Add on or move · Fort Worth
Should I add on or move?
It comes down to two numbers and one question: what the addition costs, what your house would sell for, and whether you want to stay where you are. We build additions and sell houses, so we can get you both numbers.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803
Side by side
Add on or move: the two numbers to compare
Advice on this question often comes from someone who sells one side: a builder who wants to add on, or an agent who wants you to move. Here are both sides, from a company that does both.
Add on
Move
What it costs
$60,000 to $420,000
with us, construction plus our fee, before permits and contingency. That’s $175 to $400 a square foot.
The price of the next house, less what yours sells for.
Our agents tell you what yours would sell for, for free.
What goes on top
Fort Worth permit fees of $1,200 to $3,500, a contingency of 15 to 20% of budget, and your plans, which are a separate fee.
Closing costs on the sale and on the purchase. In Texas, every title company charges the same premium for a title policy.
How long it takes
3 to 9 months of construction.
Selling one house and buying another, on whatever timeline the market and the next house allow.
Your property taxes
Your homestead keeps its 10 percent cap. The addition’s market value can be added on top of it.
Your cap doesn’t come with you. On the new house, it starts the January after your first year with a homestead exemption there.
What you trade
Some yard, if you build out; going up doesn’t take yard. You keep where you live.
Where you live. You start over on a new street, and nothing has to be built.
Addition figures are our ranges, current as of September 2026. Tax and title lines are from the Texas Tax Code and the Texas Department of Insurance, read November 8, 2026.
Texas rules
Three Texas rules on the moving side
Three Texas rules change the math on the moving side. Your property tax cap starts over on the new house, title insurance costs the same at every title company, and Texas can’t add a transfer tax when you sell.
- Your tax cap on the new house
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“The limitation provided by Subsection (a) takes effect as to a residence homestead on January 1 of the tax year following the first tax year the owner qualifies the property for an exemption under Section 11.13.”
- Title insurance
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“Title insurance rates in Texas are regulated.” “All title companies will charge the same premium for a policy.” “The buyer and seller may negotiate who pays the premium.”
Texas Department of Insurance, “Title insurance FAQ”, updated March 19, 2024, read November 8, 2026
- A tax on the sale
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“After January 1, 2016, no law may be enacted that imposes a transfer tax on a transaction that conveys fee simple title to real property.”
Texas Constitution, Article VIII, Section 29(a), read November 8, 2026
Subsection (a) is the 10 percent cap on how fast a homestead’s appraised value can rise. On the house you keep, it stays in place when you add on. Does remodeling raise property taxes?
General information, not tax or legal advice. Tarrant Appraisal District sets your value.
Your call
The questions only you can answer
Four questions settle it. We can help you answer the first two by walking your house.
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Can your house go up, or out?
Usually the roof and the lot survey. Some houses take a second story well. On others it looks like one house stacked on another, and trim cannot fix that.
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How much yard will it take?
More than most people picture. Before you commit to the plan, stake out the footprint and stand in the yard that is left.
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Do you want to stay where you are?
If you love where you live and the only problem is the house, adding on keeps where you live. If where you live is part of the problem, an addition can’t fix that.
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Is it the size, or the layout?
Sometimes the square footage is fine and it’s just in the wrong places. A better floor plan can be the cheaper answer.
How we plan and build home additions
Zoning also limits where an addition can sit on your lot and how big it can be. Fort Worth setback requirements
How it works
How to get both numbers from one team
Both numbers cost you nothing to get, and you don’t have to decide anything until you have them.
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Meet Up.
A designer and a builder walk your house with you at no charge, tell you whether it goes up or out, and give you an honest estimate. Our real estate agents run a free market analysis of what your house would sell for today.
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Team Up.
If adding on looks right, our drafting team draws it and your detailed budget comes from those drawings. If moving looks right, our agents help you price the next house.
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Glasses Up.
We build the addition, or we sell your house and help you buy the next one.
Who you’d work with
Award-winning Fort Worth real estate agents, backed by an award-winning builder
Fort Worth Magazine has named us Best Home Builder & Remodeler four years running, and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce named us Small Business of the Year. The same company prices your addition and tells you what your house would sell for, so neither side is trying to sell you the other.
Best Home Builder & Remodeler
Fort Worth MagazineFort Worth Chamber Small Business of the Year4.7 stars from 91 Google reviews as of September 2026
Is it cheaper to build an addition or buy a bigger house?
On: our ranges, September 2026
It depends on two numbers: what the addition costs, and the gap between what your house would sell for and what the next one costs, plus closing costs. With us, an addition runs $60,000 to $420,000, construction plus our fee, before permits and contingency. Our agents can tell you what your house would sell for, for free.
How much does an addition cost in Fort Worth?
On: our ranges, September 2026
With us, $60,000 to $420,000, or $175 to $400 a square foot, construction plus our fee, before permits and contingency.
Will adding on raise my property taxes?
On: Texas Tax Code §23.23(a)(2), (e)
It can. Your homestead’s 10 percent cap stays in place, and the market value of a new improvement, like an addition, can be added on top of it. Tarrant Appraisal District decides your value.
Do property taxes go up if I buy a bigger house in Texas?
On: Texas Tax Code §23.23(c)
They can. The cap on your old house doesn’t move with you. On the new house, the 10 percent cap starts on January 1 of the year after the first year you qualify it for a homestead exemption.
Is title insurance cheaper at a different title company in Texas?
On: Texas Department of Insurance
No. Texas regulates title insurance rates, and every title company charges the same premium for a policy. The buyer and seller can negotiate who pays it.
Should I remodel instead of moving?
Sometimes. If the house has the room but it’s in the wrong places, a new layout can be the cheaper fix.
Get both numbers before you decide
Decide on a guess and you can build an addition onto a house you’d rather leave, or move away from a street you love for space you could have added. One walk-through and one market analysis, and you’re choosing with real numbers.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803
