Pricing by neighborhood — General Contractor · Dallas, TX
| Neighborhood | Low | High | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Park / University Park | $130 | $210 | Park Cities architectural review, $400+/sqft luxury custom, mature canopy preservation, separate municipal permits |
| Preston Hollow | $120 | $195 | Luxury custom builds, large lots, integrated AV, imported stone, deed-restricted blocks |
| Uptown / Victory Park | $100 | $160 | High-rise condo finish-out, building alteration agreements, freight-elevator slots, after-hours work |
| Lakewood / M Streets | $90 | $145 | 1920s-30s Tudor and craftsman gut renovations, pier-and-beam foundations, conservation district overlays |
| Oak Cliff / Bishop Arts | $80 | $130 | Mid-century ranch and craftsman remodels, historic-district rules in Winnetka Heights, gentrification-era additions |
| East Dallas / Casa Linda | $75 | $120 | Mid-tier ranch and traditional remodels, expansive-soil foundation work, simpler permit path |
| Plano / Frisco / Allen | $70 | $115 | Suburban new builds and remodels, separate city permits, easier access, lower overhead |
| Arlington | $65 | $105 | Mid-cities market between DFW, suburban slab homes, City of Arlington permitting, lowest overhead |
General Contractor hourly rate by neighborhood in Dallas, TX. Ranges reflect typical contractor pricing including travel time, building-type access, and local labor density.
How much does a general contractor cost in Dallas?
Dallas general contractors charge $65-$108 per hour for scheduled work, with an average of $86/hr. Most residential projects are billed cost-plus or fixed-bid: expect a 15-25% markup over subs and materials. Per-square-foot benchmarks are $130-$220 for standard work, $220-$400 for premium, and $400-$700+ for luxury in Highland Park and Preston Hollow. Neighborhood matters: the Park Cities sit at the top because of architectural review, custom finish standards, and mature-canopy logistics. Plano, Frisco, and Arlington suburban work sits at the bottom.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median hourly wage for construction managers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro at $43.20. The gap between that and the $86/hr you actually pay is real and explainable, and the rest of this article walks through where every dollar goes, what permits you actually need, and what to ask when comparing quotes.
Dallas General Contractor Rates by Neighborhood
The DFW metro is not one market. A Highland Park gut renovation with Park Cities architectural review and a tree-protection bond is a different job than a Frisco subdivision remodel on a cleared slab lot, and the price reflects that. The full per-neighborhood breakdown sits at the top of this page; this section explains the why behind the numbers.
The premium for Park Cities and Preston Hollow work is not arbitrary. A typical Highland Park or University Park project includes a 4-10 week architectural review at the Park Cities board, separate municipal permitting outside the City of Dallas system, mature-tree protection bonds on live oaks and pecans, and a finish standard that pulls in specialty millwork, slate roofers, and imported stone subs. Plano, Frisco, and Arlington work skips most of that and runs on standardized plat lots with shorter inspection cycles.
Comparable cities for cross-reference:
- Houston general contractor costs — $58-$97/hr
- Austin general contractor costs — $62-$105/hr
- Fort Worth general contractor costs — $60-$100/hr
- Phoenix general contractor costs — $58-$98/hr
Dallas sits roughly in line with the Texas metro average and above Fort Worth, with most local variance explained by the Park Cities premium and the suburban-to-luxury spread inside Loop 12.
Dallas General Contractor Pricing by Building Type
Neighborhood is one axis. Building type and era is the other, and it often matters more than the zip code. A 1925 Lakewood Tudor with original pier-and-beam foundation costs noticeably more to remodel than a 2008 Frisco two-story on the same arterial, because the work itself is slower and the substrate is non-standard.
| Building type | Hourly rate | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|
| Luxury custom (Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow) | $135-$210 | $400-$700/sqft finishes, Park Cities architectural review, tree protection bonds, slate-roof and imported-stone subs |
| Pre-war Tudor / craftsman (Lakewood, M Streets, Munger Place) | $95-$150 | Pier-and-beam foundation work, knob-and-tube electrical, cast-iron drain stacks, conservation-district overlays |
| Mid-century ranch (1950s-1970s, Oak Cliff, Casa Linda, East Dallas) | $80-$130 | Slab-on-grade with expansive-clay shifting, original cast-iron drains, asbestos surveys, addition-and-pop-top common |
| Suburban slab home (Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, post-1990) | $70-$115 | Standardized framing, easy access, separate suburban permit offices, simpler MEP paths |
| High-rise condo finish-out (Uptown, Victory Park, downtown) | $100-$160 | Building alteration agreement, freight-elevator slots, after-hours hot work, HOA finish standards |
The pre-war and Park Cities premiums are real and not arbitrary. Pier-and-beam foundation work in Lakewood and the M Streets requires shimming, sister-joist installation, and frequent termite or rot remediation that slab-on-grade homes do not have. Park Cities luxury custom work, meanwhile, is bid against a different finish standard entirely: $400-$700/sqft is the working range for new builds in Highland Park, and remodels at that level pull in specialty subs whose calendars run 6-9 months out.
