Site planning that respects the land
We site the house around your trees, your views, your sun line, and your wind direction — not around the access road. The right site plan saves you twenty years of regret.
Acreage Custom Home Builder in Weatherford, TX
A custom home on a one-acre cul-de-sac lot and a custom home on twenty acres of working country are two different projects. We have been doing the second one for thirty years.
Typical Scope1–50 acre rural lots · ranch estates, modern farmhouses, working ranches
Typical Range$1.4M – $5M+ for the house; site work additional
Owner-OperatedDan Schlaak on every job site, weekly walk-through.
Warranty1-yr workmanship · 2-yr systems · 10-yr structural · in writing.
What it is
The custom home builder who knows acreage.
A custom home on a half-acre lot in a finished subdivision is mostly a building project. A custom home on five, ten, or fifty acres of rural Texas country is a building project, a site project, and an infrastructure project rolled into one. The lot has to be made buildable before you can build on it. The water has to come from somewhere. The waste has to go somewhere. The driveway is half a mile long.
We have been doing this for three decades, and most of the costly mistakes we see other builders make on rural lots come from underestimating the land work.
Most of our acreage projects fall in a similar shape: a 4,000–7,500 square foot main house on 5–25 acres, often with a real basement, a working shop or barn program, and a master site plan that includes the long driveway, the entrance, the rural mailbox approach, and where the kids will ride. Square footage runs higher than our suburban work because the land supports it and our clients usually want a larger primary suite and more outdoor entertaining than a city lot affords.
- Pad work, drainage, and rough grading
- Well drilling and water testing
- Aerobic or conventional septic
- Road in, including culverts and the entrance
How we do it
What this looks like in practice
Full land prep, in-house
Pad work, road in, drainage, erosion control, and rough grading are coordinated by us, not subcontracted to a stranger. The land prep alone can make or break a rural build.
Well & septic coordination
Rural builds need their own water and waste systems. We coordinate well drilling, aerobic or conventional septic, and all the inspections from day one of the build calendar.
Barns, shops & outbuildings
Working ranches, hobby ranches, equestrian properties — we coordinate the agricultural building program alongside the main house so the property functions as one piece.
Scope of Work
What's included & what's not
What's Included
- On-site discovery walk and transparent scoping conversation
- Architectural design coordination, plans, and county filings
- All structural engineering, permits, and inspections
- Site work, utilities, and finished landscaping coordination
- Open-book budget with weekly cost-to-complete reporting
- Owner-led weekly walk-throughs by Dan Schlaak
- 10-year structural · 2-year systems · 1-year workmanship warranty in writing
Handled by Others
- Furniture, art, and decorative styling
- Smart-home / AV programming (we rough-in conduit & power)
- Pool, spa, or specialty outdoor structures (coordinated through trusted vendors)
- Land purchase or surveying (we will refer you to a trusted partner)
Open Prairie did exactly what they said they would do, on the timeline they said they would do it on, for the budget they quoted at the start. After thirty years building, that is the rarest combination in custom construction.
T. & M. ReynoldsAledo, TX · Verified Google Review
Acreage building is a different skill than subdivision building.
A custom home on a half-acre lot in a finished subdivision is mostly a building project. A custom home on five, ten, or fifty acres of rural Texas country is a building project, a site project, and an infrastructure project rolled into one. The lot has to be made buildable before you can build on it. The water has to come from somewhere. The waste has to go somewhere. The driveway is half a mile long.
We have been doing this for three decades, and most of the costly mistakes we see other builders make on rural lots come from underestimating the land work.
What an Open Prairie acreage build looks like
Most of our acreage projects fall in a similar shape: a 4,000–7,500 square foot main house on 5–25 acres, often with a real basement, a working shop or barn program, and a master site plan that includes the long driveway, the entrance, the rural mailbox approach, and where the kids will ride. Square footage runs higher than our suburban work because the land supports it and our clients usually want a larger primary suite and more outdoor entertaining than a city lot affords.
Site work we coordinate
- Pad work, drainage, and rough grading
- Well drilling and water testing
- Aerobic or conventional septic
- Road in, including culverts and the entrance
- Erosion control and replanting
- Equestrian or agricultural infrastructure
- Outbuildings (barn, shop, guest cabin)
- Pool, outdoor kitchen, and entertaining areas
Already own land?
The most useful first step on any acreage project is a free site walk. Dan will look at the buildable envelope, the drainage patterns, the existing tree canopy, the wind direction, and where the house should sit before you commit to anything.
Talk to Dan about Custom Homes on Acreage
Ready to scope your project?
Tell Dan a little about your land and what you're picturing. He'll give you straight answers - no sales rep, no pressure.
Owner-operated Free consultation Replies within 1 business day
Our Process
How a Project Comes Together
Five stages, each with a defined deliverable, a fixed payment, and a written sign-off before we move to the next.
01
Consult & Site Walk
We meet on your land, listen to how you want to live, and walk the buildable envelope, drainage, sun line, and access. Free, no commitment, no follow-up pressure.
02
Design & Engineering
Architect, structural engineer, and Dan working from the same table. Plans, elevations, and an honest cost range tied to your specific lot.
03
Selections & Allowances
Real numbers for real materials. We hand you a binder of selections with locked-in pricing so allowances are not a surprise nine months in.
04
Build
Dan on the job site weekly with the trade leads. Open-book accounting, transparent change orders, and weekly walk-throughs with you.
05
Deliver & Stand Behind
Punch-list-clean closing, all permits closed, full warranty package in your hand. We answer the phone for the life of the home.
Let's Build the Home of Your Dreams
Quality. Craftsmanship. Trust.
Three words that have defined Open Prairie Custom Homes for over thirty years, and the only three you need to look for when choosing the builder for your forever home.