Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Fast, Reliable General Contractor Across Highlands
When a Highlands homeowner calls us about a remodel, the first thing we talk about is what’s behind the walls. Most homes here were built between the 1950s and 1980s, and quite a few sit on pier-and-beam foundations that shift with the clay soil. That means a kitchen or bath remodel in Highlands rarely stops at cabinets and tile. We plan for what the house will tell us once we open it up. If you’re looking for a General Contractor who files correct Harris County permits and puts every surprise in writing before touching it, call (254) 272-5240. We serve Highlands neighborhoods from River Terrace to the streets off E. Wallisville Rd, and we answer the phone live when you call.
Why Elmstead Remodeling Houston Is Highlands’s Preferred General Contractor Company
Elmstead Remodeling Houston is a Cedarwell company, which means every Highlands project runs on the same Cedarwell Care Promise: shoe covers at the door, drop cloths on the floors, a written price before work starts, and a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves. We don’t treat those as add-ons. They’re part of how we work in Highlands, whether we’re re-sheathing a flooded exterior wall or installing KraftMaid cabinets in a 1960s ranch.
Our crews know the permitting path here. Highlands is unincorporated Harris County, so there’s no municipal inspection layer from Houston or Baytown. The county reviews the package directly. That can move projects faster when the paperwork is right, and it stalls them badly when it isn’t. We file Harris County permits with floodplain documentation included from the start. That matters along the San Jacinto River and its tributaries, where elevation rules and drainage regulations shape what can be done and how it has to be built.
Every Elmstead Remodeling Houston project carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right after we leave, we make it right. And Graham Stein, who leads our team, holds every Highlands job to that standard personally.
Styles & brands we work with
Residential General Contractor in Highlands
Residential General Contractor work in Highlands almost always means working with what’s already there. Homes here range from modest 1950s and 1960s frame houses on pier-and-beam foundations to newer manufactured homes and a handful of custom builds. A full kitchen remodel in Highlands typically runs $14,000 to $45,000, though a smaller kitchen can come in between $9,000 and $20,000. What changes the number is rarely the finish you pick. It’s what we find when the drywall comes off – old wiring, notched framing, water damage from past flooding.
Older Home Openings and Code Upgrades
Opening a wall in a Highlands home often triggers code upgrades the original builder never had to meet. Cloth-insulated wiring from the 1960s can’t stay. Undersized floor joists need reinforcement. When we write a contract, we build allowances for exactly these discoveries so the price you approved in writing doesn’t become a price you never saw coming.
Coordinating the Trades
A residential general contractor in Highlands handles the permit package, schedules electricians and plumbers and framers, orders materials, and keeps the job moving. For a family with kids and pets, that coordination should be invisible. Quiet tools during nap hours, pet-safe product choices where available, and a crew that asks before moving anything are not extras. They’re the job.
Hire a General Contractor in Highlands
When you hire a General Contractor in Highlands, you’re hiring someone to manage the parts of the job you shouldn’t have to think about: county permit filings, floodplain compliance, material lead times, trade scheduling, and inspections. A typical bathroom remodel here runs $9,000 to $28,000. A whole-home addition is a larger commitment, generally $45,000 to $130,000, and it puts more pressure on the foundation and the drainage around the house, so the planning work matters even more.
The Written Price Comes First
Before any work starts in Highlands, you get a written price. Not a ballpark, not a “we’ll see,” not a number that grows once the crew shows up. If the wall opening reveals something the permit requires us to fix, we write a change order, price it, and get your approval in writing before we proceed. That’s the protection families with children and pets need.
Project Management Without Surprises
Hiring a general contractor means you shouldn’t have to coordinate the plumber and the electrician yourself. We schedule inspections with Harris County, order cabinets from KraftMaid or Wellborn, and keep the job site clean at the end of every day. A photo of the clean-up before we leave is included on every visit. If you want to know exactly what the crew will protect and how, call (254) 272-5240 and ask.
Trusted Brands We Service in Highlands
We install products Highlands homeowners can research by name and whose warranties travel with the finished project. Cabinet lines include KraftMaid and Wellborn. Countertops come from Cambria, Silestone, and Caesarstone. Fixtures are Kohler, Moen, and Grohe. For exterior work and window replacements, we frequently spec James Hardie, GAF, and CWS products. Because Highlands sits in a humid, flood-prone climate, we lean toward water-resistant materials and window systems that hold up to Gulf Coast moisture. If you’re replacing windows on an older Highlands home, ES Windows and ECO Window Systems are two lines we’ve installed and would recommend.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon General Contractor Problems We See in Highlands Homes
- Flood-damaged wall cavities hidden behind new drywall. Homes near the San Jacinto River have been through repeated overbank floods. If a previous repair sealed standard drywall over a soaked stud cavity without flood-resistant materials, the work rots from the inside. We open and inspect before we rebuild.
