Austin's Construction Company for Rebuilds and Remodels
Half of construction in Austin is building something new. The other half is putting homes back together after water, fire, or storm damage — and most contractors only do one or the other. CDG Restoration & Construction does both, and that changes what working with us feels like.
If your project is a rebuild after a loss, the crew that dried or stabilized your home is the same crew that frames the wall, hangs the drywall, matches the texture, and paints it. Your adjuster gets one scope and one accountable company — not two contractors arguing over where mitigation ended and reconstruction began.
If your project is a planned remodel or addition, you get the same disciplined process: a written line-item estimate, permits pulled through the City of Austin, licensed trade partners, and inspections passed at every hold point.
We build across the Austin metro — Round Rock, Georgetown, Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, Dripping Springs, Lakeway, Bee Cave, and the surrounding communities. Estimates are free: (737) 309-5075.
Construction & Reconstruction Services We Offer
Insurance reconstruction or owner-funded remodel — the craftsmanship is the same. The only difference is whether the project starts with an adjuster's scope or your vision.
Post-Damage Reconstruction
The rebuild after water, fire, or storm damage: framing repairs, drywall, insulation, roofing, flooring, cabinets, and paint. Permitted where required, documented for your insurance adjuster, and completed by the same team that handled the mitigation.
Kitchen Remodeling
Full gut-and-rebuild or targeted updates — cabinets, countertops, tile backsplash, flooring, lighting, and appliance installation, with all plumbing and electrical work performed by licensed Texas trade partners.
Bathroom Remodeling
Tub-to-shower conversions, full bathroom guts, custom tile, and vanity replacement — built on complete waterproofing. A bathroom remodeled without proper waterproofing is a mold job in two years; we build it to last.
Room Additions & ADUs
Room additions, garage conversions, and accessory dwelling units under Austin's HOME rules. We verify zoning and impervious cover before design begins and permit the project through the City of Austin from day one.
Flooring, Drywall & Interior Finishes
Hardwood, tile, LVP, drywall, tape-and-bed, and paint — including in-house texture matching. Orange peel, knockdown, skip trowel: matching existing texture is where most contractors fall short, and where we stand out.
Commercial & Tenant Improvement
Office build-outs, retail tenant improvements, and commercial reconstruction after a loss — scheduled around your operations where possible and documented to commercial insurance standards.
Why One Company Should Handle Mitigation and Rebuild
When separate companies split an insurance job, the gaps between them become your problem. The mitigation contractor documents what came out; the rebuild contractor scopes what goes back; the two lists never quite agree — and every discrepancy becomes a three-way negotiation with your adjuster while your ceiling stays open.
Texture matching shows why continuity matters. Most Central Texas homes were finished with orange peel or knockdown texture, and matching it requires knowing what tool made it, at what pressure, from what distance. A contractor who saw the original wall come out can match it. One who inherited a bare, primed patch is guessing.
One scope also means one warranty. If the drywall, texture, or paint is not right, there is no finger-pointing between companies — CDG is responsible for all of it, and we come back and fix it.
How to Vet a General Contractor in Texas (There Is No State License)
Texas issues no state general contractor license — so the 'Licensed, Bonded & Insured' line on a contractor's website is self-reported. Smart homeowners verify three things instead, and a good contractor hands you all three without being asked.
City of Austin contractor registration. Any contractor pulling permits in Austin must be registered with the Development Services Department, which requires proof of general liability insurance. If a contractor cannot give you a registration number, they cannot legally pull your permit — and unpermitted work becomes your problem at sale time.
Trade licenses for the subs. Electricians and HVAC contractors are licensed through TDLR; plumbers through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Ask for license numbers before anyone touches your wiring or water lines.
A current certificate of insurance that includes workers' compensation. Texas lets private employers skip workers' comp, and a contractor without it can leave you liable if a worker is hurt on your property. CDG provides all three on request, on every job.
How Your Construction Project Runs, Start to Finish
The same disciplined sequence applies whether the project starts from an adjuster's scope or a blank sheet. Permits and inspection hold points are not optional — they are what separates a finished home from a future liability.
Scope & Written Estimate
We assess existing conditions, define what comes out and what goes in, and identify the permits the work requires. You get a line-item written estimate before anything starts.
Permitting
We pull every required permit through the City of Austin Development Services Department, respond to plan review comments, and do not start construction until permits are active.
Demolition & Site Prep
Selective or full demolition per the approved plans. Older homes are screened for lead paint and asbestos before disturbance, and protected trees get fencing before equipment arrives.
Framing & Structure
Foundation, framing, sheathing, and housewrap. The city framing inspection is a hold point — nothing gets covered until the inspector signs off.
Licensed MEP Rough-In
Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-in by licensed Texas trade partners — inspected and approved before insulation or drywall closes anything in.
Insulation, Drywall & Finishes
Insulation to Austin's energy code, then drywall, tape-and-bed, texture matched to the existing walls, paint, flooring, tile, trim, cabinets, and countertops.
Final Inspection & Closeout
Final building and trade inspections, your walkthrough and punch list, and a closeout package with permits, warranties, and lien waivers from every sub and supplier.
Building Permits in Austin: What Needs One and Why It Matters
Unpermitted work surfaces at the worst possible time — when a buyer's inspector finds an addition that appears on no city record. Deals collapse, lenders balk, and the city can issue stop-work orders, levy fines, or even require removal of the work. Permits are cheaper than any of that.
