Your Remodeling Questions, Answered

We serve the West Austin area, specifically Lakeway, Bee Cave, Spicewood, Dripping Springs, Steiner Ranch, and Westlake. These are the communities we know best — we understand the neighborhood character, the HOA requirements, the design preferences, and the kinds of homes in each area. That local knowledge matters more than most homeowners realize when it comes to keeping your project on schedule and on budget.

If you are just outside these areas, feel free to reach out. Depending on the scope of the project, we may still be a good fit.

Our core specialties are kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels — from powder rooms to full primary suite transformations — and whole-home renovations. These are the projects we have the deepest experience with and the ones where our multi-trade background gives us the biggest advantage over single-trade contractors.

Within those categories, we handle everything: design coordination, demolition, structural changes, plumbing and electrical coordination, tile work, cabinetry installation, countertop fabrication and installation, flooring, painting, trim carpentry, and final punch list. You do not have to manage a dozen different subcontractors. We manage the project, and you manage your life.

Yes — fully. We carry general liability insurance, and we work exclusively with licensed subcontractors in the trades that require licensure in Texas (electrical, plumbing, HVAC). We are also a NARI Certified Remodeler (CR) — one of the most respected professional designations in the remodeling industry — and we are accredited with the Better Business Bureau.

We are happy to provide proof of insurance before any work begins. If a contractor is not willing to do that without being asked, consider that a red flag.

That is the most important question you can ask, and we appreciate that you are asking it. The honest answer is: you should not just take our word for it. Read our reviews across Google, BBB, Facebook and Yelp. Talk to past clients — we are glad to provide references for projects similar to yours. Look at our before-and-after project photos. Read this website, which we have written to be transparent and specific rather than full of marketing language.

And then meet with us. Most homeowners who have been burned by a contractor before know within the first conversation whether someone is being straight with them. We will talk about your project honestly, including the parts that are complicated or uncertain. We will tell you what we do not know as readily as we tell you what we do. That is the D&R way, and it has been from day one.

This is something we take seriously — because we know it is where most contractors fall short. From the day your project starts, you will receive verbal or written updates that covers what was completed that week, what is scheduled for the following week, and any decisions or approvals we need from you. Beyond that, Diego is reachable directly during business hours, and we respond to messages the same day.

We use a project management software approach that keeps documentation, photos, and communication in one place so nothing gets lost in a text thread. You will always know where your project stands, what is coming next, and who to call if something comes up.

If something unexpected happens on the job — and in remodeling, sometimes it does — you will hear from us immediately. We do not sit on bad news. We call you, explain the situation clearly, present your options, and let you make the decision. Your home, your choice, always.

Our estimates are detailed and thorough — so you understand exactly what you the project entails. However, it is important to understand the difference between an estimate and a fixed-price contract, because they are not the same thing and any contractor who tells you otherwise is not being straight with you.

An estimate is our best projection of cost based on what we know at the time. It is based on the scope of work we have discussed, current material pricing, and our experience with similar projects. Our estimates are accurate — we do not low-ball to win the job and make it up later. But if scope changes during the project, or if we discover something unexpected inside your walls, the cost may change. When that happens, we document it in a formal change order, discuss it with you, and get your written approval before proceeding. You will never see a charge on your final invoice that you did not approve in advance.

Absolutely — and we love it when clients bring in a designer or architect they trust. Diego has spent over 25 years collaborating with design and architecture professionals, and that experience means he knows how to read plans, execute design intent with precision, and flag potential buildability issues early before they become expensive problems in the field.

If you do not have a designer and would like one, we are able to help you in-house – we also maintain relationships with several excellent local interior designers who specialize in West Austin homes. We are happy to make introductions. What we are not is a design-build firm that requires you to use our in-house designer — we believe you should work with whoever you want.

We use a structured draw schedule tied to project milestones. A typical payment schedule looks like this: a deposit at contract signing to cover initial material orders and scheduling, followed by progress payments at defined milestones (demolition complete, rough-ins complete, cabinets installed, etc.), with a final payment held until after the walkthrough and punch list completion.

We do not ask for large cash payments, and we do not ask for more money than the completed work warrants at any point in the project. If a contractor asks for 50% or more before breaking ground, that is a serious warning sign.

The single biggest factor is scope — specifically, whether the work requires moving plumbing, electrical, or structural elements. A kitchen remodel that stays within its existing footprint with no plumbing or wall changes costs significantly less than one that relocates the sink, removes a wall, or adds square footage. Same goes for bathrooms.

