Pools & Spas in Merkel
Gunite pools and spas planned with the deck, shade and kitchen.
Outdoor Living in Merkel, 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 Merkel homeowners in Taylor County, with one family-owned team.
- 40+Years in Business
- 15,000+Projects Completed
- 1984Family-Owned Since
- 334Texas Cities Served
Before you build in Merkel
Merkel lies off Interstate Highway 20, seventeen miles west of Abilene in northwestern Taylor County. Farming and ranching drove its early growth, and agriculture still plays a significant role in the local economy.
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.
In Merkel the job is reviewed by the Code Enforcement/Building Inspection, and we file and follow the permit through that office ourselves. Our permit guide lists the office for every city we have checked.
Longhorn has been building since 1984, and every project starts with a free design visit and a firm price.
Outdoor living we build in Merkel, TX
Outdoor Kitchens in Merkel
Stone islands, built-in grills, fridges and a real vent hood, under cover.
Patio Covers in Merkel
Solid-roof shade over the patio. It’s the simplest way to use it year-round.
Pergolas in Merkel
Fixed or louvered, built to your slab, the yard’s centerpiece.
Sunrooms in Merkel
Glass walls under a solid roof. Real square footage, light all day.
Patio Enclosures in Merkel
Screened rooms: the breeze and the view, none of the mosquitoes.
Hardscaping in Merkel
Travertine, pavers, seat walls and fire pits, with drainage solved first.
Landscaping & Lighting in Merkel
Water-wise planting, irrigation and lighting for North Texas.
Outdoor living ideas for Merkel homes
Homes and Yards in Merkel
Merkel was founded in the early 1880s when the Texas and Pacific Railway arrived, and it was first known as the Windmill Town. In 1881 it was renamed for its first settler, S. M. Merkel.
For homes on older town blocks, a patio cover with a modest pitch and painted trim tends to sit better beside the original roofline than a flat, bulky slab.
Taylor County is crossed from east to west by the Callahan Divide, a line of hills between the Brazos River and Colorado River watersheds. The county is semi-arid, and the average growing season lasts 225 days.
Water comes from the City of Merkel, which treats surface water.
The post office opened in June 1883, and the population grew from twenty-five in 1885 to 400 in 1890, when the town had four churches and a school. Merkel incorporated on June 26, 1906. The weekly Merkel Mail has been published since 1890, and Dr. Robert I. Grimes opened the first hospital in 1926.
Residents rely on agriculture, oil-production jobs, and military-support jobs at Dyess Air Force Base. The population was 1,848 in 1933, 2,005 in 1940, and 2,314 in 1950. Merkel had 2,469 residents in 1992, and the population grew to 2,637 by 2000.
NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 118 hail reports in Taylor County from 2016 to 2025, 104 of them an inch across or larger, with stones up to 3 inches. 5 of those reports were logged at Merkel itself, the largest 2.5 inches. The same records show 89 damaging thunderstorm wind reports, with gusts up to about 96 mph, and 5 tornadoes. 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 Merkel, TX
How is a pool built in Merkel?
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 Merkel the permit goes through the Code Enforcement/Building Inspection, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on pools.
What does a patio cover need in Merkel?
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 Merkel the permit goes through the Code Enforcement/Building Inspection, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on patio covers.
How is a pergola built to last in Merkel?
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 Merkel?
A sunroom or screened enclosure in Merkel is attached to the house, so it is permitted through the Code Enforcement/Building Inspection 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 Merkel
- 1
A free design visit in Merkel
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 Rolling Plains clay ground, that is also when the grading, drainage and movement details get decided rather than improvised on site.
- 2
Drawings, permit and HOA
We file the permit with Code Enforcement/Building Inspection at the City of Merkel and follow it through review. Where an HOA wants a submittal, we prepare the drawings it asks for.
- 3
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.
- 4
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 a phone call away if you need us later.
Merkel outdoor living questions
The Code Enforcement/Building Inspection reviews residential projects in Merkel. Pools and structures attached to the house, such as patio covers, sunrooms and enclosures, almost always need a permit. Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection.
Merkel sits on Rolling Plains clay ground in Taylor 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 Merkel 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 Merkel
Every town we serve in Taylor County · See all 334 cities we serve
Free design visits in Merkel
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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