How to Choose a General Contractor in Texas

In Texas, general contractor licensing requirements vary by project type, but trades including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and residential construction require licensure through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). You can verify any contractor's license status in minutes at tdlr.texas.gov. For residential projects over $10,000, always ask for the contractor's license number and run it yourself — never take their word for it.

Beyond licensing, confirm two types of insurance before signing anything: general liability insurance (minimum $1,000,000 per occurrence is standard in Texas) and workers' compensation coverage. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor lacks workers' comp, you may be held financially responsible under Texas law. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance naming you as an additional insured — a legitimate contractor will provide this without hesitation.

In our 7+ years building across the Hill Country, we've seen homeowners skip this step and pay dearly for it. TMB Construction carries full liability coverage and workers' comp on every project in Burnet, Marble Falls, Liberty Hill, and throughout Central Texas. Cutting corners on verification at this stage is the single most common — and most expensive — mistake Hill Country homeowners make.

Texas has no shortage of contractors who appear legitimate until a project goes sideways. Your best protection after verifying credentials is a thorough reputation check across multiple platforms. Start with the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) — an A+ rating signals a contractor resolves complaints and maintains professional standards. Then check Google reviews, looking specifically for review volume, recency, and how the contractor responds to negative feedback.

For Hill Country projects, also ask for references from completed work in your specific county. Soil conditions in Burnet County differ from those in Williamson County near Georgetown, and a contractor experienced with local caliche and clay soils will anticipate foundation and drainage challenges that out-of-area contractors miss.

TMB Construction holds an A+ BBB rating and a 4.9-star Google rating across 47+ verified reviews — results built over 7+ years of completed projects from Kingsland to Leander. When evaluating any contractor, request 3-5 references from projects completed within the last 18 months and actually call them. Ask specifically: Was the project delivered on time? Did the final cost match the bid? Would you hire them again? These three questions reveal more than any online profile.

Never accept a single bid or a vague lump-sum estimate. In Central Texas, general contractor costs for custom home construction typically range from $150 to $250 per square foot depending on finish level, site conditions, and material selections. Barndominium builds generally run $85 to $145 per square foot. Metal buildings for storage or commercial use start around $25 to $60 per square foot installed.

When you receive bids, require full line-item breakdowns: materials, labor, permits, contingency, and payment schedule. This makes comparison meaningful. A bid that comes in 20% below the others isn't a deal — it's usually a sign of missing scope, inferior materials, or a contractor planning to hit you with change orders later.

Pay close attention to payment terms. Texas law does not cap upfront deposits for general contractors, but industry standard is 10-15% at contract signing, with draws tied to verified project milestones. Never pay more than 50% of the total contract before substantial work is complete. If a contractor asks for 40-50% upfront before breaking ground, treat that as a serious red flag. Call TMB Construction at 830-289-3852 to request a fully itemized free estimate with no obligation.

A legitimate general contractor in Texas pulls their own permits through the appropriate county or municipal office. In Burnet County, permits are issued through the Burnet County Development Services office. In Marble Falls, permitting runs through the City of Marble Falls Building Department. Georgetown projects fall under the City of Georgetown's permitting process, which includes mandatory inspections tied to the International Building Code (IBC 2021).

If a contractor suggests you pull your own permits, or implies permits aren't necessary for your project, walk away. Unpermitted work in Texas creates serious problems: it can void your homeowner's insurance, prevent future property sales, require costly demolition and reconstruction, and expose you to liability if anyone is injured on the structure.

From our experience with Burnet County permitting, the process for a new custom home typically takes 2-4 weeks for approval once a complete application is submitted. Commercial metal building permits can take 3-6 weeks depending on structural engineering review requirements. TMB Construction manages the entire permitting process for clients across all nine counties in our service area — you never have to navigate a county office alone.

Texas residential construction contracts should include specific protections for homeowners, many of which are outlined under the Texas Residential Construction Liability Act (RCLA). At minimum, your contract should specify: complete project scope and specifications, total contract price and payment schedule, start and estimated completion dates, change order procedures with written authorization requirements, a warranty clause (Texas law requires a one-year workmanship warranty minimum on new residential construction), and dispute resolution terms.

Pay close attention to the change order clause. In our 7+ years of Hill Country construction, change orders are one of the most common sources of contractor-homeowner disputes. Any legitimate contractor will require written, signed change orders before performing out-of-scope work and will provide pricing before proceeding — not after.

Also verify the contract includes a lien waiver provision. Texas has strong mechanic's lien laws, meaning unpaid subcontractors and suppliers can place liens on your property even if you paid your general contractor in full. A solid contract requires the GC to provide lien waivers from all subs and suppliers at each payment milestone. This protects your title and your investment.

One of the most undervalued criteria when choosing a Texas Hill Country contractor is genuine local experience. The region's combination of rocky caliche soil, expansive clay in low-lying areas, dramatic temperature swings from summer highs of 96°F to occasional hard freezes in December through February, and a concentrated hail season from March through May demands contractors who build for these specific conditions — not generic Texas standards.

A locally experienced contractor knows to spec appropriate pier depths for Burnet County soil conditions, recommends metal roofing profiles that shed hail damage better than 3-tab asphalt shingles, and understands which flood plain designations affect build sites around Lake LBJ and Inks Lake in the Horseshoe Bay and Kingsland areas.

Equally important is understanding who actually does the work. Many large contractors operate as managers who subcontract virtually everything — meaning the crew on your job may have no accountability to the company whose name is on the contract. TMB Construction uses one team from design through completion, with no core-work subcontracting. That means Justin Torres and the TMB crew are personally accountable for every framing nail, every concrete pour, and every roof panel installed on your project.

In 7+ years of Hill Country construction, TMB Construction has heard from homeowners burned by contractors who showed every warning sign upfront — signs they didn't know to look for. Here are the non-negotiable red flags that should end any contractor conversation immediately.

No physical address or local presence is the first and most serious warning. A contractor who operates entirely from a P.O. box or out-of-state address has no local accountability. Demand for large cash payments upfront — anything over 15% before work begins — is a classic fraud signal documented repeatedly by the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. Inability to provide proof of insurance on request, or pressure to skip permits 'to save you money,' are both grounds for immediate disqualification.

Pressure to sign same-day without time to review the contract, no written warranty offered, and Google reviews that are all 5-star with no response to any negative feedback are subtler but equally important red flags. Finally, be cautious of bids that come in dramatically lower than competitors — the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) notes that low-ball bids are the leading predictor of construction disputes and cost overruns. If it sounds too good to be true in Texas construction, it is.