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Denison, Texas

Custom home builder in Denison

Denison is where Randy lives. It is the second-largest town in Grayson County, it sits between Sherman and Lake Texoma, and it is the one place on this list where the builder you are hiring is also your neighbor. That matters more than it sounds when something needs looking at again in eighteen months.

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A custom home built by O'Brien Custom Homes near Denison, Texas
Randy is based
Denison
Second largest
in Grayson County
To Lake Texoma
about 15 minutes
Building here since
1998

The energy code

Denison inspects to a newer energy code than Sherman does.

Denison runs residential energy compliance on the 2024 IECC as amended, using the compliance path prepared in January 2025 by the regional codes committee at the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Sherman, twenty minutes south, adopted the 2021 code family in February 2024.

That gap is not a problem, it is a specification difference, and it shows up in insulation, window performance and duct sealing rather than in a line item labeled energy code. It is worth pricing properly at the start instead of meeting it at inspection.

There are three ways to prove compliance: the prescriptive path, simulated building performance, and the Energy Rating Index. Which one the house uses changes what gets specified on the plans and what gets tested at the end.

Permits go in through the city’s online system rather than over a counter. Development Services sits at 500 W. Chestnut.

The ground

Building in and around Denison

Denison runs from established in-town streets out to acreage heading toward the lake, and which of those you are on changes the job completely. In town you are on city utilities and city permitting. Out toward Texoma you are on county permitting, septic, and often a well.

The soil is the same Blackland clay as the rest of the county, so the foundation is engineered either way. What changes is the run for power and water, and that is a real number that depends entirely on your particular lot.

  • Randy is based here, so site visits are minutes rather than a drive
  • Lake Texoma is close enough to matter without paying lakefront prices
  • Older in-town lots and new acreage both exist, which is unusual in one town
The Lugo House, a custom home in Sherman, Texas

Nearest finished house

The Lugo House

Modern farmhouse on acreage with exposed beams, built-ins, and a porch built for evenings.

See the full gallery

Denison questions

What people building here ask.

Which energy code does Denison use?
The 2024 IECC as amended. The residential compliance path document was prepared in January 2025 by the Energy and Green Advisory Board of the Regional Codes Coordinating Committee at NCTCOG.
What are the three compliance paths?
Prescriptive, simulated building performance, and the Energy Rating Index. The choice changes what is specified on the drawings and what has to be tested before the house is signed off.
Does a newer energy code make the house cost more?
It shows up as better insulation, tighter ducts and specific window numbers rather than as a separate charge. Priced from the start it is manageable. Discovered at inspection it is expensive.
Do I apply for the permit in person?
No, Denison takes permit applications through its online system. Development Services is at 500 W. Chestnut if you need to talk to somebody.

From his clients

Randy walked the slab with me before the pour and explained every line on it. I’d never had a builder do that.

Mike C.O’Brien homeowner
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Nearby, and worth reading

Randy O’Brien Randy lives in DenisonSite visits here are minutes away rather than a drive 903.821.2482