Remodeling & additions in Bulverde and Spring Branch
Sandstone Construction & Remodeling builds additions, covered patios and decks, and remodels kitchens, bathrooms and whole houses in Bulverde, Spring Branch and the county land around them. Before any drawing starts, we sort out who reviews the lot: the City of Bulverde, the small City of Spring Branch or Comal County.
Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily
Hill Country homes along US 281
Bulverde calls itself the Front Porch of the Texas Hill Country. US 281 crosses its east side, and the 2020 census counted 5,692 residents. North on US 281, Spring Branch voted to become a city in November 2015; it covers about 1.9 square miles and is named for a spring-fed creek that flows to the Guadalupe River.
Properties here can come with rock just under the topsoil, a fall toward a creek or draw, and a septic field that new work has to avoid. So a home addition or a covered patio or deck begins with a walk around the site. Kitchen and bathroom remodels follow the approval path below.
City of Bulverde, City of Spring Branch or the county
The town on your mail doesn’t decide it; where the lot sits relative to city limits and Bulverde’s extraterritorial jurisdiction does.
- Inside Bulverde. The Office of Building Review and Inspection at City Hall, 30360 Cougar Bend, handles residential building permits, contractor registration and inspections. The city’s guidance cites the 2021 IRC and IBC and the 2023 National Electrical Code.
- Inside Spring Branch. The city’s permits page states that it does not issue building or development permits; the City Commission votes on sign and outdoor lighting permits instead.
- Unincorporated Comal County. The county’s permit list for unincorporated land covers septic (OSSF), floodplain, driveway, utility and dark-skies permits, with no building permit for a single-family house. Applications for them go to the Comal County Engineer’s Office in New Braunfels.
Once the right office is clear, the application is filed before construction starts; HOA or POA approval is a separate step. New Braunfels addresses are covered in our remodel permits guide.
What a Bulverde permit application asks for
Bulverde’s residential application for projects sent to outside plan review (form dated December 2, 2024) lists remodels and additions as a project type and asks for the lot’s total impervious cover. Contractors must register with the city first, and a permit lapses when work hasn’t started within 180 days.
- A scaled site plan showing easements and setbacks; no structure other than a driveway, water well, septic system or utility pedestal may be built inside a setback.
- Complete plans, including framing and roof, from a registered design professional, plus sealed foundation plans with cable and beam details.
- A lighting plan under the city’s Dark Sky Ordinance, giving each fixture’s lumens and color temperature.
- A drainage analysis unless an approved regional plan covers the lot: Tier 1, needing no professional engineer, below 2,000 square feet of new impervious cover, and an engineer-sealed Tier 2 above it.
- A tree survey if any tree is coming out; a separate tree permit and mitigation plan may follow.
Adding on to a house on a Hill Country lot
The site shapes an addition here as much as the floor plan.
- Septic capacity. In Bulverde, a new septic system or a tie-in to the existing one needs a Comal County Engineer’s Office permit, and Texas requires one to alter or extend any system, so an extra bedroom or bath means checking the septic first.
- Rock and grade. Shallow limestone or a lot that drops away changes the foundation, which can mean stepped beams or cutting into rock.
- Setbacks and trees. A wing that seems to fit a large lot can still hit a setback, easement or deed restriction, and mature trees deserve room, so the survey comes before the sketch.
Covered patios and decks on sloping ground
On a hillside, the low end of a deck can stand well above grade, so footings are sized for that height and stairs and guards follow the drop. A patio cover has to join the existing roof without trapping water, with runoff carried away from the foundation and any septic field.
Lighting needs its own line in the plan: the Bulverde and Spring Branch rules above apply, and in unincorporated areas within three miles of the Camp Bullis boundary, Comal County requires a permit before any outdoor lighting goes up. Fans, outlets and fixtures are counted in the estimate.
Bulverde and Spring Branch project questions
Does the City of Spring Branch issue building permits?
No. Its permits page says the city does not issue building or development permits. Unincorporated addresses go to Comal County, and those in Bulverde’s city limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction should contact the City of Bulverde.
Is there a county building permit for a house outside city limits?
Comal County’s permit list for unincorporated areas doesn’t include one for single-family homes; its fire marshal permit covers commercial, public and four-plus-unit multifamily buildings. Septic, floodplain and driveway permits can still apply, and owners associations may add their own review.
Can an added bedroom change my septic requirements?
It can. Texas requires a permit to alter or extend an on-site sewage facility, and in Bulverde a copy of the septic permit stays on site with the building permit. Reviewing the system’s records before design avoids redrawing the addition later.
Talk through your Bulverde or Spring Branch project
Bring the address and a survey, and we can work out which office reviews it. Call (830) 400-4369. Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily.
Sandstone Construction & Remodeling
306 River Bend Dr, New Braunfels, TX 78130
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