enforce separate ordinances. Fixtures brighter than 1,500 lumens must be shielded, lamps must stay in the warm range, and a lighting plan goes in with the permit. We design your exterior lighting to those rules in the first drawing and carry it through review.
Where We Build in Wimberley
Name the neighborhood and we can usually tell you the same day which office permits it, what its architectural committee will want if it has one, and what the site work will add.
- WoodcreekIts own city with its own permit office, separate from Wimberley; we handle whichever one your lot falls under
- River Mountain RanchAcreage above the Blanco River, architectural approval required
- SaddleridgeMulti-acre homesites south of town
- Mountain CrestGated custom homes on a private water system
- Skyline Ranch EstatesEstablished acreage with committee plan review
- Paradise HillsEstablished in-town neighborhood across the river, mostly remodels and rebuilds
- South RiverGated riverfront streets with a required owners' association
Where your community has an architectural committee, it reviews plans before the city or county does, and some committees add rules of their own: Paradise Hills prohibits private wells, for example. We design to your community's guidelines from the first drawing and carry the submittal for you.
What a Build Costs in Wimberley
We take on two kinds of project in Wimberley, each on its own timeline.
Ground-up
New Custom Home
$325-$800+ / sq ft
- Contract to completion in 14 to 20 months
- Flood exposure, water source, and septic scoped on the first visit
- Vanessa and Dan on site from the property walk to the final walkthrough
Whole house
Whole-Home Remodel
$325-$650+ / sq ft of remodeled area
- Most projects run 12 to 24 months
- A written contingency of at least 20 percent from day one
- The remodel-or-rebuild math run before design starts
Kitchen or primary suite remodels$300-$800+ / sq ft
In the Wimberley Valley, the per-square-foot figure covers the house itself. Priced separately on top of it: elevation requirements near the river, well depth into the Trinity Aquifer, septic design, slope, and access. See the full pricing and timeline detail. The figure for your land comes from walking it together. For how each service works end to end, see custom home building and luxury home remodeling.
Vanessa and Dan Run Your Wimberley Build
The drive is twenty minutes, so they are on your Wimberley site every week of the build. Vanessa runs the client side and the finish decisions. Dan runs the field. The two who confirm your flood exposure, your water source, and your septic capacity on the first visit stay your direct point of contact through framing, through the finish work, and at the final walkthrough.
Vanessa built resort spas for hotel brands before this, work where a bad tile edge gets written up before the doors open. Your home gets that same standard.
Wimberley Questions
Who issues building permits in Wimberley?
Three offices are possible, and which one you deal with depends on the parcel. The City of Wimberley permits work inside its limits, Woodcreek is its own city with its own permits, and approvals for land just outside the city limits, in the ETJ or unincorporated Hays County, run through the county, which also handles septic everywhere. We confirm which path your parcel takes before design starts and carry that path ourselves.
Can you build or remodel in the Blanco River floodplain?
Usually yes, within set rules. In the mapped flood-hazard area, new homes must have the lowest floor and mechanical equipment at least two feet above base flood elevation, with engineering certification. A remodel whose cost reaches half the building's value gets treated like new construction under the same rules. We check current, preliminary, and advisory flood data before pricing anything near the river.
Will my Wimberley property use sewer or septic?
Part of central Wimberley sits on the city's wastewater system, but most of the valley runs on individual septic systems permitted through Hays County. The permit ties capacity to the house, so adding bedrooms or square footage can trigger a septic review or an upgrade. We verify what your system supports before we draw the addition.
Does Wimberley have city water, or will I need a well?
Your water source depends on the parcel. It comes from Wimberley Water Supply, Aqua Texas, a subdivision system, or a private well into the Trinity Aquifer. Service areas have hard boundaries, and the permit office requires an availability letter. On the first visit we confirm your water source and what securing it will cost.
What dark sky lighting rules apply in Wimberley?
The Wimberley Valley has been an International Dark Sky Community since 2018, and both Wimberley and Woodcreek enforce their own lighting ordinances. Inside Wimberley, fixtures over 1,500 lumens need shielding and lamps are capped at a warm 3000K, with the lighting plan reviewed at permit. We spec fixtures that meet those rules in the first drawing and submit the lighting plan with the permit.
What does it cost to build a custom home in Wimberley?
A new custom home runs $325 to $800+ per square foot, and a whole-home remodel $325 to $650+. In the Wimberley Valley, elevation work near the river, well depth into the Trinity Aquifer, septic design, and slope are priced on top of that range. We put a figure to them after walking your property.
Should I remodel or rebuild an older river house?
One threshold decides it. When renovation costs reach half the structure's value in the flood-hazard area, the whole house must be brought up to current elevation standards, which can move the economics toward rebuilding. We put both numbers side by side on the first visit, so the decision rests on figures for your house.
Talk to Us About Your Wimberley Property
Tell us where it is and we will take it from there.
Call us or send the form to get started.
Vanessa answers this number, weekdays 9 to 5.