Big Sky Ranch

The community

Big Sky Ranch is the value story in Dripping Springs: roughly 700 homes by Meritage on the north side of town, first sales in 2020, and now working through its final phase in 2026. The earliest Heritage Collection is sold out; remaining inventory sits in the Reserve and Executive collections. If this community is on your list, the honest advice is that the window is closing — what’s left is what’s left.

The location inside the city of Dripping Springs matters twice. First, the total tax rate runs lower than the MUD-loaded master-plans east of town — verify the exact rate on your lot, but the gap is real money monthly. Second, you can actually reach downtown Dripping Springs and Founders Memorial Park by trail rather than by car.

The homes

This is production housing, single builder, and we’d rather say that plainly than dress it up. Meritage is the builder throughout; rosters here don’t rotate because there’s no roster — one company, its plans, its spec levels. Builder-published pricing in July 2026 runs from the low $400s (Reserve Collection) to the high $500s (Executive Collection) — verify current inventory, since final-phase pricing moves with what’s unsold.

Lots are 40 to 60 feet wide, roughly 0.12 to 0.20 acres, with homes from about 1,600 to 3,100 square feet. Homes sit close together and back fences are shared — this is relatable suburban density, not the acreage fantasy the Hill Country name might suggest. What you get in exchange is the lowest realistic entry price into this school district. Buyers wanting more land at the next price tier up should compare Headwaters.

Location, schools, and the drive

Big Sky Ranch is zoned to Dripping Springs ISD, and the closest sections are a short distance from the Dripping Springs Elementary area — verify current zoning, because this district redraws boundaries as it grows. Being in town means the grocery store, coffee, and Friday-night football are minutes away, not a drive.

The Austin commute mirrors everything else out here: 35–50 minutes to downtown on 290 depending on the hour, closer to 30 for Oak Hill and the Galleria-area employers. Belterra Village is 10 minutes east. Test the drive at rush hour; 290 is the one road, and it behaves like it.

Builders active here

Meritage Homes — rosters rotate by phase and release, so treat this as a snapshot (July 2026). We track current releases, inventory homes, and which builders are motivated in any given month.