Pricing by neighborhood — General Contractor · Fort Worth, TX
| Neighborhood | Low | High | Why the price moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westover Hills / Rivercrest / Westcliff | $125 | $200 | Luxury custom builds $1M-$5M+, $400-$700/sqft finishes, mature pecan/oak canopy, deed-restricted blocks |
| Cultural District / TCU / Park Hill | $100 | $160 | Premium remodels $400K-$1.5M, university-adjacent infill, Tudor and Mediterranean revival stock |
| Fairmount / Ryan Place / Mistletoe Heights | $95 | $150 | Victorian and craftsman gut renos, Historic Preservation Commission review, pier-and-beam, knob-and-tube |
| Arlington Heights / Crestwood / Monticello | $80 | $130 | Mid-tier 1920s-1940s remodels, oak canopy, conservation overlays in pockets, mostly pier-and-beam |
| Stockyards / North Side | $85 | $140 | Historic restoration, mixed-use storefronts, Texas Historical Commission tax-credit work, masonry preservation |
| Southside / Near Southside / Magnolia | $75 | $120 | Gentrifying corridor, 1920s bungalow gut renos, ADU adds, easier urban permit path |
| Keller / Southlake / Trophy Club | $80 | $130 | Premium suburban new builds $500K-$1.5M, separate municipal permits, easy access, larger lots |
| Burleson / Crowley / Forest Hill | $60 | $100 | South-side budget remodels and additions, suburban slab, lowest overhead, Tarrant County unincorporated nearby |
General Contractor hourly rate by neighborhood in Fort Worth, TX. Ranges reflect typical contractor pricing including travel time, building-type access, and local labor density.
How much does a general contractor cost in Fort Worth?
Fort Worth general contractors charge $60-$100 per hour for scheduled work, with an average of $80/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 $125-$200 for standard work, $200-$380 for premium, and $400-$700+ for luxury custom in Westover Hills and Rivercrest. Neighborhood matters: the luxury enclaves and Cultural District sit at the top because of finish standards, deed restrictions, and mature-canopy logistics. Burleson, Crowley, and south-side 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 $80/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.
Fort Worth General Contractor Rates by Neighborhood
The Tarrant County market is not one market. A Westover Hills custom build with deed restrictions and a tree-protection plan is a different job than a Burleson 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 Westover Hills, Rivercrest, and Westcliff work is not arbitrary. A typical luxury-enclave project includes design review against deed-restricted standards, tree-protection plans on live oaks and pecans, separate municipal permitting in Westover Hills (which is its own city), and a finish standard that pulls in specialty millwork, slate roofers, and imported stone subs. Cultural District and Fairmount work layers Historic Preservation Commission review on top of City of Fort Worth permits. Keller, Southlake, Trophy Club, Burleson, and Crowley skip most of that and run on standardized plat lots with shorter inspection cycles.
Comparable cities for cross-reference:
- Dallas general contractor costs — $65-$108/hr
- Houston general contractor costs — $58-$97/hr
- Austin general contractor costs — $62-$105/hr
- San Antonio general contractor costs — $55-$95/hr
Fort Worth sits slightly below Dallas and roughly in line with the Texas metro average, with most local variance explained by the Westover Hills luxury premium and the suburban-to-historic spread inside Loop 820.
Fort Worth 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 1912 Fairmount Victorian with original pier-and-beam foundation costs noticeably more to remodel than a 2008 Keller 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 (Westover Hills, Rivercrest, Westcliff) | $130-$200 | $400-$700/sqft finishes, deed restrictions, Westover Hills separate municipal permit, tree protection, slate-roof and imported-stone subs |
| Pre-war Victorian / craftsman (Fairmount, Ryan Place, Mistletoe Heights) | $95-$150 | Pier-and-beam foundation work, knob-and-tube electrical, cast-iron drain stacks, plaster-and-lath, Historic Preservation Commission review |
| Mid-century ranch (1950s-1970s, Arlington Heights, Wedgwood, Forest Hill) | $75-$125 | Slab-on-grade with expansive-clay shifting, original cast-iron drains, asbestos surveys, addition-and-pop-top common |
| Suburban slab home (Keller, Southlake, Trophy Club, Burleson, post-1990) | $70-$115 | Standardized framing, easy access, separate suburban permit offices, simpler MEP paths |
| Historic commercial / Stockyards mixed-use | $90-$145 | Texas Historical Commission tax-credit work, masonry preservation, mixed-use code compliance, after-hours coordination |
The pre-war and luxury-enclave premiums are real and not arbitrary. Pier-and-beam foundation work in Fairmount and Ryan Place requires shimming, sister-joist installation, and frequent termite or rot remediation that slab-on-grade homes do not have. Westover Hills luxury custom work, meanwhile, is bid against a different finish standard entirely: $400-$700/sqft is the working range for new builds in the enclave, 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 $60-$100/hr covers everything the business needs to legally operate in the Fort Worth market.
Roughly: 50% labor, 13% commercial general liability and inland-marine insurance ($8,000-$18,000/yr per crew in Fort Worth because hailstorm and tornado 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% Fort Worth-specific licensing and overhead (City of Fort Worth Building Permit 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 Fort Worth contractor registration (the city will not issue a permit), or losing money and about to disappear mid-project.
