Glenda Hilliard
Principal and design director
Leads the design team and meets every client at the first conversation.
Design-build, Austin
Know the house, the plan and the price before we build
We design and build whole-house renovations, additions and outdoor rooms. Every project starts with a planning binder written for your house, and ends on a maximum price you can read in plain words.
The first thing we hand you
The planning binder comes before the bid
A bound binder, written for your house: what we found, what we propose, in what order, and what it should cost, line by line.
It is a paid planning phase with its own short agreement, so the fee and what it covers are written down before it starts. The binder is also what we price from, which means the number in your build agreement comes from pages you have already read.
Inside the binder
A measured survey of the house and the lot
A room-by-room scope, with what is not included
Floor plans and elevations
A selections book with allowances
A schedule in weeks, permits included
A line-item budget and the proposed maximum price
Guaranteed maximum price
A price with a ceiling, explained plainly
Three ways to price a remodel, side by side. We build on the third. The signed agreement, not this page, sets the terms.
| In the contract | Fixed price | Cost-plus, no cap | Guaranteed maximum price |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you agree to pay | Fixed priceOne total for the scope as drawn. | Cost-plus, no capThe actual cost of the work, plus a fee. | Guaranteed maximum priceThe actual cost of the work plus our fee, and never more than the maximum written in the contract. |
| If the work costs less | Fixed priceThe builder keeps the difference. | Cost-plus, no capYou pay less. | Guaranteed maximum priceYou pay less. Unspent allowances and contingency come back to you. |
| If the work costs more | Fixed priceThe builder absorbs it, unless the scope changes. | Cost-plus, no capYou pay more, with nothing to stop it. | Guaranteed maximum priceWe absorb it when it comes from our own estimating. A change you ask for is priced and signed before it counts. |
| What you see | Fixed priceA total, and often little behind it. | Cost-plus, no capEvery invoice and receipt. | Guaranteed maximum priceEvery invoice and receipt, set against a budget with the maximum on top. |
| Where it fits | Fixed priceA small scope, drawn in full before you sign. | Cost-plus, no capWork whose scope can't be known yet. | Guaranteed maximum priceLarge jobs whose drawings are done but whose walls, soil and roof will still hold surprises. |
What we build
Five kinds of work, one team from drawing to keys
Whole-house renovation
Walls move, systems are replaced, and the house works the way you live.
Whole-house renovation
Additions and second stories
More room that looks as though it was always part of the house.
Additions and second stories
Kitchens and great rooms
The room the house is organized around, drawn with the rooms beside it.
Kitchens and great rooms
Primary suites and baths
A bedroom, a bath and a closet, planned as one place to start and end the day.
Primary suites and baths
Outdoor living
Screened porches, covered patios and outdoor kitchens for a long Texas summer.
Outdoor living
How a project runs
From the first conversation to the walk-through
Six stages, and a named person at each one.
- 01Studio manager
Step 1: A conversation at the studio
You tell us about the house, and we say whether a binder would help and what it covers. Nothing is signed.
- 02Principal
Step 2: The planning agreement
A short agreement for the binder alone. The fee and the scope are on one page.
- 03Director of preconstruction
Step 3: The planning binder
We survey the house, draw it, select the finishes and price it. You review it with us in person.
- 04Principal
Step 4: The build agreement and the maximum price
If you build with us, the contract carries the maximum price from the binder, with the terms beside it.
- 05Project manager
Step 5: Permits, orders and the start
We apply for permits, order what takes longest to arrive and set the first day with you.
- 06Superintendent
Step 6: The build and the walk-through
The superintendent is on site every working day. At the end we walk every room with you and a written list.
Projects
Rooms and houses, with the scope beside each
Sample photographs, to show the kind of work and the level of detail. Your own project photographs go here.
Showing 6 of 6
Sample photos.
The studio
The people you will deal with
About twenty of us: designers, an estimator, project managers, superintendents and carpenters. These are six you meet before anything is signed.
Suresh Doshi
Principal and head of construction
Reads every drawing before it goes to price and signs each build agreement.
Iliana Cervera
Director of preconstruction
Writes the planning binder and builds the budget behind the maximum price.
Hyunwoo Baek
Senior project manager
Your point of contact from the build agreement to the walk-through.
Carmelo Guajardo
Lead superintendent
On site every working day, protecting the house while we are in it.
Christa Hoover
Interior design lead
Runs the selections book and sets up the sample table at the studio.
From clients
What clients say about the planning stage
“I read the binder twice before we signed. When the contract came, there was nothing in it that I hadn't already seen on paper.”
Kyra B.Whole-house renovation, Tarrytown
“They found the beam over the kitchen in the binder phase, not on demolition day. We changed the plan before anyone had bought anything.”
Donovan H.Kitchen and great room, Zilker
“We lived in the house through the second story. Every afternoon the superintendent texted us what the next day would be and what would be loud.”
Alison F.Second-story addition, Allandale
Sample reviews.
Where we build
Central Austin, the south side and the west hills
The studio is on West 6th Street. Most projects are within half an hour of it, and the superintendent visits each one every working day.
- Central Austin: Tarrytown, Pemberton Heights, Old Enfield, Bryker Woods, Windsor Park, Allandale, Northwest Hills · Older houses on mature lots, where the first question is what is behind the walls
- South of the river: Zilker, Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek, Barton Hills, Circle C · Bungalows, ranches and newer builds, often with a garage or a second story to add
- West and the lake: Rollingwood, Barton Creek, Steiner Ranch, Volente, Spicewood, Lago Vista · Hillside lots, long driveways and views that decide where the windows go
We build in and around Austin, and rarely past Lago Vista or the Colorado River to the east. We don't take single-trade jobs such as a roof, a fence or a driveway on its own, and we don't take work smaller than a whole room.
Questions
What people ask before the first meeting
What does the planning binder cost?
It is a paid planning phase, and the fee is set out in its own short agreement before it starts. The pricing page explains what the fee covers and whether it is credited if you build with us.
Do I have to build with you after the binder?
No. The binder is yours. You can take it to another builder, or build with us on the maximum price it proposes.
What is a guaranteed maximum price?
A cap written into the contract. You pay the real cost of the work plus our fee, up to that cap. If the work costs less, you pay less. The comparison above sets out the terms.
How long before you can start building?
Planning, permit review and long-lead orders come first. The schedule in your binder shows each, in weeks, so the start date is a plan and not a promise made on the first call.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes. Federal rules cover paid renovation work in homes built before 1978, and the firm must be EPA-certified and follow set work practices. Many Austin houses fall in that range. We test or assume, and tell you which, before work begins.
Can we live in the house while you build?
Sometimes. It depends on the scope, and the binder says plainly which rooms and utilities you lose and for how long. For a whole-house renovation, most families move out for part of the job.
Start a conversation
Tell us about the house
Phone(512) 555-0102
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed