Pools & Spas in Cross Plains
Gunite pools and spas planned with the deck, shade and kitchen.
Outdoor Living in Cross Plains, TX
Outdoor living is the covered patio, pool, kitchen, stone and lighting that make a backyard part of the home. Longhorn designs and builds them together for Cross Plains homeowners in Callahan County, with one family-owned team.
- 40+Years in Business
- 15,000+Projects Completed
- 1984Family-Owned Since
- 334Texas Cities Served
Before you build in Cross Plains
Cross Plains is in southeastern Callahan County, where State highways 36 and 206 cross. Highway 36 leads 45 miles northwest to Abilene, and the town covers 1.2 square miles.
That ground decides how a slab, a pool shell or a footing has to be built here. Here is what it does to a patio.
We file the permit with the city or county office that covers Cross Plains and follow it through review, so the schedule doesn’t stall on paperwork.
Longhorn has been building since 1984, and every project starts with a free design visit and a firm price.
Outdoor living we build in Cross Plains, TX
Outdoor Kitchens in Cross Plains
Stone islands, built-in grills, fridges and a real vent hood, under cover.
Patio Covers in Cross Plains
Solid-roof shade over the patio. It’s the simplest way to use it year-round.
Pergolas in Cross Plains
Fixed or louvered, built to your slab, the yard’s centerpiece.
Sunrooms in Cross Plains
Glass walls under a solid roof. Real square footage, light all day.
Patio Enclosures in Cross Plains
Screened rooms: the breeze and the view, none of the mosquitoes.
Hardscaping in Cross Plains
Travertine, pavers, seat walls and fire pits, with drainage solved first.
Landscaping & Lighting in Cross Plains
Water-wise planting, irrigation and lighting for North Texas.
Outdoor living ideas for Cross Plains homes
Homes and Yards in Cross Plains
Known as Turkey Creek and Schleicher, the settlement got a post office named Cross Plains in 1877 and grew from 25 people in 1880 to 175 by 1885. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad arrived in 1912, and oil was found nearby in 1925.
With grassland at the edge of town, choosing noncombustible materials such as steel framing and metal roofing for a patio cover is a sensible precaution.
In southeastern Callahan County the soils are light-colored, with loamy to sandy surface layers and clayey subsoils. Temperatures range in January from an average low of 31° F to an average high of 56°, and tornadoes are common in the area.
Water comes from the City of Cross Plains, which draws on groundwater.
The town was incorporated in 1911, when its population was 600, and the population passed 1,200 by 1940. On December 27, 2005, a wildfire that started 5 miles west of town along Highway 36 destroyed 116 homes in and around Cross Plains, burned 7,665 acres, and killed two people.
The population was 899 at the 2020 census, down from 982 in 2010. In June 2026 the city council voted to disband the police department after a state investigation found it failed to meet safety standards. Cross Plains is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.
NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 58 hail reports in Callahan County from 2016 to 2025, 52 of them an inch across or larger, with stones up to 3.25 inches. 9 of those reports were logged at Cross Plains itself, the largest 2.5 inches. The same records show 22 damaging thunderstorm wind reports, with gusts up to about 81 mph, and 1 tornado. That is why a patio cover’s roof panels, fasteners and posts here are chosen for hail and wind, not only for shade.
What each outdoor project needs in Cross Plains, TX
How is a pool built in Cross Plains?
Rolling Plains clay swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries, and a pool shell is a rigid object sitting in it. The shell, its bond beam and the deck are designed for that movement, and the deck is graded so rain runs away from the pool and the house. In Cross Plains the permit goes through the city or county office that covers Cross Plains, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on pools.
What does a patio cover need in Cross Plains?
On Rolling Plains clay a patio cover’s footings carry the whole structure, and the top of the clay is the part that moves most. Footings are taken below that movement and the slab is graded away from the house, so the roofline stays true as the ground wets and dries. In Cross Plains the permit goes through the city or county office that covers Cross Plains, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on patio covers.
How is a pergola built to last in Cross Plains?
A pergola on Rolling Plains clay stays square only if its posts sit below the ground that moves. The footings go deeper than the seasonal swell and shrink, and the grade around each post sheds water instead of holding it. More on pergolas.
Can a sunroom or screened enclosure be added in Cross Plains?
A sunroom or screened enclosure in Cross Plains is attached to the house, so it is permitted through the city or county office that covers Cross Plains and sits on footings designed for the ground under it. We match the roofline and the exterior to the house so it reads as part of it. More on sunrooms and patio enclosures.
Cross Plains outdoor living questions
Almost always, for pools and for anything attached to the house, including patio covers, sunrooms and enclosures. Longhorn files the permit with the city or county office that covers Cross Plains and handles the inspections, so the schedule does not stall on paperwork.
Cross Plains sits on Rolling Plains clay ground in Callahan County. The ground decides how a slab, a pool shell or a footing has to be built, so we plan the drainage and the footings for it at the first visit rather than after something moves.
Other cities we build in near Cross Plains
Every town we serve in Callahan County · See all 334 cities we serve
Free design visits in Cross Plains
Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll come measure, talk options and give you a straight number. No obligation, no pressure.
Call (972) 534-2716Get Your Free Quote
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