Custom Homes and Whole-Home Remodeling in Dripping Springs, Texas
Owner-run custom builds and whole-home remodels in Dripping Springs, the areas just outside it, and across Hays County acreage.
A budget range and a straight read on scope, at no cost and with no obligation.
Riverbend Hill Country Homes is a custom home builder and remodeler based in Dripping Springs, Texas. Owner Vanessa Harris lives in town and runs every project with her husband Dan, building custom homes, whole-home remodels, casitas, and additions inside the city limits, in the areas just outside them, and on surrounding Hays County acreage.
4.8 on Google
$1.3M featured remodel in San Marcos
Google review from a project architect
Owner-led job sites
How a Riverbend Project Starts
The first call is with Vanessa. She asks where your lot is, what you want to build on it, and what you plan to spend. If you own the land already, she and Dan walk it with you before you sign anything, and you leave that walk with a price range you can plan around. Rock, water, septic, access, and any design review your community runs are all covered on that visit. More on building on your own lot.
The two people who walk your property are the two people at your framing, your finish-out, and your final walkthrough. Your questions go to them directly, at every stage.
Riverbend Hill Country Homes builds new homes and remodels existing ones, so if the better move for your property is not the one you had in mind, Vanessa will say so on that first call.
A Ranch House We Rebuilt From the Floor Down in Dripping Springs
These are our own photos from a Dripping Springs project: a single-story ranch house whose pier-and-beam floor had rotted in a crawlspace that held moisture. We lifted the house, filled the crawlspace, poured a 4-inch concrete slab, and rebuilt every main room on it.
See the Dripping Springs ranch renovation, from the rotted joists to the finished rooms →
Permits, Rock, and Wells: Our Side of the Work
A Dripping Springs project can involve city development review, the Hays County permit path, a community design review board, septic approval, and a private well. Which ones apply to your build depends on where your lot sits.
Vanessa and Dan manage every item on that list. Here is how each one runs on a Dripping Springs lot.
We File Every Permit
Your lot may sit inside the Dripping Springs city limits, in the review zone just outside them (the ETJ), or in unincorporated Hays County. The approval path differs in each, and we run whichever one your land requires, including development review, septic approval, and driveway permits. You get a schedule that shows each approval in order, with a date against every one.
Two Site Costs, Priced Up Front
If your land sits past the utility lines, your home will usually run on a private well and a septic system designed for your soil and lot. We price both into the site plan and the budget, so you see the full cost while you can still change the plan.
Shallow Limestone and What It Costs
Much of Dripping Springs sits on shallow limestone, and excavating it is one of the largest site costs on a Hill Country lot. Vanessa and Dan read the rock on the first walk of your property, and the budget carries a priced allowance for what testing cannot reach. If the excavation runs past that allowance, you get the options and the numbers in writing before anyone digs further. More in our guide to the cost to build on a rocky lot.
Your HOA Approval, Handled
If your community runs a design review board, we design to its guidelines from the first drawing and file the submittal ourselves. Your elevation goes in for approval while you are still choosing finishes.
Dark Sky Lighting, Approved the First Time
Dripping Springs has been an International Dark Sky Community since 2014. Exterior lighting is reviewed inside the city limits, and some developments outside them have agreed to follow the same rules, down to shielding and color temperature. We draw the lighting plan to those standards, and we choose fixtures that light the porch, the steps, and the drive without washing out the sky.
Local rules on this page were checked against these official sources in October 2026: DarkSky International, Dripping Springs · Dripping Springs outdoor lighting ordinance, Article 24.06 (PDF) · Hays County Development Services FAQs · Hays County septic regulations (PDF). Rules change, so we confirm the current version for your parcel.
Dripping Springs Neighborhoods We Know
Tell us where your lot is, and on the first call we can usually tell you which review board it answers to, how much rock to expect, and what your budget buys in that neighborhood.
- Saddletree RanchEstablished neighborhood of custom homes
- The Ranches at Dripping SpringsLarge ranchette homesites
- Bunker RanchNeighborhood of custom homes
- Sunset CanyonEstablished neighborhood near town
- Mesa VerdeEstate homesites off Fitzhugh Road
- Caliterra & HeadwatersRemodels, casitas, and additions; we confirm each community's builder rules for new homes
- Henly and US 290 westHays County acreage west of town, where we confirm city or county jurisdiction for each parcel
- Unrestricted acreageWells, septic, and room to build exactly what you want
Each community sets its own rules for new construction. Some master-planned communities sell new homesites through partner builders, and we check your specific lot against the community's rules at the start. For remodeling and additions, we confirm builder eligibility and the required approvals for your property.
