Remodel or rebuild · Fort Worth
Is it better to remodel or rebuild in Fort Worth?
The slab, the framing and where the plumbing runs usually decide it.
We build both. A whole-home remodel with us runs $150,000 to $750,000, and a custom home runs $550,000 to $2,000,000, construction plus our fee, before permits and contingency.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803
Ranges current as of September 2026.
The answer
Remodel vs rebuild cost in Fort Worth
Per square foot, our remodel band runs lower than our new-build band, and the two overlap at the top of one and the bottom of the other.
Whole-home remodel
Custom home
Both bands are construction plus our fee, before permits and contingency. The size of the house sets where a remodel starts. What’s behind the walls and how much of the plan is structural move it up or down the band.
For what moves each price, see the whole-home remodel cost guide and the custom home cost guide.
Side by side
Remodel or rebuild: the two paths side by side
Our two price ranges, read across.
| Remodel the house you have | Build a new house on your lot | |
|---|---|---|
| We bill both Cost Plus: construction plus our fee, before permits and contingency. | ||
| What it costs, remodel: $150,000 to $750,000 | What it costs, rebuild: $550,000 to $2,000,000 | |
| What the range covers, remodel: Mostly surface work on a smaller house at the low end. A large house taken down to the studs at the top. | What the range covers, rebuild: About 2,100 square feet at the low end. Past 4,000 at the top. | |
| Per square foot, remodel: $100 to $300 | Per square foot, rebuild: $260 to $450 | |
| How long it takes, remodel: 5 to 12 months | How long it takes, rebuild: 11 to 18 months | |
| Fort Worth permit fees on our jobs, remodel: $1,200 to $4,000 | Fort Worth permit fees on our jobs, rebuild: $3,000 to $5,000, and a teardown also takes the City’s razing permit | |
| Contingency to plan for, remodel: 15 to 20 percent On a down-to-studs remodel, we would not go lower. | Contingency to plan for, rebuild: 10 to 15 percent | |
| What you start with, remodel: You keep the house you chose, with a floor plan that works for how you live now. | What you start with, rebuild: A custom home starts from scratch: no wall that has to stay, no plumbing to work around, no previous owner’s taste to negotiate with. | |
Ranges current as of September 2026.
A remodel carries the bigger contingency because of what’s behind the walls, which nobody can read from the curb.
What decides it
What decides whether to remodel or rebuild
From the curb, a house worth remodeling and a house that should come down can look the same. These four things tell them apart.
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The slab, the framing and the plumbing
Two houses with the same floor plan can need very different work, and none of it shows from the street. That’s why we walk the whole house before anyone prices either path.
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How much you would keep
If a remodel keeps the outside walls and replaces everything behind them, it is really a rebuild.
Count what stays. That count is what we price.
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The parts you love
Original floors, a stair rail, the trim, a fireplace. In a remodel, they stay, and we design the new work to match them.
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The houses on either side
The size, roofline and front of a new house have to fit the street, and finishes cannot fix that later.
If it comes down
What a teardown adds before the new house starts
Tearing down a house in Fort Worth takes a permit. The City calls it a residential razing permit, and you need one for each building you remove.
In our custom home budgets, a teardown carries demolition, disposal and often a utility disconnect the empty lot never sees.
Some houses carry a Demolition Delay designation. On those, the City’s Landmarks Commission can hold the permit for up to 180 days to look for alternatives, so check before you plan around a date.
How the demolition permit worksWhat a teardown adds to the cost
How to find out whether your house should be remodeled or rebuilt
Spend an hour on it with us before anybody draws anything.
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Meet Up.
A designer and a builder walk the house and the lot with you, at no charge. We price the rebuild against remodeling the house you have, because we do both.
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Team Up.
Our designers and drafting team draw the path you pick, and your detailed budget is built from that plan.
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Glasses Up.
We build it, with the budget open to you as it moves, and hand back a home that feels like you.
Our work
Two families who stayed on their lot: one remodel, one rebuild
Westcliff · Remodel
In Westcliff, the 6th Ave Homes design and construction teams reworked the main floor into a colorful, transitional whole, from the entry and dining room to the kitchen, den, and butler’s pantry.
See the remodel →
Tanglewood · Rebuild
A tree took down the house this family had lived in for decades. They chose to stay on the same lot instead of leaving the neighborhood, and we built them a ranch-style home that fits the street.
See the new house →We do whole-home remodels and custom homes in and around Fort Worth, so we can price either one for your house.
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 gut a house or rebuild it?
Per square foot, a whole-home remodel with us runs $100 to $300 and a custom home $260 to $450, both construction plus our fee, before permits and contingency. Where a remodel lands in its band depends on what’s behind the walls, and a teardown adds demolition, disposal and often a utility disconnect before the new house starts.
If we take the house down to the studs, isn’t that a rebuild?
If a remodel keeps the outside walls and replaces everything behind them, it is really a rebuild. That’s why we look at the slab, the framing and the plumbing before we price either one.
How long does a remodel take compared to a rebuild?
With us, a whole-home remodel takes 5 to 12 months and a custom home 11 to 18 months. How long a remodel takes
Will a remodel or a rebuild raise our property taxes?
Either can. If the work raises the house’s market value and isn’t repairs or ordinary maintenance, Texas treats it as a new improvement. What your bill does depends on the value Tarrant Appraisal District sets and the rates your taxing units adopt. A house rebuilt after a fire or storm left it unlivable isn’t a new improvement unless the new one has more square footage or a higher-quality exterior. Does remodeling raise property taxes?
Can you tell us which one our house needs?
Spend an hour on it with us before anybody draws anything. A designer and a builder walk the house and the lot with you at no charge, and we price both against your house. You leave with an estimate, and you get a detailed budget once the design is done.
Know which path your house needs before you pay for either one
Price only one path and you never see the other’s number. Walk the house and the lot with us, and we’ll price both.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803
