Dallas County Remodeling | Dallas, Irving, Garland, Grand Prairie

Remodeling Across Dallas County

Dallas County, Texas is the second most populous county in Texas, with 2,613,539 people at the 2020 census. Dallas is the county seat; Irving, Garland, Grand Prairie, Mesquite, Carrollton and Richardson are the next largest cities. The county was founded in 1846 and had 614,799 people by 1950 and 1,327,321 by 1970, which is why its housing is older than any other county on this site.

About 29 percent of the county's homes were built before 1970 and 45 percent before 1980. The 1980s is the largest decade at 17 percent, the 1970s next at 16 percent. Only 27 percent of the stock dates from 2000 on, less than Tarrant County and far less than Collin or Denton. Pre-1950 houses, 7 percent of the county, cluster in East Dallas, Oak Cliff, downtown Garland and the older blocks of Irving and Grand Prairie.

What the Age Means for a Remodel

The 1920s and 1930s Tudors and bungalows in Lakewood, the M Streets and Kessler Park are pier-and-beam with one bath and a kitchen at the back. The 1950s to 1970s ranches in Lake Highlands, Garland, Irving and north Grand Prairie sit on slabs, with closed kitchens and low ceilings. The 1980s houses that make up the biggest share are brick two-stories with garden tubs and half-open kitchens. The newer stock south of I-20 in Grand Prairie and near Firewheel in Garland needs finish work.

The county's common jobs are kitchen rebuilds that open a closed plan, a second bathroom carved from a closet or added off the back, floors flattened and replaced over slabs that have moved on the clay, and rear additions on the deep lots in the older neighborhoods.

Permits in Dallas County Cities

Each city in Dallas County issues its own permits. Dallas Building Inspection uses its DallasNow system; Irving has its Inspections Department; Garland and Grand Prairie each have a Building Inspection office; Mesquite, Richardson and Carrollton do the same. The city pages on this site link to each office. Dallas also layers conservation and historic district rules on the exterior of houses in neighborhoods like Munger Place and Winnetka Heights.

Outside city limits, Dallas County Unincorporated Area Services issues permits only for property in the unincorporated parts of the county and refers anything inside a city back to that city. Its applications and permit forms include a notice of residential construction for additions and major structural renovations, a floodplain development permit and a driveway permit for county roads. The Dallas Central Appraisal District keeps the property records and the square footage that permitted additions add.

Cities, Lakes and Roads

Dallas County's cities include Dallas, Irving, Garland, Grand Prairie, Mesquite, Carrollton, Richardson, Rowlett, DeSoto, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Farmers Branch, Coppell, Highland Park and University Park. I-20, I-30, I-35E, I-45, I-635, US 75 and the Bush Turnpike cross it. White Rock Lake sits inside Dallas. Lake Ray Hubbard sits on the eastern edge. DART light rail and the Trinity Railway Express to Fort Worth serve the county, and the Dallas County government site covers the county offices downtown, next to the 1892 red sandstone Dallas County Courthouse known as Old Red.

Cities We Serve in Dallas County

Recent Work

Photos from jobs across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Finished drywall and recessed lighting in a converted garage

Attic room drywalled with trim staged on the floor

Walk in tile shower with niche and new vanity

Dark cabinets, granite counters and stainless wall ovens

Common Questions

Why is Dallas County housing older than the rest of the Metroplex?

The county had 614,799 people in 1950 and 1.3 million by 1970, so its suburbs filled in a generation before Collin, Denton or outer Tarrant County did. Garland, Irving and Grand Prairie grew fastest in the 1950s through the 1970s, and East Dallas and Oak Cliff were built out before the war. That is why 45 percent of the county's homes predate 1980.

Do Dallas conservation district rules apply in Garland or Irving?

No. Conservation and historic districts are City of Dallas tools and apply only inside Dallas. Garland's downtown and Travis College Hill are National Register districts, which by themselves do not restrict what an owner does to a house, and Grapevine across the county line has its own preservation ordinance. Each city sets its own exterior rules.

Who issues a permit for a house outside any city in Dallas County?

Dallas County Unincorporated Area Services, and only for property that is outside every city limit. Its forms include a notice of residential construction for additions and major structural work, a floodplain development permit and a driveway permit. Anything inside a city, which is nearly all of the county, goes to that city's building department.

What is under the floors of a 1920s East Dallas house?

Oak strip flooring over a pier-and-beam frame, usually under one or two layers of carpet. The oak is thick enough to sand and refinish, and boards damaged near a bathroom get replaced with matching stock. The crawl space under the floor is also where the plumbing for a second bath runs, which is one reason those additions are simpler here than on a slab.

Dallas County Remodeling Contractor