# Whole-Home Renovation in Spicewood, TX: 2026 Cost Guide

By the Home Remodel Pro team · published 2026-11-09 · Whole-Home Renovation, Spicewood

A down-to-studs whole-home renovation in Spicewood generally runs $250k-$600k+ depending on house size, how much of the layout moves and the finish level you pick, and the construction phase typically takes 4 to 8 months once design and permitting are done. Most Spicewood addresses sit outside Austin city limits, so the review happens at the county level and we confirm the jurisdiction for your lot before anything is filed. You get one contract, one schedule and one fixed price in writing before demolition starts.

## What a whole-home renovation costs in Spicewood

There is no honest per-square-foot number that covers every house, so we price the scope, not the square footage. The way to budget is to add up the rooms that carry the money — the kitchen, the bathrooms, the mechanical systems — and then the finishes that run through everything else: flooring, trim, doors, paint, lighting.

Our published Austin kitchen ranges are $45k-$70k for a refresh in the existing footprint with new cabinets, counters, lighting and fixtures; $70k-$110k when the layout opens up and plumbing moves; and $110k+ for a high-end kitchen taken to the studs with custom cabinetry and high-end appliances. Bathrooms, flooring, windows, HVAC and electrical stack on top of that. For a 2,500-3,500 sq ft Spicewood home taken down to the studs, expect $250k-$600k+ all in. A cosmetic-heavy renovation that keeps the walls, the kitchen location and the bathroom plumbing where they are lands at the bottom of that band. A full gut with a reworked floor plan, new windows, new mechanical systems and custom millwork lands at the top.

Whatever the number is, it is fixed in writing before we demo. Allowances are spelled out line by line so you know what the tile budget is before you go shopping, not after.

- Moves the price up: relocating kitchen or bath plumbing, new windows throughout, vaulted or reframed ceilings, custom cabinetry, replacing HVAC and the electrical panel, limestone or stone exterior work, long driveways that complicate material delivery.
- Moves the price down: keeping wet walls where they are, reusing window openings at their current sizes, stock or semi-custom cabinetry, phasing outbuildings or outdoor living into a later contract, keeping the existing roof.
- Budget separately: septic work, well equipment, driveway and site repairs, and furniture.

## What's particular about renovating in Spicewood

Spicewood is Hill Country building. Lots are large, often sloped, and shallow rock is common, which matters any time a project touches foundations, trenching or site drainage. That work gets priced from what we actually find on your lot, not from a generic allowance, and we walk the site before we write a number.

Most Spicewood homes are on private septic systems and many are on well water. A renovation that adds a bathroom, moves fixtures or changes bedroom counts can affect what the septic system is sized for, so that question gets answered in design with the county, not during framing. If you are on a well, we plan the pressure tank, softener and filtration locations into the mechanical layout instead of leaving them to the last two weeks.

The other Spicewood reality is distance. Deliveries, inspectors and subcontractors travel further than they do in central Austin, so we schedule in larger blocks — longer, denser runs of work rather than a crew popping in for a half day. That keeps a remote site moving instead of sitting idle between trades.

Many houses out here were built in the 1990s and 2000s with big open volumes, two-story entries and south and west glass that cooks in July. A whole-home renovation is the right moment to deal with insulation, duct layout and window performance, because the walls are already open.

## Permits and inspections for a Spicewood address

Spicewood is not its own city. Depending on where your lot sits, review and inspections run through Travis County or Burnet County, and some properties fall under additional review for things like septic or water-quality zones. The first thing we do is confirm which office has jurisdiction over your specific address, then file everything with that office. We handle the submittals, the revisions, the inspection scheduling and the City of Austin permits when a project does fall inside city jurisdiction.

Whether a particular wall can be removed, how an opening gets framed, or what a foundation modification requires is not a call a contractor makes over the phone. A licensed engineer provides the design for anything structural and the permit office signs off on it. We bring the engineer in during design so the answer is on paper before you commit to a layout, and the engineering is in the fixed price rather than showing up as a change order.

Septic is its own track. Any change that affects the system goes through the county's on-site sewage review, which has its own submittal and inspection schedule and needs to start early. Permit and review fees vary by jurisdiction and scope; for a whole-home renovation in the Spicewood area, expect roughly $1,500-$6,000 in combined permit, review and engineering filing costs, plus septic review if your scope triggers it. Those are carried as line items you can see.

- Jurisdiction confirmed for your address before any drawing is submitted
- Engineered drawings where the scope calls for them, produced in design
- Septic review started early, not after framing
- Inspections scheduled and attended by us
- Final sign-off tracked through to close-out

## The timeline, week by week

Here is the realistic sequence from your first call to the last walk-through. Design and permitting happen before demolition, which is why the construction calendar we hand you is the one we build to.