The second biggest factor is your material selections. There is a meaningful cost difference between stock cabinetry and custom cabinetry, between standard quartz and premium quartzite, between a pre-fab shower niche and a custom built one. Neither choice is right or wrong — they just reflect different priorities and budgets. Part of our job is helping you understand where to invest and where it is fine to pull back without sacrificing quality or longevity.

Start with what you are comfortable spending, not with what you think the project should cost. Then bring that number to us honestly. We would much rather know your budget upfront so we can help you design a scope that achieves your most important goals within it, than build a dream scope and watch you have to cut things you love one by one.

A few rules of thumb for West Austin: kitchen remodels typically start around $75,000 for a mid-range refresh and can reach $250,000 or more for a full custom renovation. Primary bathroom remodels run $50,000 to $120,000 for most homes. Whole-home renovations vary enormously but often fall in the $300,000 to $700,000 range in our market. We also strongly recommend building a 10–15% contingency into your budget for unexpected conditions — it is not pessimism, it is just smart planning.

A few reasons. First, national averages include markets like rural Ohio and suburban Indiana — they are not representative of a premium Austin suburb. Second, the cost of skilled labor in the Austin metro has increased significantly over the past several years as the city has grown and competition for qualified tradespeople has intensified. Third, the homes in our market — and the finishes those homes deserve — tend toward the higher end. A tile installer working in Westlake is bringing a level of skill and precision that costs more than a generalist tiler working on a builder-grade flip.

We price our work fairly for the quality we deliver. We are not the cheapest option in West Austin, and we are transparent about that. What we offer is craftsmanship that holds up, communication that keeps you sane, and a finished product you will be proud of every time you walk into the room.

Yes. We offer financing through our partner, Acorn Finance, which connects you with multiple lenders through a single soft credit inquiry — meaning checking your options will not affect your credit score. Loan amounts typically range from $1,000 to $100,000 or more, with terms from 24 to 144 months and rates starting as low as 6.99% APR depending on your credit profile. Many of our clients use financing to move forward on a project they have been putting off, or to tackle a larger scope than cash flow alone would allow.

We are also happy to discuss phasing a project over time if that works better for your financial situation. It is more common than you might think, and when it is planned properly, it works really well.

First, let us be clear about what causes cost overruns — because most of them are preventable with good planning and honest communication upfront. Scope creep (deciding to add things mid-project), undiscovered conditions (water damage, outdated wiring, structural issues behind the walls), and poorly managed change orders are the most common culprits.

Here is our commitment to you: we will never proceed with work that was not in the original scope without a formal written change order that you review and approve in advance. If we discover something unexpected that will affect cost, we stop, show you what we found, explain your options, and let you decide how to proceed. Some surprises are unavoidable — but being kept in the dark about them is not. That will not happen with D&R.

A powder room or half bath refresh can be completed in 2–3 weeks. A full guest bathroom remodel typically takes 4–6 weeks. A primary bathroom renovation — especially one with a custom shower, freestanding tub, heated floors, or significant tile work — generally runs 6–10 weeks from demo to completion.

Custom tile work is the biggest variable in bathroom timelines. A shower with intricate pattern tile takes meaningfully longer to set and grout than one with large-format porcelain. We will always be honest with you about what a particular design choice means for your timeline.

Whole-home renovations vary significantly based on scope. A selective update — refreshing the kitchen, primary bath, and flooring throughout — might take 3–5 months. A comprehensive whole-home renovation, including multiple bathrooms, full kitchen, all flooring and paint, millwork, and lighting, typically takes 5–9 months. Projects that include additions, structural changes, or second-story work can run 9–14 months or longer.

We know that is a wide range, and we understand it can feel overwhelming. That is exactly why we build a detailed project schedule before work begins so you know what to expect week by week, not just in general.

The most common causes of delays in remodeling are: material lead times (especially cabinetry, which can take 6–12 weeks from order to delivery), permit processing delays, undiscovered conditions that require additional work, and scheduling gaps when subcontractors are not coordinated properly.

Here is how we prevent them: we order all long-lead materials before demo begins. We apply for permits as early as possible and account for processing time in our schedule. We pre-qualify and pre-schedule all subcontractors before the project start date. And when something unexpected comes up — which occasionally happens in any remodel — we have the trade relationships and project management discipline to adapt quickly without losing weeks.

We will not promise you that nothing will ever take a day or two longer than planned. But we will promise you that we take timeline management seriously, that we communicate changes immediately, and that we will never let a project drift without telling you why and what we are doing about it.

We will do our best. If you have a hard deadline — a family event, a lease expiration, a holiday gathering you are planning around — tell us upfront and we will let you know honestly whether it is achievable given the scope. We would rather have that conversation early than over-promise and under-deliver.