- Cloth-insulated wiring from the 1960s. It’s common in Highlands homes built before 1970. Once a wall is open, Harris County code requires it to be addressed. We write the allowance into the contract up front so the fix doesn’t feel like a surprise.
- Pier-and-beam foundation movement cracking tile and drywall. Clay soil expands and contracts with rain and drought. That movement shows up as cracked backsplashes, door frames out of square, and floors that slope. A remodel that ignores the foundation underneath won’t last.
- Undersized framing notched for plumbing. We regularly find load-bearing headers and joists that were cut or drilled to run pipes decades ago. The fix is a new LVL beam or reinforced joist, permitted and inspected before the wall closes.
Pricing for General Contractor in Highlands, TX
Highlands pricing reflects the age of the housing stock and the floodplain rules. A small kitchen remodel starts around $9,000 and can reach $20,000. A full kitchen runs $14,000 to $45,000. Bathrooms range from $9,000 for a smaller remodel to $28,000 for a full one. Home additions are $45,000 to $130,000, depending on foundation work and drainage requirements. Below are the line-item ranges we quote most often in Highlands.
| Project | Highlands Price Range |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Remodel | $14,000 – $45,000 |
| Small Kitchen Remodel | $9,000 – $20,000 |
| Bathroom Remodel | $9,000 – $28,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 – $130,000 |
The number that changes most in Highlands is the allowance for what’s behind the walls. Older wiring, flood repairs, and foundation leveling all move the final number. We’d rather you know that before we start than after. Call (254) 272-5240 for a free estimate with line items you can read.
We Also Serve Cities Near Highlands
Our crews work throughout the Houston metro. In addition to General Contractor in Highlands, we serve homeowners in Houston, Seabrook, Humble, and League City. If you’re just outside the Highlands line and wondering whether we cover your street, call (254) 272-5240 and ask. We’ll tell you straight.
Serving Highlands, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Highlands area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About General Contractor in Highlands
Opening up an older Highlands home often adds code-required electrical, framing, or flood repair work, and that’s why we write allowances into the contract instead of pretending the original number will hold. A 1960s kitchen wall may hide cloth wiring and a notched header. Those fixes have real costs, and we price them in writing before proceeding. Call (254) 272-5240 to talk through what your house is likely to reveal.
Yes, structural, electrical, plumbing, and most other remodel work in Highlands requires a Harris County permit, and the county reviews it directly without a municipal layer. The package must include floodplain documentation where the property falls near the San Jacinto basin. We file those packages correctly the first time, which keeps your walls open for fewer weeks. Call (254) 272-5240 and we’ll walk you through what your specific project needs.
We specify flood-resistant materials and pay close attention to elevation and drainage on any Highlands property that has flooded before or sits in a mapped floodplain. That means pressure-treated framing where needed, flood vents that meet Harris County requirements, and sheathing that won’t rot after the next overbank flood. If your street has a history of high water, tell us when you call (254) 272-5240 – it changes the material plan.
An allowance is a written dollar amount set aside in the contract for specific unknowns, like rewiring, foundation repair, or replacing a rotted rim joist, that can’t be seen until a wall is open. In Highlands, where older homes and flood history are common, allowances are not optional. If the work is needed, we price it in writing and get your approval before proceeding. No allowances, no surprises. Call (254) 272-5240 to see how we structure a contract.
For larger Highlands projects like a home addition or full kitchen remodel, payments are tied to completed milestones, not a single up-front check. You pay as defined phases are finished and inspected. That keeps the project moving without putting a family’s whole budget at risk before work starts. We’ll walk you through the exact schedule for your project when you call (254) 272-5240.
On an older pier-and-beam home near the San Jacinto River off E. Wallisville Rd, our crew opened a kitchen wall for a KraftMaid cabinet install and found original 1962 wiring with cloth insulation and a load-bearing header that had been notched. We stopped, wrote a change order with allowances for rewiring and a new LVL beam, pulled the updated Harris County permit, and got inspection sign-off before any rough-in continued. That’s how we work in Highlands: inspection first, every change in writing, and no price the owner didn’t approve.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner at Elmstead Remodeling Houston, serving Highlands since 2005.
