Westlake TX Remodeling
In most of Austin, the house is worth more than the lot. In 78746 it is frequently the other way around, and that changes the question homeowners are actually asking.
It is rarely “should we update the kitchen.” It is “is this house worth investing in, or are we eventually going to tear it down.” We have that conversation often, and we will give you a straight answer even when the answer is that a renovation does not pencil.
Riccoboni Construction handles Westlake TX remodeling across West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, and Lost Creek. Kitchens, bathrooms, additions, and whole-house renovation.
Request an estimate or call 512-920-2049.
Remodel or Rebuild
Worth thinking through before you spend money on drawings.
Renovation usually wins when the foundation and framing are sound, the footprint roughly works, and the problems are layout, systems, and finishes. Most homes here fall into this category. You keep the mature trees and the existing footprint, which on a constrained hillside lot is worth more than it sounds, because a new build has to satisfy current setback and coverage rules that the original house may predate.
Rebuilding starts to make sense when the foundation has real problems, the ceiling heights cannot be fixed, or the layout is so far from what you want that you are effectively paying to build a new house inside an old shell.
We will tell you which one you have. We do not do demolition and rebuild, so there is nothing in it for us either way.
Which Authority Reviews Your Project
This is the first thing to establish in Westlake, and it surprises people.
West Lake Hills and Rollingwood are separate incorporated cities, each with its own building department and its own code. Other parts of the 78746 area, including Lost Creek, fall under the City of Austin. A few sit in unincorporated Travis County. Jurisdiction can change from one street to the next.
That determines your requirements, your review timeline, and in some cases what you are allowed to build at all. We confirm it for your specific address before anything gets scoped, because a project planned against the wrong rulebook is a project that gets redesigned.
What These Houses Need
Most of Westlake was built between the 1960s and the 1990s. The construction is generally good. The plans are dated in a specific way: compartmentalized rooms, kitchens closed off from everything, primary suites that were generous for 1978, and remarkably little glass on the side of the house with the view.
The projects that come up again and again:
- Opening the kitchen into the living space, which is almost always structural
- Reworking the primary suite, usually by taking space from an adjacent closet or bedroom
- Adding glazing on the canyon side, which involves headers and sometimes a change to the roof line
- Replacing systems at or past the end of their service life
- Building covered outdoor space where the lot has a view worth sitting in
Hillside Logistics
The part nobody puts on a website, and the part that determines whether your renovation is tolerable to live near.
These lots are steep and the streets are narrow. There is often nowhere to put a dumpster, a materials drop, or six trucks. Foundations step with the grade. Retaining and drainage show up in scope on projects that would never need them on flat ground.
Your neighbors are close, and they will be close for the entire project. We plan staging and deliveries in advance, keep the site tight, and clean up daily. On a job that runs six months in a neighborhood where everyone knows each other, that is not a courtesy. It is the difference between a project people tolerate and one they complain about.
Choosing a Remodeling Contractor in Westlake TX
Questions worth asking anyone bidding your project, us included.
Have they worked in this jurisdiction before? West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, and Austin each run differently. A contractor who has only pulled Austin permits will learn on your schedule.
Who is sequencing the trades? Ask what happens to your timeline when an electrician takes a larger job mid-project. The answer should be that the general contractor resequences around it, not that you wait.
How is the estimate structured? Scope, allowances, and permit fees listed separately. Different totals between bids almost always mean different scopes.
What is the plan for site access? If they have not looked at your driveway and thought about where a truck parks, they have not thought about your project.
When are selections due? Cabinetry and specialty materials have long lead times. A contractor who says you can decide later is describing a delay.
Services
Kitchens. Layout changes, wall removal, utility relocation, cabinetry, and counters. Removing a bearing wall means a beam, posts, and a load path to the foundation, with engineering and inspection.
Bathrooms. Taken to framing and rebuilt. Waterproofing is photographed before tile goes down and the documentation is yours.
Additions. Primary suites, guest quarters, second stories, and covered outdoor living. On these lots the site decides more than the plan does, so that analysis comes first.
Whole-home renovation. Layout, systems, envelope, and finishes addressed together rather than one room at a time.
Remodeling Services for Westlake
Start With a Walkthrough
Come to us with the question you actually have, including whether the house is worth the investment at all. We will walk it, tell you what we see, and put a real range on it.
No charge, and no obligation afterward.
Request an estimate or call 512-920-2049.
