Full Home Renovation in Katy, TX | Franco BuildWorks

This page covers full home renovation for Katy, TX homeowners. For the full step-by-step guide, see our Full Home Renovation service page — or explore all our work in Katy.

Katy has two different renovation stories

A whole-home renovation in Katy usually falls into one of two categories. The first is the dated-but-dry older home — 1970s–80s traditionals in Nottingham Country, Kelliwood and Old Katy that are structurally fine but frozen in another decade of finishes, layouts and closed-off rooms.

The second is the flood-affected home. When the Barker Reservoir was released during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, controlled flooding reached neighborhoods that had never taken water — parts of Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch, Kelliwood and Grand Lakes among them. Some of those homes are still being renovated years later, and they call for a very different plan than a cosmetic refresh.

Flood-zone realities and ground-floor materials

If your home is in or near a Special Flood Hazard Area — common along Buffalo Bayou, Mason Creek, Willow Fork and the reservoir fringe — the renovation plan should assume water is a possibility, not an impossibility. On ground floors that means favoring resilient materials: rigid-core vinyl plank or tile over laminate, and moisture-tolerant assemblies low on the wall.

We can’t make a house un-floodable, and we won’t imply otherwise. What we can do is help you spend the renovation budget so a future event is a cleanup rather than a gut.

The 50% ‘substantial improvement’ rule — flag it early

This one catches Katy homeowners off guard. If a home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and the cost of a renovation reaches roughly 50% of the structure’s value, the local floodplain administrator can classify it as a ‘substantial improvement’ — which can trigger requirements to bring the whole structure up to current flood code, potentially including elevation.

That threshold can quietly reshape a project’s scope and feasibility, so it’s something we raise before you commit, not after. It’s a real regulatory line specific to flood-zone properties, and Katy has a lot of them.

Expansive clay across a whole house

On a whole-home job, expansive-clay movement isn’t confined to one room — it shows up as cracks at multiple door corners, sticking doors, and separations at ceiling-wall joints throughout. Before we start replacing finishes across a house, we want to know whether we’re looking at old, stable movement or an active foundation issue.

Renovating over active movement just means repainting the same cracks in a year. In most cases we’ll recommend a foundation assessment first when the pattern suggests it, so the cosmetic work lasts.

Sequencing a whole-home renovation

A gut renovation and a lived-in phased renovation are two different projects. If you’re staying in the house, we sequence work zone by zone so you keep a functioning kitchen and bath as long as possible; if it’s vacant, we can run trades in parallel and compress the timeline.

Either way, the order matters — mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in and inspections come before we close walls, and finishes come last. We’ll lay the sequence out so you can see how the phases fit your life.

Permits, jurisdictions, and how Franco approaches it

A whole-home renovation is the project most likely to cross permitting thresholds, and in Katy the authority depends on your address — City of Katy inside the limits, or unincorporated Harris, Fort Bend or Waller County otherwise, plus floodplain permitting in a flood zone. Many master-planned communities also have an HOA architectural committee whose approval you’ll want for anything visible from the street.

We’re upfront about what’s cosmetic and what’s structural, and about the difference between what you can see and what’s behind the walls. On an older or flood-touched Katy home, the honest scope usually isn’t the first one anyone imagines — and we’d rather tell you that at the start.

Full Home Renovation in Katy: FAQ

My home flooded during Harvey — can you renovate it back?

In most cases, yes, though the right plan depends on whether the home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and how far the renovation goes. We’d look at resilient ground-floor materials and flag the floodplain ‘substantial improvement’ rule before scoping, so you’re not surprised by elevation or code-upgrade requirements partway through.

What is the 50% rule I keep hearing about?

For a home in a flood zone, if a renovation’s cost reaches about half the structure’s value, the floodplain administrator can treat it as a substantial improvement and require the whole structure to meet current flood code — potentially including elevation. It’s a threshold worth knowing before you finalize scope, and we raise it early on flood-zone properties.

Should I fix the foundation before renovating?

If the crack and door-alignment pattern points to active movement, usually yes — otherwise you’re renovating over a moving slab and repainting the same cracks later. We’ll tell you when we think an assessment is warranted rather than papering over it, because that protects the finish work you’re paying for.

Can I live in the house during a full renovation?

Often, if we phase it zone by zone to keep a working kitchen and bath as long as possible. It stretches the timeline compared to a vacant gut job but keeps you in the home. We’ll walk you through both options so you can weigh time against disruption.

Do I need permits for a whole-home renovation in Katy?

Almost certainly some, and the authority depends on your address — City of Katy, or unincorporated Harris, Fort Bend or Waller County, plus floodplain permitting in a flood zone and often HOA architectural review. We work to your specific jurisdiction rather than assuming.

Other services in Katy

• Kitchen Remodeling in Katy
• Bathroom Remodeling in Katy
• Room Additions in Katy
• Drywall Repair in Katy
• Tile Installation in Katy
• Vinyl Plank Flooring in Katy
• Interior Painting in Katy

Zip codes served in Katy: 77449, 77450, 77493, 77494.