Full Home Renovation in Santa Fe, TX

Quick answer: Franco BuildWorks takes on whole-home renovations across Santa Fe, TX (77510, 77517), from pier-and-beam Alta Loma farmhouses to 1980s Arcadia ranches. We start with the foundation and the systems behind the walls, account for Galveston County clay and flood history, and flag FEMA and windstorm rules that a major renovation here can trigger.

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

The houses we renovate in Santa Fe

A full-home renovation in Santa Fe can mean very different things depending on where you are. In Alta Loma you find older pier-and-beam homes with real character and real quirks; along Highway 6 and through Arcadia there are solid 1970s–90s slab ranches; out toward Algoa there are homes on acreage and manufactured housing; and newer subdivisions off FM 646 and FM 1764 bring their own considerations. A whole-home project is where all of a house’s deferred decisions come due at once.

Because we are touching everything, we start with an honest walk-through of what the house actually is — foundation type, wiring era, plumbing material, roof and windstorm status, and flood history — rather than jumping straight to finishes. Getting the bones right is what makes the finishes last.

Start with the foundation and the clay

Santa Fe sits on expansive Gulf Coast clay that swells and shrinks with the seasons, and that movement is the root of a lot of what shows up in an older home: cracked drywall, sticking doors, sloping floors. Before we invest your budget in new floors, tile, and trim, we look honestly at whether the foundation is stable or still moving. Installing beautiful finishes over a foundation that is actively shifting is a good way to watch them crack.

On pier-and-beam homes we can often assess and adjust the framing and supports directly. On slab homes, if the movement looks significant, that is a conversation to have with a foundation specialist before the renovation, not after. We would rather sequence the work correctly than sell you finishes that will not hold.

Flood history, the 50 percent rule, and elevation

Galveston County has a real flood history, and Santa Fe took water in events like Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Ike before it. Many properties here fall within FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas. That matters for a major renovation because of the federal ‘substantial improvement’ rule: when the cost of a renovation reaches roughly half the value of the structure, floodplain regulations can require the home to be brought up to current flood standards, which may include elevation.

This is not a detail to discover after demolition. If your home is in a mapped flood zone and you are planning a large-scale renovation, the floodplain administrator and an elevation certificate are part of the earliest planning, and any floodplain development permit gets pulled up front. We raise it early so the scope is designed around the rules instead of colliding with them.

Wiring, plumbing, and the systems behind the walls

A whole-home renovation is the one time it is genuinely efficient to fix the systems you cannot normally reach. In Santa Fe’s older homes that often means aluminum branch wiring from the late 1960s and early 1970s, undersized electrical panels, galvanized supply lines that have lost pressure, and cast iron drains near the end of their life.

We look at these honestly while the walls are open. Not every home needs a full rewire or repipe, but knowing the condition lets you decide with real information. Right-sizing the HVAC for a humid coastal climate belongs in the same conversation — an oversized system short-cycles and leaves the house clammy, which is its own long-term problem here.

Windstorm and the coastal building reality

Galveston County lies inside the state’s designated windstorm catastrophe area. When a renovation involves roofing, structural changes, or new exterior openings, insuring that work through the state windstorm program generally requires windstorm certification, which is verified by a Texas Department of Insurance-appointed inspector or a licensed engineer — third parties who document that the construction meets the wind standard.

For a homeowner this means some parts of a whole-home renovation carry an inspection path that a comparable inland project would not. We plan for it so the certification is obtained as part of the work rather than becoming an obstacle to your insurance later.

Phasing a renovation you may be living around

Santa Fe’s larger lots are an advantage during a big renovation. There is usually room for a dumpster, material staging, and a work zone that does not shut down your entire property. When a family needs to keep living in part of the home, we can often phase the work so the house stays functional in stages.

We sequence the trades in the order that protects your investment — structure and systems first, then rough-in and inspections, then finishes — and keep you informed as the house is opened up and its real condition is revealed. On a project this size, honest communication about what we find is the whole job.

Full Home Renovation in Santa Fe: FAQ

My renovation is large — could it trigger flood elevation requirements?

It can, if your Santa Fe home is in a FEMA flood zone. Under the ‘substantial improvement’ rule, once a renovation’s cost approaches half the structure’s value, floodplain regulations may require the home to meet current flood standards, potentially including elevation. We check this at the earliest planning stage.

Should I level the foundation before renovating?

Often the foundation should be assessed first. Santa Fe’s expansive clay causes movement, and installing new finishes over an actively shifting foundation invites cracking. If a slab shows significant movement, that is a conversation for a foundation specialist before finishes go in.

Does a whole-home renovation here involve windstorm certification?

It can. Galveston County is inside the designated windstorm catastrophe area, so roofing, structural, and exterior-opening work often needs windstorm certification verified by a state-appointed inspector or licensed engineer to be insurable through the state windstorm program. We plan for that path.

My house still has aluminum wiring — is that a problem?

Aluminum branch wiring from the late 1960s–early 1970s appears in some Santa Fe homes and needs proper connectors and handling wherever it is touched. A whole-home renovation is the efficient time to address it, since the walls are already open.

Can we live in the house during the renovation?

Sometimes, depending on scope. Santa Fe’s larger lots make staging easier, and we can often phase the work so part of the home stays usable. We will tell you honestly which phases realistically require you to be out.

Other services in Santa Fe

Zip codes served in Santa Fe: 77510, 77517.

Full Home Renovation in Santa Fe, TX

Tell us about the space, the scope you have in mind, and your timeline. Franco BuildWorks reviews the details, checks availability, and contacts you to confirm an appointment.

Request Your Estimate Appointment or call 346-229-9538.