Fort Worth General Contractor Permits and What They Cost
Texas does not license general contractors at the state level, but the City of Fort Worth Development Services department registers contractors and issues every meaningful permit inside city limits. Westover Hills, Keller, Southlake, Trophy Club, Burleson, Crowley, and Arlington each operate their own permit offices, which trips up homeowners whose lot crosses a jurisdictional line. Tarrant County handles unincorporated parcels.
| Work | Permit / approval | Typical cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Permit Contractor Registration | City of Fort Worth Development Services (no exam, annual) | $50/yr | 1-2 weeks |
| Residential building permit (remodel, addition) | City of Fort Worth Residential Permit | $75-$2,200 | 2-6 weeks (plan review) |
| Trade permits (plumbing, electrical, mechanical) | City of Fort Worth trade permit, state master license required | $75-$425 each | 1-3 weeks |
| Foundation repair (pier-and-beam or slab underpinning) | City of Fort Worth Building + engineer-stamped plan | $225-$850 | 2-4 weeks |
| Historic Preservation Commission review (Fairmount, Ryan Place, Mistletoe Heights, Berkeley) | HPC certificate of appropriateness | $0-$500 | 4-8 weeks |
Your GC files Fort Worth permits on your behalf and the fee gets added to the invoice. The Historic Preservation Commission process is slower and more prescriptive than the standard Development Services path; expect 8-12 weeks total when working in a designated district, and budget for revisions if the commission flags massing, materials, or window-and-door swaps. Verify any Fort Worth contractor at the City of Fort Worth Development Services 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 Fort Worth registration for permitted work.
Common General Contractor Job Pricing in Fort Worth
These are typical all-in prices, including labor, subcontractor coordination, materials at standard finish levels, City of Fort Worth permit fees where applicable, and 1-year workmanship warranty. Westover Hills, Rivercrest, and the Cultural District sit at the high end of each range; Burleson, Crowley, and Forest Hill at the low end.
| Job | Total cost | Timeline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen remodel (mid-range) | $35,000-$65,000 | 6-10 weeks | Burleson / Arlington Heights / Wedgwood; cabinet refacing or stock cabinets |
| Kitchen remodel (luxury) | $130,000-$260,000+ | 14-22 weeks | Westover Hills / Rivercrest / Cultural District; custom millwork, paneled appliances |
| Bathroom remodel (full gut) | $22,000-$55,000 | 4-7 weeks | Slab-cut plumbing relocation common; tile vs. natural stone |
| Whole-home interior remodel | $125-$260/sqft | 4-9 months | Standard to premium finish; permits $1,000-$3,800 |
| Pier-and-beam foundation repair | $5,000-$20,000 | 1-3 weeks | Fairmount / Ryan Place / Mistletoe Heights pre-war stock |
| Slab foundation underpinning | $6,500-$24,000 | 1-2 weeks | Engineer-stamped plan, 8-18 piers typical, expansive clay |
| Post-Feb-2021 freeze burst-pipe rebuild | $85-$200/sqft | 3-8 months | Insurance-claim driven, attic and drywall tear-out, MEP replacement |
| Tornado / hail full reconstruction | $170-$340/sqft | 5-10 months | Insurance-supplement approval required; coordinated roofer + siding + window scope |
| ADU / casita (detached, 500-800 sqft) | $115,000-$260,000 | 5-9 months | Setback and height review, separate utility tie-in, varies by suburb |
Foundation work, tornado reconstruction, and ADU buildouts are the three Fort Worth-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 Fort Worth homes will need foundation work at some point. ADUs (casitas, guest suites) have grown in popularity post-2022, but each Tarrant County suburb still enforces its own setback, height, and parking rules, so verify with the relevant jurisdiction before signing plans.
How to Get and Compare Fort Worth General Contractor Quotes
Three things separate a useful quote from a useless one in Fort Worth, and they all come down to specificity.
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Tell the GC the home age, foundation type, and exact jurisdiction. “1916 Fairmount Victorian, pier-and-beam, inside the historic district, 2,200 sqft gut” gets a different number than “2012 Keller two-story, slab-on-grade, no HOA, full kitchen and master.” GCs price the job partly off foundation logistics, jurisdiction (Fort Worth vs. Westover Hills vs. Keller vs. Tarrant County unincorporated), 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 Fort Worth (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 Fort Worth 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 Fort Worth registration and insurance before you book. Pull the contractor record from the City of Fort Worth Development Services registry, confirm registration in the suburban city if relevant (Westover Hills, Keller, Southlake, Trophy Club, Burleson, Crowley, Arlington), 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 Fort Worth general contractor hourly rate of $60-$100 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 Fort Worth Building Permit Contractor Registration, vehicle costs, employer-paid taxes, and contractor profit margin, calibrated against current market quotes from registered Tarrant County GCs.
Neighborhood-level adjustments reflect Westover Hills and Rivercrest custom-build standards, Historic Preservation Commission review timelines in Fairmount and Ryan Place, foundation type (slab vs. pier-and-beam), and the rolling hail-freeze-tornado reconstruction cycle that has defined the DFW market since 2021. The full formula and source list lives on our methodology page.
Other Fort Worth Service Costs You Might Need
A whole-home remodel rarely happens with one trade. A typical Fort Worth gut pulls in 5-7 trades, and getting quotes from each at the same time is faster than serial calls.
- Fort Worth plumber costs — required for any slab-cut, gas-line, or fixture relocation work
- Fort Worth electrician costs — for panel upgrades, new circuits, or post-freeze rewires
- Fort Worth HVAC technician costs — for ducted system replacement, mini-split adds, or attic-unit re-piping
- Fort Worth roofer costs — for hail-cycle replacement, decking repair, and impact-rated shingle upgrades
- Fort Worth foundation repair costs — for pier-and-beam shimming and slab underpinning on expansive clay