Total from first visit to finished work on a Spicewood whole-home: commonly 7 to 13 months, with the 4 to 8 month construction window inside it. We do not promise a start date before a contract is signed and the permit path is clear.

- Week 1: site visit in Spicewood, scope conversation, rough budget range based on what you want to change.
- Weeks 2-6: measured drawings, floor plan options, engineering input where the scope needs it, selections started.
- Weeks 6-10: final drawings, fixed price in writing, contract signed. Long-lead items ordered — windows and cabinetry are the usual schedule drivers.
- Weeks 8-16: permit submittal and review with the county or city office, including septic review if applicable. Review times vary by office and by scope.
- Construction, 4-8 months: demolition and site protection; framing changes; rough mechanical, electrical and plumbing with inspections; insulation and drywall; cabinetry and trim by our in-house carpenters; tile, flooring and paint; fixtures and appliances; punch list and final inspections.
- Close-out: final walk-through, warranty documents, and the 5-year workmanship warranty in your file.

## How our fixed-price design-build process works

One contract, one schedule, one company responsible. We design the renovation, price it, pull the permits and build it with our own carpenters doing the framing, trim and cabinetry installation. When the trim does not line up with the cabinets, there is nobody to point at but us.

The fixed price is set after the drawings are done and the selections are made, not before. That order matters: a number given before anybody has measured your Spicewood house or looked at the septic question is a guess, and guesses turn into change orders at month three. Ours is written, itemized and signed. Change orders only happen if you change the scope or if something genuinely hidden appears behind a wall, and either way you see the price before the work happens.

Living through a whole-home renovation is possible in some cases and miserable in others. On a down-to-studs job with the HVAC and plumbing out, plan to move out. We will tell you straight which category your project falls in during design so you can plan the rental, the storage and the move. Financing is available if you want to spread the cost rather than fund it from savings.

## What to ask any contractor before you sign

Use the same questions on everyone you talk to, including us. The answers tell you more than a portfolio does.

When you are ready, the next step is simple: book a site visit at your Spicewood house, walk the rooms, and tell us what you want different. You will leave that visit with a realistic budget range and a clear picture of the design and permitting steps that come before a shovel moves.

- Is the price fixed in writing before demolition, and what specifically triggers a change order?
- Who files the permit for my address, and have you confirmed which county or city office reviews it?
- How is the septic question handled if my scope changes fixture counts?
- Is the framing, trim and cabinet installation done by your employees or subcontracted out?
- What is the workmanship warranty, in years, and what does it cover?
- What are the long-lead items on my project, and when do they have to be ordered to protect the schedule?
- Can I see the payment schedule tied to construction milestones rather than to the calendar?

## Spicewood homeowners also ask

### Do I need a permit for a whole-home renovation in Spicewood?

Permit requirements are determined by the office with jurisdiction over your address — Travis County or Burnet County for most Spicewood properties, or the City of Austin where applicable. We confirm which office reviews your project, prepare the submittal and handle the filing, revisions and inspections as part of the contract. We do not start demolition before that path is clear.

### Can I take out a wall to open up the kitchen and living room?

That is decided by a licensed engineer and the permit office, not by a contractor's opinion on a walk-through. We bring the engineer in during design, get the answer and any required drawings on paper, and build the cost of that work into the fixed price before you sign — so you are not finding out mid-demolition.

### How long will I be out of my house?

Construction on a down-to-studs whole-home renovation typically runs 4 to 8 months, and on a true gut you should plan to be out for most of it since the HVAC and plumbing are offline. Add the design and permitting period before that — commonly 3 to 5 months — so budget 7 to 13 months from first visit to finished work.

### What is included in the fixed price?

Design, engineering where the scope calls for it, permit filing and inspection coordination, demolition, all trades, materials at the allowances written into the contract, and our labor. Allowances for tile, fixtures, appliances and cabinetry are itemized so you know the budget per item before you shop. The 5-year workmanship warranty is included on everything we build.

## Check it with Spicewood's own pages

Permit rules and fees change, and the office that issues the permit is the authority on them, not this guide.

- [Burnet County Development Services — OSSF and development permits](https://www.burnetcountytexas.org/1239/On-Site-Sewage-Facilities-OSSF-Developme)
- [Travis County Development Services — apply for a permit](https://www.traviscountytx.gov/tnr/development-services/apply-for-a-permit)

What a whole-home renovation in Austin involves: https://www.homeremodelpro.com/austin/whole-home-renovation

## Get a free estimate

- Call (512) 601-5666 (Monday to Friday 8am–6pm and Saturday 9am–2pm); a project consultant calls back within one business hour.
- Request an estimate online: https://www.homeremodelpro.com/austin#quote
- 5-year workmanship warranty · one fixed price in writing · in-house carpenters · permits and inspections included

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Source: https://www.homeremodelpro.com/austin/blog/whole-home-renovation-spicewood-guide · Home Remodel Pro Austin, TX