What Your Billed Hour Actually Covers
The $43.20 BLS wage is take-home pay for the construction manager, not what the customer pays. The customer rate of $65-$108/hr covers everything the business needs to legally operate in the Dallas market.
Roughly: 50% labor, 13% commercial general liability and inland-marine insurance ($9,000-$20,000/yr per crew in Dallas because hailstorm-related claim history pushes Texas premiums up), 10% vehicle and specialty tools (trailer-mounted concrete saws for slab cuts, foundation jacks for pier-and-beam shimming, lift equipment for mature-canopy work), 10% Dallas-specific licensing and overhead (City of Dallas contractor registration, NARI or NAHB membership, project-management software, dispatch), and 17% contractor profit margin. Strip any of those out and the business cannot stay open.
This is why the cheapest quote is not always the right one. A GC bidding 5-8% over cost is either operating without insurance (your homeowner’s policy will not cover the resulting damage), without City of Dallas Sustainable Development & Construction registration (the city will not sign off on the work), or losing money and about to disappear mid-project.
Dallas General Contractor Permits and What They Cost
Texas does not license general contractors at the state level, but the City of Dallas Sustainable Development & Construction department registers contractors and issues every meaningful permit inside city limits. Highland Park, University Park, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and Arlington each operate their own permit offices, which trips up homeowners whose lot crosses a jurisdictional line.
| Work | Permit / approval | Typical cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor registration with City of Dallas | Sustainable Development & Construction registration + insurance certificate | $250-$600/yr | 2-4 weeks |
| Residential building permit (remodel, addition) | City of Dallas Residential Permit | $85-$2,500 | 2-6 weeks (plan review) |
| Trade permits (plumbing, electrical, mechanical) | City of Dallas trade permit, master license required | $80-$450 each | 1-3 weeks |
| Foundation repair (pier-and-beam or slab underpinning) | City of Dallas Building + engineer-stamped plan | $250-$900 | 2-4 weeks |
| Park Cities architectural review (Highland Park / University Park) | Town of Highland Park or City of University Park board | $150-$1,200 | 4-10 weeks |
| Conservation district / historic overlay (M Streets, Munger Place, Winnetka Heights) | City of Dallas Landmark Commission review | $0-$800 | 3-8 weeks |
Your GC files Dallas permits on your behalf and the fee gets added to the invoice. The Park Cities review process is slower and more prescriptive than the City of Dallas system; expect 8-12 weeks total when working in Highland Park or University Park, and budget for revisions if the board flags massing, materials, or tree impact. Verify any Dallas contractor at the City of Dallas Sustainable Development & Construction portal before signing.
For multi-trade work, your GC typically pulls a single residential permit and lets each trade sub pull their own master-license trade permit underneath it. Plumbing requires a TSBPE Master Plumber, electrical requires a TDLR Master Electrician, and HVAC requires a TDLR Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractor. Roofers do not need a state license in Texas but do need City of Dallas registration for permitted work.
Common General Contractor Job Pricing in Dallas
These are typical all-in prices, including labor, subcontractor coordination, materials at standard finish levels, City of Dallas permit fees where applicable, and 1-year workmanship warranty. Highland Park, University Park, and Preston Hollow sit at the high end of each range; Plano, Frisco, and Arlington at the low end.