As a rule of thumb: structural changes, electrical work beyond swapping a fixture, plumbing beyond swapping a faucet, HVAC modifications, added square footage, and most roofing jobs need a permit. Purely cosmetic work — paint, flooring over an existing subfloor, cabinet swaps with no plumbing or electrical changes — generally does not.
CDG handles the entire permit process: application through the city's AB+C portal, plan review comments, and inspections through to final sign-off. We never ask homeowners to pull their own permits — a contractor who does is shifting liability onto you.
Austin Site Rules We Navigate Every Week
Austin construction has local rules that catch out-of-market contractors constantly — and catching them late costs real money in redesigns and resubmittals.
Protected and heritage trees. Trees 19 inches and larger in diameter need a city permit to remove, and heritage species 24 inches and larger generally cannot be removed at all. We design around the trees and fence them before site work begins.
Impervious cover limits. Every lot has a cap on how much can be covered by roof and hardscape — commonly 45% in Austin's single-family districts. We run that calculation before the design is finalized, because a plan over the limit does not survive city review.
Energy code and soil. Austin enforces an energy code stricter than the state baseline — blower door testing, solar-ready provisions — and much of the metro sits on expansive clay soil that moves with the seasons. Both shape the foundation and MEP design from the first drawing, not as an afterthought.
Room Additions & ADUs Under Austin's HOME Rules
Austin's HOME amendments opened most single-family lots to up to three housing units, making ADUs and additions more attainable than they have been in decades. The rules still vary by zoning district and lot, so we verify what your lot allows before you spend money on drawings.
As broad market context, a detached ADU in the Austin area typically runs $70,000 to $180,000 or more, and room additions typically run $80,000 to $200,000 or more, depending on size, finish level, and utilities. Your written line-item estimate — not a market range — is what to budget from.
The most common ADU roadblock is impervious cover: existing roof plus driveway plus the new footprint can exceed the lot's cap. We check that math first and tell you your realistic options — a smaller footprint, removing hardscape elsewhere, or a variance — before the design is drawn, not after a permit is denied.
Planning to rent the ADU short-term? Austin caps short-term rental of ADUs built after October 2015 at 30 days per year — worth knowing before you build one specifically as an Airbnb.
Construction & Reconstruction FAQs
Straight answers to the questions Austin homeowners ask before starting a construction or remodeling project.
Do general contractors in Texas need a state license?
No — Texas has no state general contractor license, which makes vetting your own contractor essential. Check for City of Austin contractor registration (required to pull permits), a current certificate of insurance that includes workers' compensation, and licensed electricians, plumbers, and HVAC subs. CDG provides all of these on request.
How much does a home remodel cost in Austin?
Broad Austin market ranges: kitchens roughly $35,000 to $110,000, bathrooms $18,000 to $45,000, room additions $80,000 to $200,000, and ADUs $70,000 to $180,000, depending on scope and finishes. Budget a 10 to 20 percent contingency on any project touching existing walls. We provide a free written line-item estimate — call (737) 309-5075.
Do I need a permit for remodeling in Austin?
For structural, electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work, added square footage, and most roofing — yes. Cosmetic work like paint, flooring, and simple cabinet swaps generally does not need one. We pull every required permit ourselves; unpermitted work can trigger fines, stop-work orders, and real problems when you sell.
What is the difference between remodeling and reconstruction?
Remodeling changes existing space by choice — a new kitchen layout, a finished addition. Reconstruction rebuilds what a fire, flood, or storm destroyed, usually under an insurance claim, and typically must meet current code rather than the code your home was built under. CDG does both with the same crew.
How long does a room addition or ADU take in Austin?
Plan on several weeks to a few months for design and city permit review, then typically four to eight months of construction depending on size and complexity. Site factors like heritage trees, tight impervious cover, and busy inspection seasons can extend that. You get a written schedule with your estimate.
Can I live in my house during a major remodel?
Usually, yes — we phase the work to keep part of the home functional. Kitchens are the hardest stretch, often 12 to 20 weeks without a working kitchen on a full gut. If the work zone includes your only bathroom or the HVAC system, we will tell you honestly whether staying makes sense.
How do I protect myself against mechanic's liens?
Require lien waivers with every payment draw. In Texas, an unpaid subcontractor can lien your property even if you paid the general contractor in full — the waiver chain is your protection. CDG collects conditional waivers from every sub and supplier and delivers them in your closeout package.
Why hire the same company for mitigation and rebuild?
Because the gaps between two contractors become your delays. Split jobs stall while the mitigation scope and rebuild scope are reconciled, finishes get matched by someone who never saw the original, and the warranty splits between companies that point at each other. One company means one scope, one schedule, one warranty.
Do you handle the insurance claim paperwork on rebuild projects?
Yes. We write the reconstruction scope in the estimating format carriers expect, document at the line-item level, and submit supplements when the adjuster's initial estimate missed scope. One thing we never do: offer to waive or absorb your deductible — that is illegal in Texas, and any contractor offering it is telling you how they operate.
Do you take on commercial projects?
Yes — office build-outs, retail tenant improvements, and commercial reconstruction after water or fire losses across the Austin metro. We schedule around your business operations where possible and provide the documentation commercial carriers and landlords require.
Ready to Build? Estimates Are Free
Whether it is a rebuild under an insurance claim or the remodel you have been planning for years, it starts the same way: we look at the scope, put it in writing, and tell you honestly what the project requires — permits, timeline, and price.
Call CDG Restoration & Construction at (737) 309-5075 or request your free estimate online. One company, from the first walkthrough to the final inspection.
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