Outdoor Living in Justin, 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 Justin homeowners in Denton County, with one family-owned team.
- 40+Years in Business
- 15,000+Projects Completed
- 1984Family-Owned Since
- 90DFW Cities Served
Before you build in Justin
Justin is a small Denton County town on FM 156 northwest of the Alliance corridor, in an area of horse properties and multi-acre tracts served by Northwest ISD, with recent subdivision growth pressing in from the south and east. It retains a compact original townsite along the old railroad alignment surrounded by open pasture.
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 of Justin and follow it through review, so the schedule doesn’t stall on paperwork.
Longhorn has built across Denton County and the wider Metroplex since 1984, and every project starts with a free design visit and a firm price.
Homes and Yards in Justin
Justin grew from a railroad farm town into a commuter community for Denton and Fort Worth workers from the 1980s on.
On a larger or more rural lot there is room to spread out, but the runs for power, gas and water get longer, and a septic field or well can decide where a pool may go.
Justin sits in the Grand Prairie region of Denton County, about five miles northwest of Grapevine Lake.
The City of Justin, which buys treated surface water from the Upper Trinity Regional Water District.
Justin started in 1883 with the sale of town lots, and when the Santa Fe laid track nearby in 1887, residents of Roanoke, Elizabeth and Drop moved closer to the railroad. The town incorporated in 1947; its population was only 920 in 1980. Commuting on Interstate 35 to Denton and Fort Worth jobs drove growth after that: 1,891 residents in 2000, 3,246 in 2010 and 4,409 in 2020.
Oliver Creek rises southeast of Decatur and runs about 22 miles through clayey and loamy soils to empty into Denton Creek one mile northeast of Justin. The city’s Timberbrook trail system begins just north of Timberbrook Parkway along Oliver Creek. Other city parks include Bishop Park, with a creek observation deck, Community Park with a concrete walking trail, and Reatta Park with a pond.
Ordinance 770-24 ties the city to the Upper Trinity Regional Water District’s conservation rules for as long as any of Justin’s supply comes from the district. It limits sprinkler watering to two days a week, even addresses Monday and Thursday and odd addresses Tuesday and Friday, and bans sprinklers from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. year-round.
All permits go through the iWorQ portal, and 2024 International codes, including the Swimming Pool and Spa Code, took effect July 10, 2026. Detached accessory buildings under 120 square feet need no permit; larger ones need a stamped survey with setbacks. Patio covers and porches need a site plan with distances to property lines, retaining walls over 4 feet need engineered plans, and a pool permit requires a notarized pool alarm certification.
What each outdoor project needs in Justin, TX
How is a pool built in Justin?
Eastern Cross Timbers ground is sandier loam over clay, which digs more kindly than the black prairie but drains onto a layer that does not. On a pool that shows up as water travelling under the deck, so the drainage and the backfill detail matter as much as the shell. In Justin the permit goes through the City of Justin, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on pools.
What does a patio cover need in Justin?
Eastern Cross Timbers loam is easier to dig than clay, but it sits on clay, so a post hole that looks clean at three feet can still be in moving ground at five. Footings are sized for what is under the sand, not what the auger came through first. In Justin the permit goes through the City of Justin, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on patio covers.
How is a pergola built to last in Justin?
In the Eastern Cross Timbers the sand drains and the clay beneath it does not, so a pergola post can sit in a hole that holds water after a storm. The footing detail and the grade around each post are what keep the base of a wooden post dry. More on pergolas.
Can a sunroom or screened enclosure be added in Justin?
A sunroom or screened enclosure in Justin is attached to the house, so it is permitted through the City of Justin 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.
How a Backyard Project Runs in Justin
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A free design visit in Justin
A designer comes out to the house, measures the space a backyard project has to fit, walks the access a crew would need, and talks through what you want it to do. You leave with a firm price. On Eastern Cross Timbers ground, that is also when the grading, drainage and movement details get decided rather than improvised on site.
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Drawings, permit and HOA
We file the permit with the City of Justin and follow it through review, so the schedule does not stall on paperwork. Where an HOA wants a submittal, we prepare the drawings it asks for.
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One crew, one schedule
The same team builds the whole backyard project in order, so the slab, the structure, the electrical and the finish work are not three different companies working around each other.
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Walkthrough and warranty
We walk the finished backyard project with you, settle the punch list and leave one warranty on the work, and we are still Denton County-local if you need us later.
Justin 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 of Justin and handles the inspections, so the schedule does not stall on paperwork.
Justin sits on Eastern Cross Timbers ground in Denton 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.
Where an HOA in Justin asks for a submittal, we prepare the drawings and details it wants, alongside the city permit, so the approval runs in parallel with the design rather than after it.
Yes. Many homeowners start with one piece, such as a pool or a patio cover, and add the rest later. We plan the whole space up front so the gas, power, water and drainage for later phases are in place from the start.
Other cities we build in near Justin
Outdoor living guides
Outdoor Flooring for a Frisco Backyard: Pick by Zone
One yard, five jobs for the ground: dining, cooking, swimming, play and the dog. Here is how to match a surface to each zone, and what Frisco’s clay, heat and city rules change.
Outdoor Kitchen Countertop Materials in Frisco, TX
Granite, porcelain, quartzite and quartz all behave differently in Frisco sun, freezes and clay. Here is a pick by exposure, a sealing test, and what the base under the stone needs.
HOA Approval for a Patio Cover in Texas: DFW Guide
The HOA and the city are two separate approvals, and the HOA usually comes first. Here is the packet a DFW committee wants, how long it takes, why it says no, and how to answer a denial.
Free design visits in Justin
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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