What we will not do is rush work in a way that compromises quality to hit a date. Tile that is set too fast, paint that does not cure properly, countertops that are not measured accurately — those are problems that cost far more to fix than the deadline was worth. Quality and timeline are usually compatible when a project is planned well from the start.

You do not need a designer, but having one can make the process significantly more enjoyable and often leads to a more cohesive result. Diego and Raquel can guide you through selections based on your style preferences, your home’s architecture, and your budget — that is part of what we do. But for larger projects where the design vision is complex or highly specific, we genuinely recommend bringing one in.

We work well with outside designers — Diego has collaborated with designers and architects for over 25 years and knows how to execute a design intent with precision. We are also happy to refer you to trusted local designers in West Austin if you would like an introduction. The goal is the best possible outcome for your home, not protecting our turf.

We have established relationships with quality suppliers across the Austin area for cabinetry, countertops, tile, flooring, fixtures, and appliances. These relationships give us reliable lead times, fair pricing, and accountability when something arrives damaged or incorrect — which does happen, and having a relationship with the supplier makes resolving it much faster.

Client-supplied materials are something we handle on a case-by-case basis. In general, we are comfortable with client-supplied fixtures, appliances, or specialty items — with the understanding that if something arrives damaged, is the wrong size, or does not work as expected, the cost of delays or corrections is the client’s responsibility. We will always discuss this upfront so there are no surprises.

West Austin homes deal with Texas heat, humidity fluctuations, and in some areas, expansive clay soils that can affect foundations and floors over time. With that in mind, here are some of our general recommendations based on years of building in this market:

• Countertops: Quartz is our most recommended countertop for kitchens — it is non-porous, durable, and requires no sealing. Natural stone like quartzite or marble is beautiful but requires more maintenance. We will always tell you the honest tradeoffs.
• Flooring: Large-format porcelain tile holds up exceptionally well in Texas and is our recommendation for high-traffic and wet areas. For living spaces, engineered hardwood performs better than solid hardwood in our climate due to humidity swings.
• Cabinetry: In West Austin’s humidity, we recommend plywood box construction over particleboard, which can swell and delaminate over time. This is one area where spending a little more upfront pays for itself many times over.
• Tile and grout: We always use a high-quality grout and recommend sealed grout in showers and wet areas. Epoxy grout in shower floors is worth the added cost for longevity.

These are guidelines, not rules. Every project and every homeowner’s priorities are different, and we will always give you our honest recommendation for your specific situation.

An allowance is a budgeted dollar amount included in your estimate for a category of materials where you have not yet made a specific selection. For example, if you have not chosen your kitchen tile yet, we might include a $15-per-square-foot allowance for backsplash tile. If you end up choosing a tile that costs $22 per square foot, the difference comes back to you as a change order for the additional material cost.

Allowances are a practical way to move a project forward before every selection is finalized, but they require honest communication on both sides. We set allowances at amounts we believe are realistic for the quality level you are describing. If you are describing a high-end primary bath renovation and we set a $5-per-square-foot tile allowance, we are not serving you well. We would rather set allowances that reflect your actual taste and catch up in the estimate than set them low to make the number look better on paper.

Permit requirements vary by municipality, but as a general rule in the areas we serve, permits are required for: any structural changes (removing or adding walls, altering the roofline, adding square footage), electrical work beyond simple fixture replacements, plumbing changes beyond fixture swaps, HVAC work, new windows or doors that change the opening size, and decks or outdoor structures above a certain size.

Cosmetic work — replacing tile, painting, installing new flooring, swapping cabinet doors, upgrading fixtures in place — typically does not require a permit. When we assess your project, we tell you exactly what will and will not require permitting, and we factor permit timelines into your project schedule from the start.

This varies significantly by municipality and by project complexity. Simple permits in some jurisdictions can be issued over the counter or within a few days. More complex permits — especially those requiring structural drawings or plan review — can take 3–8 weeks in municipalities like the City of Austin, Lakeway, or Bee Cave. Some jurisdictions have expedited review available for an additional fee, which can make sense for time-sensitive projects.

We apply for permits as early in the pre-construction phase as possible specifically because of these timelines. A project where permits are applied for the week before demo is scheduled is a project that will almost certainly experience delays. We plan ahead to prevent that.

Many neighborhoods in West Austin — particularly in Westlake, Steiner Ranch, and Bee Cave — have active HOAs or architectural review boards (ARBs) that require approval for exterior changes to your home. This can include roofing, windows, doors, siding, paint color, fencing, and any additions or structural changes visible from the street.

Interior remodeling generally does not require HOA approval, though some HOAs do have rules about construction hours, dumpster placement, and contractor parking. We know the HOA landscape in our service area well and will flag any relevant requirements during our consultation. If your project requires HOA or ARB approval, we factor 2–8 weeks into the timeline for that process and help you prepare the documentation they require.

