AUREABUILDWilliamson County · Texas
Round Rock sits on the clay that runs along I-35, and on most jobs there that clay is the first thing we think about. Aurea Build is an Austin contractor taking remodels, additions, ADUs, custom homes and commercial build-outs in Round Rock and the rest of Williamson County.
The soil in this part of Williamson County is Blackland Prairie clay. It swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries out, and a slab or pier-and-beam foundation sitting on it goes up and down with the seasons. Some movement is normal for a house here. Too much of it, or movement in one corner and not the others, is what shows up inside.
The signs are familiar: doors that stick in the frame, hairline cracks running up from the corners of doors and windows, trim that has pulled away from the wall, a floor with a slope you can feel with a marble. None of that means the house is failing. It does mean those things should be sorted out before the new finishes go on top of them.
A new tile floor over a slab that is still moving will crack along the same lines the old one did. Cabinets set on a floor that's out of level need shimming that someone has to plan for. Fresh drywall over a wall that has been racking will show the cracks again.
On a whole-home renovation, we walk the house looking for exactly this before the scope is written, and we'd rather you hear about a problem floor in week one than after the flooring is ordered.
A new room gets its own foundation, and that foundation has to tolerate the same soil the old one does without pulling away from it. Foundation design, drainage around the new slab, and the way the addition joins the existing house are engineering questions, and an engineer should answer them before the price is set. Gutters that dump at the foundation, flat grading and a bed of plants watered every day all feed the clay and can undo good work.
For more on this, read about home additions and the guide to clay and limestone site conditions.
Round Rock has its own permit office, separate from the City of Austin. If the property is inside the city limits, that's where permit questions go. If it's outside, a different authority may apply, so confirm the jurisdiction for the address before anything else. Rules vary by lot and by the kind of work, so ask the office before you assume anything. Our overview of permits for remodels and additions covers the general order of things.
Plenty of neighborhoods in and around Round Rock have an HOA or deed restrictions. Exterior work, additions, fences and sometimes paint colors need architectural approval, which is its own application on its own timeline.
Kitchens and bathrooms come first. If you're planning one, the pages on kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling explain who decides what and when. Growing households ask about additions or an ADU, and whether an ADU is possible comes down to the lot, the zoning and the HOA.
Investors use investor renovations to bring rentals and flips up to a condition buyers or tenants will accept. Business owners and tenants ask about commercial build-outs, where the landlord's approval and the permit both come before construction.
When you have more than one bid, how to compare renovation bids will help you line them up. We take Round Rock jobs when the scope and timing fit, and we'll say so early if they don't. Request an estimate to begin.
Common questions
Yes. Round Rock is an incorporated city with its own permit office, separate from the City of Austin. Confirm that your address is inside the city limits, then ask that office what your project needs, since requirements change with the lot, the zoning and the scope.
It's something to design for. Expansive clay moves with moisture, so the foundation, the drainage and the connection to the existing house all need an engineer's attention. A site review before pricing gives you a real basis for the budget.
Find out why first. Those signs often come from normal foundation movement and may be minor, but a tile or flooring job on top of a moving slab can fail early. Have the floor levels checked, and an engineer look if movement seems active, before choosing finishes.
Interior work often doesn't. Exterior changes, additions and anything you can see from the street usually do. The approval is separate from the city permit and moves on its own schedule, so read your neighborhood's documents before the design is final.