Home Remodeling and Tree Work in Kessler Park
S&L Good Fellas is an insured, family-owned contractor based in Irving. We quote remodels, paint, fences and tree work for Kessler Park's prewar Tudor and Colonial Revival homes on hilly, wooded lots. Text or call.
Steep Hills, Old Trees, Prewar Homes
In the early 1920s, its first developers called Kessler Park "a woodland, hillside country." It still fits. The original section was platted in 1924 around Canterbury Court. City planning papers describe hills, cliffs and many trees across the district, with lots from about 7,500 square feet up to an acre.
That first section was built mostly in the 1920s and 1930s. A 2004 volunteer survey of about 200 prewar homes there found more Tudors than any other style, then Colonial Revival. As a Kessler Park home remodeling contractor, we quote kitchens, baths, tile, trim, paint, additions, fences and tree work.
Our family-owned team is based in Irving, and we work across Kessler Park. Text or call. We chat on the phone, take a look at the job, and send a free quote.
Quick Answers
What Kessler Park homeowners ask before they ask for a quote.
Which parts of Kessler Park do you serve?
All of it: the original 1920s Kessler Park, Kessler Highlands and Kessler Square south of Colorado Boulevard, and the later Sam Dealey, Kessler Woods and Timbergrove sections.
Will my project need a district review form?
Only if the district standards cover the work, such as fences, additions, outside materials, height or yard paving. New kitchen counters or a bath vanity are not on that list. Normal city permits can still apply.
How do quotes work?
Text or call. We chat on the phone, take a look at the job, and send a free quote.
From Kessler Parkway to Stewart Drive
Kessler Park is in north Oak Cliff, ZIP 75208, south of I-30. CD 13 lies roughly between Kessler Parkway, Sylvan Avenue, the Stewart Drive area and Plymouth Road. Check the district map for exact edges. Colorado Boulevard crosses the district, with Stevens Park Golf Course on the west.
ZIP Codes We Serve
- 75208
- Google Rating
- 5.0
- Google Reviews
- 76
Remodels, Trees and Fences for Kessler Park
Tile · Trim · ClosetsHome Remodeling
Tile, trim, carpentry and built-ins for Tudor and Colonial Revival rooms.
Trimming · Removal · StumpsTree Service
Trimming and removal under a tall canopy. On escarpment lots, ask the city before a tree comes down.
Counters · Cabinets · TileKitchen Remodeling
Countertops, backsplashes and kitchen updates. The district's design rules focus on the outside.
Tile · Showers · VanitiesBathroom Remodeling
Shower remodels, bathroom tile, vanities and fixtures for baths in prewar homes.
Interior · Exterior · TrimPainting
Rooms, trim and doors. In much of the district, natural stone may not be painted.
Install · Repair · GatesFencing
Wood picket fences and gates sized to the district's height and openness rules, plus repairs and stain.
Additions · Rehabs · FramingGeneral Contracting
Additions, framing and rehabs. Check the style rules for any addition seen from the street.
Sod · Mulch · MakeoversLandscaping
Sod, mulch and beds. Hard surfaces may cover no more than 30 percent of a front yard here.
Pergolas · StructuresOutdoor Living
Pergolas and sheds. In Kessler Highlands and Kessler Square, they go in the rear third of the lot.
Custom Decks · Built to LastDecks
Custom decks for sloped backyards. On an escarpment lot, check the city's escarpment rules first.
Hills, Big Trees and District Rules
Kessler Park has hills, cliffs and a heavy tree canopy. Some lots sit on the escarpment, a steep bluff the city protects. In the original section, a house built by the end of 1947 and listed in the ordinance is a contributing house. Remodels must keep its style. Since May 2005, Conservation District No. 13 has set rules for fences, outside materials, height, paint and front-yard paving.
Request a Quote
Start With Your Subarea
Find your subarea on the district map. For work the standards cover, send the city a review form first.
Trees on the escarpment
City escarpment rules limit cutting trees and moving soil on and near the bluff. Ask Dallas Development Services before removal or grading there.
Stone that stays unpainted
In the original section, Kessler Highlands and Kessler Square, natural stone may not be painted. Stone painted before May 25, 2005 may stay painted.
Less paving out front
Paving, gravel and other hard surfaces may cover no more than 30 percent of a front yard. We quote sod, mulch and beds for the rest.