| Job | Total cost | Timeline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen remodel (mid-range) | $40,000-$70,000 | 6-10 weeks | Plano / East Dallas / Oak Cliff; cabinet refacing or stock cabinets |
| Kitchen remodel (luxury) | $140,000-$280,000+ | 14-22 weeks | Highland Park / Preston Hollow; custom millwork, paneled appliances |
| Bathroom remodel (full gut) | $25,000-$60,000 | 4-7 weeks | Slab-cut plumbing relocation common; tile vs. natural stone |
| Whole-home interior remodel | $130-$280/sqft | 4-9 months | Standard to premium finish; permits $1,200-$4,000 |
| Pier-and-beam foundation repair | $5,000-$22,000 | 1-3 weeks | Lakewood / M Streets / Munger Place pre-war stock |
| Slab foundation underpinning | $7,000-$25,000 | 1-2 weeks | Engineer-stamped plan, 8-18 piers typical, expansive clay |
| Post-Feb-2021 freeze burst-pipe rebuild | $90-$200/sqft | 3-8 months | Insurance-claim driven, attic and drywall tear-out, MEP replacement |
| ADU / casita (detached, 500-800 sqft) | $130,000-$280,000 | 5-9 months | Setback and height review, separate utility tie-in, deed restrictions vary |
| 600 sqft addition (single story) | $140,000-$320,000 | 4-8 months | Foundation tie-in, MEP extension, Park Cities or conservation review |
Foundation work and ADU buildouts are the two Dallas-specific categories most likely to surprise out-of-state homeowners. Expansive clay across the Blackland Prairie means slab underpinning is a routine maintenance item, not a one-time crisis: most pre-1990 Dallas homes will need foundation work at some point. ADUs (also called casitas or guest suites) have surged in popularity post-2022 as Texas legislators introduced SB 9-style relaxation of accessory-unit rules, but each suburb still enforces its own setback, height, and parking rules.
How to Get and Compare Dallas General Contractor Quotes
Three things separate a useful quote from a useless one in Dallas, and they all come down to specificity.
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Tell the GC the home age, foundation type, and exact jurisdiction. “1928 Lakewood Tudor, pier-and-beam, M Streets conservation overlay, 2,200 sqft gut” gets a different number than “2010 Frisco two-story, slab-on-grade, no HOA, full kitchen and master.” GCs price the job partly off foundation logistics, jurisdiction (Dallas vs. Highland Park vs. Plano), and approval timeline, so generic “I want to remodel my kitchen” estimates are worth less than a detailed brief.
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Ask for an itemized written estimate that breaks out labor by trade, materials with brand and grade, City of Dallas (or relevant suburban) permit fees, allowances for tile and fixtures, and the management-fee structure (cost-plus percentage or fixed-bid contingency). Verbal estimates are not enforceable and tend to grow on the day. Reputable Dallas GCs email itemized PDFs within 5-10 business days of the site visit. If a contractor will not put it in writing, walk.
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Verify Dallas registration and insurance before you book. Pull the contractor record from the City of Dallas Sustainable Development & Construction registry, confirm registration in the suburban city if relevant (Town of Highland Park, City of University Park, City of Plano, City of Frisco), and request a current Certificate of Insurance showing $1M general liability minimum plus workers’ comp. Both checks take five minutes and rule out 90% of the contractors who later become problems. Texas mechanic’s-lien rights are aggressive, so unpaid subs can lien your home even if you paid the GC; require lien waivers with each draw.
How We Calculated These Prices
The Dallas general contractor hourly rate of $65-$108 starts with the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median hourly wage for construction managers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area: $43.20 as of May 2024. We apply a 1.5x-2.5x consumer multiplier covering business overhead, insurance, City of Dallas registration, vehicle costs, employer-paid taxes, and contractor profit margin, calibrated against current market quotes from registered Dallas-area GCs.
Neighborhood-level adjustments reflect Park Cities and conservation-district architectural-review timelines, foundation type (slab vs. pier-and-beam), finish-grade expectations, and the rolling hail-and-freeze reconstruction cycle that has defined the DFW market since 2021. The full formula and source list lives on our methodology page.
Other Dallas Service Costs You Might Need
A whole-home remodel rarely happens with one trade. A typical Dallas gut pulls in 5-7 trades, and getting quotes from each at the same time is faster than serial calls.
- Dallas plumber costs — required for any slab-cut, gas-line, or fixture relocation work
- Dallas electrician costs — for panel upgrades, new circuits, or post-freeze rewires
- Dallas HVAC technician costs — for ducted system replacement, mini-split adds, or attic-unit re-piping
- Dallas roofer costs — for hail-cycle replacement, decking repair, and impact-rated shingle upgrades
- Dallas foundation repair costs — for pier-and-beam shimming and slab underpinning on expansive clay