Simonton, a small city that lives inside the Brazos floodplain
Almost all of Simonton lies in the FEMA 100-year floodplain of the Brazos River, and the town flooded during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Any building plan here starts with water, and so does every honest conversation about a remodel.
Working in Simonton
Simonton dates its founding to 1850. Around 1888 the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad arrived and the town became one of the line’s main watering stops, and in the early twentieth century the area was one of the country’s major producers of red potatoes. Simonton incorporated as a city in 1979, and the 2020 census counted 647 residents. It sits where FM 1093 meets FM 1489, about five miles west of Fulshear, with Weston Lakes and Orchard nearby. Fulshear’s growth is five miles away; Simonton has stayed small.
The floodplain is the fact that governs building here. The city has bought two drainage pumps to reduce the impact of Brazos flooding, and anyone planning new square footage should check floodplain requirements with the city before drawing anything, because they can set the finished floor height. For existing houses, the useful questions after a flood are what got wet, what was dried properly and what was closed up too soon. Wet insulation, swollen subfloor and mold behind drywall do not announce themselves, so we open walls at the old water line and look. If you are buying a house in Simonton, ask the seller what happened in 2017 and what was replaced afterward.
Simonton is an incorporated city, so the City of Simonton handles permits inside its limits, and nearby land outside it has no city permit, though county floodplain rules and state rules matter there just as much in this river bottom. The Valley Lodge subdivision near town was developed on 850 acres along FM 1093 as a western community with stables and a small arena, so barns and stables are part of the roofing picture here along with houses. On open river-bottom ground, wind and hail get a clear run at those buildings, and their edges and fasteners need the same care as a house roof. Students attend Lamar Consolidated ISD.
The jobs that come up here
Home renovation after water damage is the most important interior job in a floodplain town: remove what got wet, dry the framing completely, treat it, and only then insulate and close the walls. Bathroom renovation and kitchen renovation often ride along with that work. When rebuilding, choices like tile floors, raised outlets and water-tolerant wall materials at the bottom of the wall make the next flood easier to recover from, and we talk through them before you commit. If the house never took water, none of that applies, and the job is just the job. Veteran ADA remodeling fits here as well, and in a floodplain house a step-free entry has to be designed around the floor height.
For roofs, roof replacement and metal roof replacement are the house jobs, and standing seam metal roofing is a good long-term choice for owners who plan to stay. Barns and stables in Valley Lodge and around town take R-Panel metal roofing, which installs quickly over purlins and repairs by the panel. If you are thinking about a new barndominium on land near Simonton, barndominium site preparation and concrete slab foundations are designed around the flood elevation first and everything else after. We do not build on a guess about the floodplain; we build on the city’s answer. Metal roof installation on a new barn or stable goes on quickly and stands up to wind across open ground.
- Barndominium site preparation A barndo slab is only as good as the ground under it, and the ground around Houston is flat, wet half the year and full of clay that swells and shrinks.
- Bathroom renovation If the tub, toilet and vanity are already in the right places, nothing has to move.
- Home renovation Most houses we walk through don’t need a single wall moved.
Plenty of roofs we look at need a repair or nothing at all. If that is yours, you will hear it from us first.
Does the Simonton floodplain affect a simple roof replacement?
Not the roof itself. Floodplain rules matter for additions, new houses and large remodels, where they can set the floor height. A re-roof follows the normal permit path with the City of Simonton. If a re-roof and an addition are planned together, the addition drives the conversation with the city.
What should I check in a Simonton house that flooded during Harvey?
Walls that were opened and dried properly are usually fine. Walls that were closed up quickly may hide wet insulation or mold. If you are not sure, we cut a section at the old water line and check it. A moisture meter tells us more than a nose does, and we bring one.
Is a new barndominium in Simonton built differently because of the floodplain?
Yes, starting from the ground. The finished floor height comes from the floodplain requirements, which can mean building the pad up or raising the slab. Everything above that is a normal barndominium build.
Which flooring holds up best if a Simonton house floods again?
Tile or sealed concrete on a slab, because they survive a wetting with cleaning. Wood and carpet usually do not. We pair that with water-tolerant materials low on the walls. Moving outlets up above the old water line is a small change that helps a lot.
Is a standing seam metal roof a good fit for a Simonton house?
For an owner who plans to stay, often yes. It handles wind well, sheds heavy rain fast and lasts a long time when installed right. It costs more than shingles, and we price both so you can compare.
Close by
We also work in Weston Lakes, Fulshear, Wallis, Orchard, Brazos Country. The whole list is on the Fort Bend County page.
We are based in Cypress and work across twelve counties around Houston. Leland Cannon retired from the Army as a First Sergeant; Geoff Schardien served in the Air Force. The scope you get is in writing, and the person who wrote it answers the phone.