How the Kessler Park District Works
The Dallas City Council created the Kessler Park Conservation District on May 25, 2005, with Ordinance 25984. It covers about 410 acres. Neighbors asked for it in 2002 and shaped its standards in 2004 meetings. It has three subareas, each with its own rules.
For work the standards cover, you send a review form to the city first. If the work needs a building permit, the permit waits until the city finds the work meets the standards. A decision can be appealed to the Board of Adjustment.
- Subarea 1, the original Kessler Park: the parts of an addition to a contributing house that can be seen from the street must match its style.
- Subarea 1 height: two stories (basements do not count) and 30 feet, measured from the first floor to the top of the roof ridge.
- Subarea 2 (Kessler Highlands, Kessler Square): no front-yard fences, garages in the back third of the lot, and second stories set back from the front wall.
- Subarea 3 (Sam Dealey, Kessler Woods, Timbergrove): except chimneys, no part of a house may be taller than three times its distance from the side lot line.
- Subarea 1 also bans fluorescent outside colors.
Fences and Trees on the Escarpment
The district map marks some lots as escarpment zone lots. The ordinance lists them by address on streets like Kessler Parkway, Lausanne, Canterbury, Edgefield, Montclair, Olympia and Windomere. Building on those lots must follow the city's escarpment rules, Division 51A-5.200 of the Dallas Development Code.
In the escarpment zone, rules bar tree and plant damage, digging and filling, with narrow exceptions for certain changes to existing homes. Similar nearby land needs an escarpment permit for that work, subject to a similar exception. Some Kessler Park addresses need that review before a building permit. Ask Dallas Development Services about your address before tree removal, grading or a new structure.
- Rear-yard fences on escarpment lots must be cattle fencing, open wire, chain link, ornamental iron or wrought iron. Wood is not on the list.
- Those fences must be at least 75 percent open and black or near-black. Chain link tops out at 4 feet, the other types at 9 feet.
- Neighbors wrote the fence rule to keep the views across the hills open.
- In the original section, the rear yard on an escarpment lot must be at least 10 feet, measured from the crest of the escarpment.
More Neighborhoods Near Kessler Park
Other Dallas neighborhoods we serve, nearest to Kessler Park first, then the closest ones in nearby cities.
What DFW Homeowners Are Saying
Kessler Park FAQ
Answers to common questions. Don’t see yours? Text or call and we will walk you through it.
Still Have Questions?
Send a text or give us a call. We are happy to talk through your project.
Call (469) 340-2030Is my house in the Kessler Park Conservation District, and which subarea?
Use the map linked from the city's CD 13 Kessler Park page to find your address and subarea. The district has irregular edges, so nearby roads alone cannot settle whether a lot is inside. Kessler Lake is outside it. Ask conservation district staff if the map leaves your address unclear.
Is Kessler Park a historic district or a conservation district?
Both, and they mean different things. The Kessler Park Historic District joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The National Park Service says that listing alone places no limits on what a private owner may do, unless the project gets federal help. The local rules come from Conservation District No. 13, adopted in 2005.
What kind of wood fence can I build in Kessler Park?
It depends on the yard and the subarea. In the original section, a front-yard wood picket fence sits at least 5 feet back from the front lot line, is no taller than 3 feet and is at least 40 percent open. In Kessler Highlands and Kessler Square, front-yard fences are not allowed, and interior side fences start 30 feet behind the front wall (or at the back corner if the house is less than 30 feet deep). The back line of an escarpment lot cannot be wood.
Can you trim or remove the big trees on my lot?
Yes. We quote tree trimming, tree removal, stump grinding and storm damage tree removal. On an escarpment lot, ask the city first, since its rules protect trees and plants on the bluff. Texas A&M Forest Service advises against pruning oaks from February through June because of oak wilt.
Can I add on to my house in Kessler Park?
Often, within your subarea's limits. In the original section, the parts of an addition seen from the street must match a contributing house's style. In Kessler Highlands and Kessler Square, additions to contributing houses must match their style and may not attach to the front wall, and a second story sits at least 18 inches behind it. We quote additions and framing.
Planning Work on a Kessler Park Home?
Tudor kitchen, hillside deck or an oak over the drive? Text or call. We chat on the phone, take a look at the job, and send a free quote.
- Free quotes
- Insured
- Family owned
