Whole-Home Renovation in Westlake, TX: Cost & Process 2026

What a Whole-Home Renovation Costs in Westlake

Whole-home pricing is built from the rooms inside it, so the honest way to budget is to price the big-ticket spaces first. Most Austin-area kitchens we build land between $45,000 and $120,000. A cosmetic kitchen refresh with new counters, paint and fixtures starts around $45,000. Move walls, relocate plumbing, or specify custom cabinetry and high-end appliances and that kitchen heads toward $120,000 and up.

Bathrooms, flooring, windows, HVAC, electrical and structural work stack on top of that. Westlake homes from the 1980s and 1990s often need panel upgrades, new ductwork and window replacement at the same time, which is exactly why doing it all in one contract costs less than three separate projects. We scope every line item, then lock the number.

Financing is available if you would rather keep cash in place while the work runs.

• Kitchen: $45,000 cosmetic refresh to $120,000+ for walls moved and custom cabinetry
• Bathrooms: priced per room, typically 3 to 5 weeks of work each
• Systems: electrical, plumbing, HVAC and insulation scoped before we quote
• Structure: beams, headers and foundation work priced with engineering, not guesses
• One fixed price in writing covering the whole scope, not a per-room estimate

Timeline: 4 to 8 Months of Construction

A whole-home renovation is 4 to 8 months of construction. Where you land depends on square footage, how much structure changes, and whether we are adding on. A cosmetic-heavy renovation with existing walls staying put finishes near the short end. Taking a Westlake hillside house down to studs, reframing an open plan and rebuilding all the wet areas sits at the long end.

Design and permitting happen before demolition. That is not a delay tactic; it is what makes the construction schedule real. Once we break ground, the sequence is set and the trades are already booked.

Most Westlake clients move out for the duration. If you plan to stay in part of the house, tell us during design and we will phase the work, though phasing adds time.

Permits and Inspections in Westlake

Westlake sits in Travis County west of Loop 360, and depending on your exact address your project is reviewed by the City of Rollingwood, the City of West Lake Hills, or Travis County, with the City of Austin involved on some parcels through limited-purpose annexation and ETJ agreements. We confirm the reviewing authority before design, not after.

West Lake Hills has its own building official and its own rules on impervious cover, tree protection, slope and setbacks — they matter a lot on the steep lots off Westlake Drive and Redbud Trail. Many Westlake properties also fall inside the Barton Creek or Lake Austin watersheds, which triggers water quality review. Septic systems under Travis County jurisdiction need their own permit path if you add bedrooms or bathrooms.

We handle the permit applications, the drawings, the engineering letters and every inspection call. You do not chase a plan reviewer or sit in a hearing.

Structural changes, new electrical service, gas line work and window openings are all inspected work. We schedule inspections into the build calendar so nothing sits idle waiting on a sign-off.

• We identify the reviewing jurisdiction — West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Travis County or City of Austin — before design begins
• Impervious cover, slope and tree protection reviewed early so the design does not get cut later
• Watershed and water quality requirements addressed in the permit set
• Septic and well coordination where applicable
• All inspections scheduled and attended by our team

How Our Fixed-Price Design-Build Process Works

We design it, we permit it, and our own carpenters build it. One company, one contract, one point of contact.

Step one is an in-home walkthrough and a budget conversation, because there is no point designing a renovation you don't want to pay for. Step two is design: floor plans, elevations, selections for cabinetry, tile, counters, plumbing and lighting. Step three is the fixed price — a written number tied to a defined scope and a defined schedule. Step four is permitting. Step five is construction, on the calendar we already handed you.

Because selections are made during design, we are not stopping mid-build to wait on a tile decision or a cabinet reorder. That is the main reason our schedules hold and our prices don't move.

Everything we build carries a 5-year workmanship warranty.

Choosing a Contractor for a Westlake Renovation

A down-to-studs renovation is the largest construction project most homeowners will ever run. The contractor question that matters most is who is actually swinging the hammer. We keep carpenters on payroll rather than brokering the whole job to whoever is cheapest that month.

Ask any bidder these questions. If the answers are vague, the price will be too.

We also build kitchens, bathrooms, home additions, garage conversions and ADUs, and outdoor living spaces. On a whole-home project, all of it lands in one scope and one number.

• Is this a fixed price or an estimate that can move? Ask for it in writing.
• Who employs the framers and finish carpenters on my job?
• Which jurisdiction permits my address, and who files it?
• What is the construction schedule, and what happens if it slips?
• What does the workmanship warranty cover and for how long?
• Are selections locked before demolition, or decided as we go?

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