A building inspection is a visit from a city or county inspector who verifies that the work completed meets local building code requirements. Different types of work require different inspections — a framing inspection before walls are closed, a rough-in inspection to verify plumbing and electrical before drywall, a final inspection at project completion.

We schedule and manage all inspections. You generally do not need to be present, though you are welcome to be. If an inspector requires a correction — which occasionally happens even on well-run projects — we address it promptly and schedule a re-inspection. Inspections are not something to fear. They are an important quality check, and passing them gives you the documentation that the work in your home was done correctly.

We take job site containment seriously, especially in occupied homes. Before work begins, we install dust barriers — typically heavy plastic sheeting sealed at doorways — to contain construction dust to the work area. We use floor protection on any surfaces we are walking across. We establish clear paths for workers and materials that minimize impact on the rest of your home.

We run HEPA air scrubbers in the work area during particularly dusty phases like demolition and drywall. At the end of each work day, the job site is cleaned and organized. We are guests in your home and we act like it.

One honest note: no containment is perfect. Some fine dust will find its way through a house during a major remodel. HVAC filters should be changed more frequently during construction. We will let you know when the dustiest phases are so you can take any additional precautions that matter to you.

Our standard working hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Occasionally, subcontractors may need to schedule outside these hours for specific work — a plumber who can only do a rough-in inspection at 7:30 AM, for example — and we will always communicate those instances in advance and get your approval.

We are respectful of HOA rules regarding construction hours in your neighborhood. Many West Austin communities have noise ordinances that restrict construction before 7:00 or 8:00 AM and after 6:00 PM on weekdays, and restrict Saturday hours as well. We know the rules for each community we work in and we follow them.

Our standard working hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Occasionally, subcontractors may need to schedule outside these hours for specific work — a plumber who can only do a rough-in inspection at 7:30 AM, for example — and we will always communicate those instances in advance and get your approval.

We are respectful of HOA rules regarding construction hours in your neighborhood. Many West Austin communities have noise ordinances that restrict construction before 7:00 or 8:00 AM and after 6:00 PM on weekdays, and restrict Saturday hours as well. We know the rules for each community we work in and we follow them.

Pets are a real consideration that we appreciate clients thinking through. Our team members work with tools, materials, and open doorways — all of which can be hazardous for a curious dog or an escape-artist cat. We recommend keeping pets in a part of the home that is fully separated from the work area, or making arrangements for them to be elsewhere during active construction days.

Please let us know upfront if you have pets. We will build any relevant precautions into our site management plan, and our team will be mindful of keeping gates closed and doorways secure.

The final walkthrough is one of our favorite parts of every project — it is when you get to see the finished space for the first time with fresh eyes, and when we get to see your reaction to months of hard work. We walk every room, every detail together. You tell us anything that does not look right or feel finished to you — a paint edge that needs touching up, a drawer that sticks slightly, a grout joint that looks uneven. Everything you note goes on a punch list.

We complete the punch list before your final payment is due. We will never ask for final payment before you are satisfied. That is a commitment we take seriously, and it is one of the ways we hold ourselves accountable to delivering what we promised.

Call us. Seriously — do not sit on it. Small issues that are addressed promptly are easy to resolve. Small issues that are left for six months can become bigger ones. Within our warranty period, if something is a workmanship issue, we come out and fix it. Period. No debate, no back-and-forth about whether it is our responsibility.

Even after the warranty period, we remain available to our past clients for questions, advice, and future projects. Many of our clients have worked with us two or three times across different phases of their home — because they know what to expect and they trust the relationship. That is the kind of contractor we aim to be.

At project completion, we provide you with a care and maintenance guide specific to the materials in your project — how to clean your countertops, whether your grout needs to be sealed and how often, how to care for your new cabinetry, and what to do if a fixture needs adjustment. You should not have to Google this information. It comes with the project.

A few general tips for West Austin homes: natural stone countertops should be sealed annually. Grout in showers benefits from a quality sealer applied every 1–2 years. HVAC filters should be changed regularly — especially in the first few months after a renovation when construction dust is still settling. And if you notice anything that seems off — a crack, a stain, a sound that was not there before — let us know sooner rather than later.

We hope so. Some of our greatest satisfaction comes from clients who come back to us years later for a second project — because they know how we work, they trust our people, and they do not want to start over with someone new. We love seeing how clients grow into the spaces we built for them and what they want to do next.

If you have future projects in mind — even if they are years away — mention them during our consultation. Sometimes the order in which you tackle phases affects how we approach the current one, and thinking ahead can save you money and disruption down the road.