Whole-Home Renovation in Austin, TX: 2026 Costs & Timeline
A down-to-studs whole-home renovation in Austin takes 4 to 8 months of construction, and we hand you a fixed price in writing before a single wall comes down. One contract, one schedule, one crew of in-house carpenters — not six subcontractors you have to chase. Below is how the cost builds up, how City of Austin permitting actually runs, and what our design-build process looks like week to week.
What a Whole-Home Renovation Costs in Austin
Whole-home pricing is not a square-foot guess. We build it up room by room, then hand you one number. The kitchen is usually the single largest line item: most Austin kitchen remodels we build land between $45,000 and $120,000. A cosmetic refresh with new counters, paint and fixtures starts around $45,000. Moving walls, relocating plumbing, or going to custom cabinetry and high-end appliances pushes a kitchen toward $120,000 and up.
Add bathrooms, flooring throughout, new electrical and plumbing rough-in, HVAC, windows, drywall, trim and paint, and a typical 1,800 to 2,400 square foot Austin house taken to the studs generally lands somewhere between $250,000 and $500,000. Structural work — removing load-bearing walls, raising ceilings, re-framing a roofline — moves that up. Keeping the existing floor plan and mechanical locations moves it down.
Whatever the scope, the number in your contract is the number you pay. Changes only happen if you sign a written change order, and you see the price before you sign it.
- Kitchen: $45,000–$120,000+ depending on layout changes and cabinetry
- Bathrooms: budget each one separately; 3 to 5 weeks of build time apiece
- Whole-house electrical, plumbing and HVAC rough-in: expect this on any true down-to-studs project
- Windows, insulation and drywall: priced by count and square footage, not estimated
- Structural changes (removing bearing walls, new headers, foundation repair): priced after engineering
City of Austin Permits and Inspections — We Handle Them
Inside city limits, a down-to-studs renovation goes through Austin's Development Services Department. That means a residential building permit plus separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical trade permits, and it means plan review before anything is issued. We prepare the drawings, submit through the City's portal, answer review comments and schedule every inspection. You do not stand in line at One Texas Center.
Austin has local rules that catch homeowners off guard. If you touch the footprint, Subchapter F (the 'McMansion' ordinance) governs height, setbacks and floor-to-area ratio. Impervious cover limits apply on tight lots. Protected and heritage trees have root-zone rules that affect where equipment and staging can go. Homes in Hyde Park, Clarksville, Travis Heights and other historic or conservation districts get an extra layer of review. If a substantial portion of the structure is being rebuilt, the City may require the whole house to meet current energy and egress code.
If your address is in the ETJ or unincorporated Travis, Williamson or Hays County, the path is different — county development permits, septic (OSSF) review where applicable, and floodplain review near creeks. We confirm jurisdiction before we quote, so the permitting time is already inside the schedule we give you.
- Residential building permit + electrical, plumbing and mechanical trade permits
- Plan review and any required zoning, historic or floodplain review
- Rough-in inspections before insulation and drywall, final inspections before you move back in
- Heritage tree protection and impervious cover checked at design, not discovered mid-build
The Fixed-Price Design-Build Process
We design it, price it, permit it and build it under one contract. There is no separate architect pointing at the builder and no builder pointing back. Design and permitting happen before demolition, so the construction calendar we hand you is the one we build to.
The sequence is simple: we walk the house and talk budget, then we produce drawings and selections, then we price the job line by line and put a fixed price in writing. Once you sign, we pull permits and set the schedule. Demo starts when the permit is in hand — not before, and not while we are still figuring out your tile.
Our carpenters are on payroll, not day labor, which is how we hold a schedule on a job this size. Every project carries a 5-year workmanship warranty. Financing is available if you would rather not liquidate to fund the build.
- Walkthrough and budget conversation — no charge
- Design, engineering where required, and full material selections
- Fixed price in writing, line by line
- City of Austin permits pulled and inspections scheduled by us
- Construction: 4 to 8 months for a whole-home renovation
- Punch list, final inspections, 5-year workmanship warranty
The Schedule: What 4 to 8 Months Actually Looks Like
Design and permitting come first and run on their own clock — plan review time in Austin varies, and historic or floodplain review adds weeks. We tell you what that looks like for your address before you commit.
Once construction starts, the order rarely changes: demolition and abatement, then framing and structural corrections, then plumbing, electrical and HVAC rough-in, then inspections, then insulation and drywall. After that it is cabinetry, tile, trim, paint, flooring, fixtures and appliances. Kitchens inside a whole-home project still take 6 to 10 weeks of their own build time, and each bathroom 3 to 5 weeks, but those run concurrently with work elsewhere in the house.
Most families move out for a down-to-studs renovation. With the water and power off and the floors out, there is no practical way to live in it. Plan the lease or the stay with family around the finish date in your contract.
How to Choose a Renovation Contractor in Austin
Ask for a fixed price, in writing, with the scope spelled out. An hourly or cost-plus arrangement on a job of this length transfers every unknown to you. Ask who is actually swinging the hammer — an in-house carpentry crew behaves differently than a rotating cast of subs.
Ask who pulls the permits. If a contractor asks you to pull an owner permit, you are taking on the liability for code compliance and inspections on a six-figure project. Ask what the workmanship warranty covers and for how long. And ask for the construction calendar before you sign, not after demo day.
- Fixed price in writing with a defined scope and a written change-order process
- In-house carpenters rather than an ever-changing sub list
- Contractor pulls City of Austin permits in their name
- Written workmanship warranty — ours is 5 years
- A construction calendar handed over before demolition begins
Austin homeowners also ask
How long does a whole-home renovation take in Austin?
Construction runs 4 to 8 months depending on the size of the house and how much structural work is involved. Design and permitting happen before that and run on their own timeline, which varies with City of Austin plan review and any historic or floodplain review. We give you the full calendar before demo starts.
Can I live in my house during the renovation?
On a true down-to-studs project, no. Power, water and flooring all come out, and inspections require access to the whole house. Most of our Austin clients lease something nearby for the duration. We give you a finish date in the contract so you can line up the lease term.
Do I need a permit to renovate my house in Austin?
Yes. Inside city limits you need a residential building permit plus electrical, plumbing and mechanical trade permits, and plan review comes first. Historic districts, floodplain lots and heritage trees add review steps. We handle submittal, review comments and every inspection — you don't deal with the City.
Is the price really fixed, or does it change during construction?
It's fixed. We price the job line by line after design and selections are complete, then put that number in writing before you sign. The only way it moves is a change order you request and approve in writing, with the price shown before any work on it begins.