What a Build Costs in Dripping Springs
These are the ranges we work in, and here is what moves a project from one end of a range to the other.
Ground-up
New Custom Home
$325-$800+ / sq ft
- 14 to 20 months, signed contract to handover
- Rock, well, and septic scoped on the property walk, before design
- Selections scheduled against the build calendar, so the materials are on site when each trade arrives
Whole house
Whole-Home Remodel
$325-$650+ / sq ft of remodeled area
- 9 to 14 months, typically
- At least a 20 percent contingency planned up front, in writing
- Taken to the studs where the house needs it, like our San Marcos remodel
Kitchen or primary suite (4 to 9 months)$300-$800+ / sq ft
On Dripping Springs land, the per-square-foot figure covers the house itself. Rock excavation, a well, a septic system, and community requirements are priced separately, and they differ lot by lot. See the full pricing and timeline detail in our guide to what it costs to build a house in Texas. The number for your specific property comes from walking it with Vanessa and Dan. For the service itself, see our custom home building process and our luxury home remodeling service.
Prices and timelines last reviewed October 2026.
Vanessa and Dan Are on Your Build in Person
Vanessa handles the client side: design decisions, selections, and your schedule. Dan runs the field. Both of them live in Dripping Springs. They take a limited number of projects at a time so that yours gets both of them.
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 eye.
Vanessa and Dan are on your property every week of the build. Anything that comes up on site gets settled while they are standing there.
Everyone around Dripping Springs kept telling me to call Vanessa and Dan, and now I see why.
Dripping Springs Questions
Who issues building permits in Dripping Springs?
It depends on where the lot sits. Inside the Dripping Springs city limits, plans go through the city's development review. Outside the limits, land falls either in the ETJ just beyond them or in unincorporated Hays County, where the county handles permitting. The review path changes the timeline, so it is one of the first things we confirm about any property.
Can you build in Caliterra, Headwaters, or Bunker Ranch?
It depends on the community and the project. Some master-planned communities sell new homesites through partner builders, so we confirm eligibility for your specific lot before design starts. For remodels, casitas, and additions, we confirm builder eligibility and design-review requirements for your property, then handle the required submittals.
What does Hill Country land add to the cost of a build?
The common site costs in Dripping Springs are rock excavation in shallow limestone, a private well, a septic system, and access work on larger lots. None of them fit inside a per-square-foot number, which is why we scope them by walking the property before design begins.
What does it cost to build a custom home in Dripping Springs?
Construction typically runs $325 to $800+ per square foot at comparable finish levels, with structural steel and architectural complexity at the top of the range. Excavation, the well, the septic system, and community requirements are priced separately, and what they come to depends on the lot. For the full Texas breakdown, see our guide to what it costs to build a house in Texas.
Do you remodel existing homes in Dripping Springs?
Yes. Whole-home remodels are one of the two things we do, typically running 9 to 14 months, with single-area projects such as a kitchen or primary suite at 4 to 9 months. Our San Marcos project shows the standard we bring to a remodel. For what to look for in any remodeler, see our guide to choosing a home remodeler in Dripping Springs.
Does the Dark Sky ordinance affect my house design?
If your lot is inside the city limits or in a development outside them that has agreed to follow the city's lighting rules, yes. Dripping Springs is an International Dark Sky Community, and exterior lighting is reviewed for fixture type, shielding, and color temperature. We design the lighting plan to comply from the first drawing, so the fixture list is settled before anything is ordered.
Where is Riverbend Hill Country Homes located?
In Dripping Springs itself. Owner Vanessa Harris lives here with her family, and the company takes projects within about an hour of town so she and Dan can run every job in person.
Can you build on my lot in Dripping Springs or Henly?
Yes. We build on land you already own inside the Dripping Springs city limits, in its ETJ, and elsewhere in Hays County, including the Henly area along US 290. The project starts with a walk of your lot. Our page on building on your lot covers the county permits, the septic and well rules, and what to bring to that walk.
Is Riverbend a design-build firm?
Yes. On most of our custom homes and whole-home remodels, Vanessa and Dan coordinate the architecture, interior design, engineering, and construction under one agreement with us. If you already have drawings, we price them as they stand. See how design-build works.
Schedule a Call
Tell us about your Dripping Springs property and what you have in mind.
Call us or send the form and we will get back to you.
Vanessa answers this number, weekdays 9 to 5.