Kaufman County TX Remodeling | Forney, Terrell, Kaufman

Housing in Kaufman County

Kaufman County lies east of Dallas along Interstate 20 and US 80. The county was created in 1848. The Trinity River forms the southwest boundary. The county seat is Kaufman. The largest city is Forney. Population was 31,170 in 1950, 71,313 in 2000 and 145,310 in 2020. The 2025 estimate passed 209,000. Of about 54,100 housing units, 61 percent were built in 2000 or later. Thirteen percent were built in 2020 or later, the highest share of any county on this site. Seventeen percent predate 1980.

The new housing is on the west side. It is in Forney and in the unincorporated master-planned communities around it, including Heartland and Travis Ranch, plus Crandall and Talty. The older housing is in the town cores of Terrell, Kaufman and Kemp. Those cores have brick commercial blocks and frame houses from the railroad era. Older housing is also in the lake communities around Cedar Creek Reservoir at the south end. The Kaufman County Historical Commission tracks the markers and listed buildings.

How Permits Work in Kaufman County

Forney, Terrell, Kaufman and the other cities permit work inside their limits. Outside them, two county offices are involved. The Kaufman County Development Services office, set up in 2018, manages permitting in the unincorporated areas under state law, FEMA floodplain rules and TCEQ septic rules. That includes the on-site sewage facility permit and culvert permits. The county fire marshal's office issues a county building permit for a new building, a substantial improvement to an existing building, or a change of use. Plans must be sealed by an architect or engineer, under the 2024 International Fire Code. That is a fire and life safety check, not the room-by-room residential inspection a city performs. A large share of Forney-addressed houses in Heartland, Travis Ranch, Windmill Farms and Devonshire fall under these county rules rather than the city's. Property records are at the Kaufman County Appraisal District.

Common Remodels Here

Most of the county's houses are under 15 years old, so the work is finish upgrades. Those include kitchens with quartz and painted cabinets, master showers rebuilt in tile, and plank flooring over slabs that are checked for moisture first. They also include garage conversions for a parent or an office. In Terrell and Kaufman, the older houses near the squares need whole-house renovation with new wiring, plumbing and layout. On the lake lots at Cedar Creek and on acreage throughout, additions and custom homes go up on septic. Exterior work on the new houses is usually a covered patio, a new front door and shutters, and painting of the cedar trim that weathers fast in the open east Texas sun.

Business Groups and Landmarks

Forney is the Antique Capital of Texas by act of the Legislature. Its downtown along Main Street sits inside a historic overlay district. The Forney Chamber of Commerce is the largest business group in the west end of the county. Lake Ray Hubbard, once called Forney Lake, sits on the county's northwest corner.

Cities We Serve in Kaufman County

Forney remodeling

Recent Work

Photos from jobs across Dallas-Fort Worth.

New walls and ceiling in a garage conversion ready for texture

New wood look plank floor in an open living room with a pendant light

Kitchen stripped to the slab with new can lights in

Attic bonus room finished with trim staged for install

Common Questions

My house is in Heartland with a Forney address. Who do I call about a permit?

Kaufman County. Heartland, Travis Ranch, Windmill Farms and Devonshire sit in the unincorporated county, not inside Forney. Septic and development permits come from the county Development Services office. Building permits for new structures and substantial improvements come from the county fire marshal. HOA approval is separate.

Does a kitchen remodel in unincorporated Kaufman County need a county building permit?

The county's building permit page says a permit is required to construct a new building, substantially improve an existing one, or change its use. A kitchen or bath update that stays within the existing walls is generally not a substantial improvement. An addition or a garage conversion that adds a bedroom on septic brings in the county on both counts.

Why does the county require sealed plans?

State occupations law bars the county fire marshal from accepting plans that an architect or engineer was required to prepare unless they carry that professional's seal. The county says so on its permits page. For a house addition on an unincorporated lot, that usually means engineered foundation and framing drawings with the application.

Are the older houses in Terrell and Kaufman different work from the Forney subdivisions?

Yes. Terrell and Kaufman grew up on the railroad in the 1870s and 1880s. Their older neighborhoods are frame houses on pier-and-beam and 1950s brick ranches. Those need leveling, wiring and plumbing before kitchens and baths. A Forney house from 2015 needs none of that, just better finishes and sometimes a converted garage.

Kaufman County Remodeling Contractor