01 / Older houses
Kitchens and baths
A working kitchen or a second bathroom fitted into rooms laid out generations ago, keeping the trim, doors and proportions that give the house its look.
Kitchen guide Bathroom guideService area · Gruene, New Braunfels
Remodeling in Gruene, New Braunfels
Sandstone Construction & Remodeling takes on careful remodels in Gruene: kitchens and baths in older houses, cottage updates, rental refreshes and modest additions. Gruene sits beside the Guadalupe River inside New Braunfels city limits, so city permits apply, and before exterior work on an older building we confirm whether it carries a local or state historic designation.
Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily
Work in Gruene
What Gruene owners ask us for
Most houses here have character worth keeping; the job is adding rooms and systems without erasing it.
02 / Whole house
Phased renovation
New wiring, plumbing and finishes through an older home in a set order, so each wall is opened only once.
Whole-home guide03 / Guest houses
Rental refreshes
Tougher surfaces, quick-to-clean baths and shaded outdoor seating for houses that host visitors, often planned for the quieter months from November through February.
Rental remodels guideHistoric status
What the historic listing means for your remodel
The Gruene Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 1975. According to the National Park Service, that federal listing places no restrictions on what a private owner does with a property unless the project receives federal assistance, and it does not on its own create local historic zoning or landmark status.
Local review is a separate system. New Braunfels requires a Certificate of Alteration before exterior work on a designated local landmark or on any property inside one of its local historic districts, and its historic preservation pages name four districts: Mill Street, Downtown, Sophienburg Hill and Stock. Gruene was not among them when we checked in October 2026, though a single building can still be a designated landmark.
A Recorded Texas Historic Landmark adds a state step: the Texas Historical Commission must get written notice at least 60 days before work that changes the building’s historical or architectural integrity. So each Gruene project starts by confirming the property’s local status with the city’s Historic Preservation Officer and checking the Texas Historical Commission’s records for a state landmark designation.
Older homes and cottages
Working inside an older Gruene house
Some houses here go back to the years when Gruene was a cotton town; others grew a room at a time over many decades. We decide what is coming out before a wall is opened, keep original material that is still sound, and match new trim to what stays. Any rewiring or replumbing is written into the estimate at the first walkthrough. Need more room? See our home additions guide.
Conditions that often turn up
- Pier-and-beam floors that need new supports or leveling before tile goes down
- Wiring and pipe from several eras sharing the same walls
- Small rooms and narrow halls that limit where a bath or laundry can fit
Rentals
Rental houses: check zoning first
Gruene draws plenty of overnight visitors, but zoning decides which houses may host them. New Braunfels does not allow short-term rentals in any residential zoning district. Non-residential districts require a special use permit, except C-4, C-4A and C-4B, and no short-term rental may sit in the floodway. The city’s online Short Term Rental Map shows where each lot stands.
Those rules shape the remodel too. Occupancy is capped at two adults per sleeping area plus two more, and each sleeping area needs one off-street parking space outside the garage, so adding a bedroom can mean adding parking. See our rental remodels page for finishes and scheduling.
Permits and the river
City permits and the Guadalupe floodplain
In Gruene, as anywhere in the city, structural work, additions, demolition and changes to wiring, gas, ductwork or plumbing all need a New Braunfels building permit. Redecorating and minor repairs, like replacing a light fixture without touching the wiring, are exempt.
Lots near the Guadalupe can fall inside a mapped flood hazard area, where development needs its own floodplain permit. Once improvements reach 50 percent of the structure’s market value, counted cumulatively, the building has to sit 2 feet above base flood elevation, a line a small older house can reach quickly. The city application is filed before any demolition, with the permit issued to the contractor of record; see our New Braunfels remodel permits guide for each step.
Common questions
Gruene remodeling questions
Does the National Register listing stop me from changing my Gruene house?
Not by itself, unless the project receives federal assistance. Local or state landmark status can add review, so confirm the property’s status with the city and the Texas Historical Commission before planning exterior work.
Can I rent my Gruene house to short-term guests after a remodel?
Only where zoning allows it, which rules out residential districts. Check the lot on the city’s Short Term Rental Map before planning a rental-focused remodel.
Can an older Gruene cottage take an addition?
Often, if the lot allows it. We generally keep an addition smaller than the original house and toward the back, so the old building still reads clearly from the street. It needs a city building permit, plus a floodplain permit when the lot sits in a mapped flood hazard area.
Sandstone Construction & Remodeling
306 River Bend Dr, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Call (830) 400-4369 to talk through a Gruene remodel. Office hours 8 AM–11 PM daily.
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