AUREABUILDWhole-home renovations · Austin, Texas
A whole-home renovation is one project with one set of pipes, wires, ducts and framing running through every room. Plan it that way from the start and you won't pay to open the same wall twice.
Who this is for: Homeowners considering a whole-home renovation.
First steps
Most owners ask this first, and it's the right place to start. Staying home works for phased jobs and lighter scopes. It gets hard once the kitchen and the only full bathroom are both torn out, the power goes off during the day, and dust control becomes a chore that never ends. Moving out for part of the job, or all of it, usually lets the work move along more cleanly, and it costs money to arrange.
Pets, young kids, anyone working from home and anyone with a medical need belong in that conversation, because they change the order of work. A bedroom wing can be finished first so there's somewhere to retreat. A temporary kitchen can be set up in the garage. Summer heat and spring storms also decide which exterior work happens when, and our piece on how long a remodel takes in Austin covers the other things that set the pace.
Finishes are the enjoyable part, and they compete for the same money as the parts you'll never see again once the drywall is up. Before anyone picks tile, the house gets a hard look at the items below. If the walls are coming open anyway, that's the cheapest moment to replace old wiring or a tired duct run. If they aren't, it may be a reason to shrink the scope.
Homes built before 1978 can involve lead-safe work practices wherever paint is disturbed. That gets planned into the sequence from the beginning, so nobody is figuring it out in the middle of demolition.
Big projects drift because nobody wrote down where they stop. The written scope names every room, says whether it's a full rebuild or a refresh, lists what the price leaves out, and gives each unselected item an allowance someone could really shop within. Conditions that can't be known until walls open get their own list, along with how a change is priced and approved.
Selections need dates attached. Windows, specialty tile and custom cabinets can set the whole schedule, and one late decision in the kitchen can hold up trades booked for three other rooms. Comparing renovation bids is mostly an exercise in spotting what a proposal quietly left out.
A project this size usually needs permits, and the office depends on the address. The City of Austin permits through its Development Services Department, and the incorporated suburbs run their own. Changing windows or exterior finishes can bring an HOA or deed-restriction review into the picture too. Our guide to permits for remodels and additions explains what to expect from each.
Some houses don't need every room touched. If one or two spaces are the real problem, residential renovations, a kitchen remodel or a bathroom remodel may fit the money better. At the other end, a house with serious structural or lot problems can raise the question of whether to renovate at all, and renovate or build new works through that choice using the things that decide it.
A walkthrough of the whole house and the lot comes first. From that comes a preliminary range and a list of unknowns. On large or older houses, looking into the existing conditions before a full price, such as opening a few walls or scoping the sewer line, gives the number something solid to stand on.
After the proposal is approved and permits are in hand, the work follows the house's own logic: demolition and any structural changes, then rough-in for plumbing, electrical and ductwork, then inspections, then insulation and drywall, then finishes, then final checks. Tile can't go down until the shower pan has been flood-tested, and paint waits until the dusty work is done.
Along the way you get the next decision and its deadline before it arrives. The job closes with a walkthrough, a punch list and the paperwork you'll want later: product information, selections and any permit closeout.
Common questions
Doing it in one pass avoids redoing work, since new ductwork and wiring only get opened up once. Phasing can fit a tighter budget or a household that can't leave. We'll lay out both versions for your house so you can compare them side by side.
Sometimes, mostly on phased or lighter jobs. Kitchen and bathroom stages are the hardest to live around, and dust and shutoffs wear on a household. We'll go through realistic options at the start, including a temporary kitchen or moving out for the roughest stretch.
They're listed in the scope along with what each one depends on. Some can be shrunk by opening a few walls or running a camera down the drain line before pricing. Anything else comes with a stated way a change gets priced and approved.
For a project this size you'll want drawings, and an architect or designer usually leads that. We'll work with the one you choose. If you haven't picked anyone, we can talk through who to bring in, depending on how much layout and structure is changing.
Not automatically. A sound house on a good lot often is, while a house with foundation trouble or a layout nobody can live with may not be. The condition of the structure and the lot decide it, so we compare both against your property.