Barndominium Builders in Sherwood, AR

Barndominium builders in Sherwood are working in a city that grew from almost nothing in a few decades. Sherwood had 717 residents in 1950, 10,423 in 1980, 21,511 in 2000 and 32,731 in 2020. It was incorporated as a town on April 22, 1948, became a second-class city in 1957 and a first-class city in 1971. Today it is the 13th most populous city in Arkansas, sitting at about 331 feet in Pulaski County, with its southern end adjoining North Little Rock.

The Gravel Ridge Area

A big piece of Sherwood's buildable land came with Gravel Ridge, a former community between western Jacksonville and the Sylvan Hills area of Sherwood. Gravel Ridge was a census-designated place with 3,232 residents in 2000 and was annexed into Sherwood on April 28, 2008, after its voters chose Sherwood over Jacksonville. Because of that annexation, some parcels that look rural are inside the city and go through Sherwood's permit and zoning process, while land a little farther out is still unincorporated Pulaski County. Checking which side of the line a parcel falls on is step one.

Unincorporated Pulaski County North of Sherwood

For land outside city limits, Pulaski County Planning & Development administers the county Floodplain Management Ordinance and issues floodplain development permits. It also reviews subdivisions and site plans, enforces stormwater runoff rules and assigns 911 addresses. Driveway permits on county roads are handled through the county's Road & Bridge office. If a new driveway crosses a ditch, plan on a culvert sized for the drainage.

When sewer is close by

State rules say premises within 300 feet of an available public sewer generally must connect to it, as long as the connection does not require crossing someone else's property, and a septic permit may be refused where sewer is reasonably available. On the edges of a growing city, that can work in your favor or change your plan, so we check the nearest sewer main early.

When it is not

On a true rural tract, the septic design follows Arkansas Department of Health standards: at least two trenches spaced at least 6 feet apart, trenches 24 inches wide and typically 18 inches deep, and soil pits in both the primary and backup areas. A soil with a percolation rate slower than 75 minutes per inch is unsuitable for a standard system, which points toward an alternate design under an agreement signed by the owner.

Weather Lessons Sherwood Already Knows

Sherwood's climate table shows July highs averaging 92 degrees F and January lows averaging 33, about 50.17 inches of precipitation a year, a record high of 110 (July 1986) and a record low of minus 6 (January 1985).

On March 31, 2023, a damaging tornado touched down near Little Rock and then passed through Sherwood. Pulaski County as a whole logged 88 tornado events from 1950 through 2016 according to a UA Cooperative Extension fact sheet, which also points out that a storm cellar or safe room offers the strongest protection. In a barndominium, a reinforced safe room can double as a pantry, closet or gun room and is built into the slab and wall plan from the start. Good anchorage of the frame to the foundation and door systems rated for the design wind load are the other half of storm planning.

Plan It With Us

Whether your lot is in an older Sherwood neighborhood, in the Gravel Ridge area or out in the county, we can map the permit path and put together a written estimate. Call (501) 392-9924 or

Get a Free Estimate

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