Pools & Spas in Novice
Gunite pools and spas planned with the deck, shade and kitchen.
Outdoor Living in Novice, 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 Novice homeowners in Coleman County, with one family-owned team.
- 40+Years in Business
- 15,000+Projects Completed
- 1984Family-Owned Since
- 334Texas Cities Served
Before you build in Novice
Novice is on Farm Road 702 just off U.S. Highway 84, twelve miles northwest of Coleman in northwestern Coleman County. It grew out of Tyro, a small community founded on Rough Creek in the late 1870s.
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 Novice 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 Novice, TX
Outdoor Kitchens in Novice
Stone islands, built-in grills, fridges and a real vent hood, under cover.
Patio Covers in Novice
Solid-roof shade over the patio. It’s the simplest way to use it year-round.
Pergolas in Novice
Fixed or louvered, built to your slab, the yard’s centerpiece.
Sunrooms in Novice
Glass walls under a solid roof. Real square footage, light all day.
Patio Enclosures in Novice
Screened rooms: the breeze and the view, none of the mosquitoes.
Hardscaping in Novice
Travertine, pavers, seat walls and fire pits, with drainage solved first.
Landscaping & Lighting in Novice
Water-wise planting, irrigation and lighting for North Texas.
Outdoor living ideas for Novice homes
Homes and Yards in Novice
A post office called Tyro opened in 1880, closed, and reopened in 1884 as Novice, supposedly because the store owners were novices in business. When a railroad came in 1910, residents moved the town a mile north to the line.
Larger lots can carry a detached pavilion with its own slab, which keeps the house roof untouched and lets the space grow later with screens or a fireplace.
Coleman County ranges from 1,500 to 2,250 feet in elevation, with Jim Ned Peak at 2,140 feet and Chandlers Peak at 2,173 feet in its northern half. Mesquite brush and oaks dominate the rolling hills.
After the move, Novice combined with the small community of Atoka. By 1914 it had cattle pens, two hotels, a cotton gin, a state bank, a Masonic hall, and a church, and in 1925 it reported 200 residents. The nearby Novice oilfield was developed during a small oil boom in the early 1930s.
Oilfield workers swelled the town to an estimated 450 residents and ten businesses by 1931. In the mid-1930s the population fell to 200 and kept declining until 1971, when Novice had 160 residents and three businesses. In 2000 it had an estimated 142 people and eight businesses.
NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 83 hail reports in Coleman County from 2016 to 2025, 77 of them an inch across or larger, with stones up to 4.5 inches. 8 of those reports were logged at Novice itself, the largest 1.75 inches. The same records show 23 damaging thunderstorm wind reports, with gusts up to about 96 mph, and 4 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 Novice, TX
How is a pool built in Novice?
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 Novice the permit goes through the city or county office that covers Novice, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on pools.
What does a patio cover need in Novice?
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 Novice the permit goes through the city or county office that covers Novice, and Longhorn files it and follows it through inspection. More on patio covers.
How is a pergola built to last in Novice?
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 Novice?
A sunroom or screened enclosure in Novice is attached to the house, so it is permitted through the city or county office that covers Novice 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.
Novice 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 Novice and handles the inspections, so the schedule does not stall on paperwork.
Novice sits on Rolling Plains clay ground in Coleman 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 Novice
Every town we serve in Coleman County · See all 334 cities we serve
Free design visits in Novice
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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