Home remodeling services are the trades and firms that repair, replace or add parts of a house. In Dallas-Fort Worth you find them through neighbors, trade groups, your city and the web. The harder part is matching your job to the right kind of firm, because no one does everything.
The short answer
- Match the job to the right kind of firm before you start searching, since no one does everything.
- Start with neighbors and trade groups, then check every name yourself.
- Windows, siding, doors, patio covers and insulation go to an exterior remodeler.
- Roofing, kitchens, pools and landscaping go to other trades.
- Ask each firm which of your neighboring cities it serves and what it knows about local ground and rules.
- Insist on an in-home visit before any price, because a phone price is a guess.
Searching for home remodeling services near me returns a long list, and most of it will not match your job. Before you call anyone, work out what kind of job you have. A window replacement, a patio cover and a kitchen remodel are done by different firms, and the best search is the one that starts with the right kind of firm.
Where can you find home remodeling services near you?
Start with people, then check the names. Neighbors with a finished job of the same kind can tell you who showed up and who left a clean yard. Then widen the list with a few trusted sources and confirm every name before you book a visit.
- Neighbors and friends who have had similar work done in the last few years.
- Your homeowners association, which may keep a list of firms it has dealt with.
- A trade group such as NARI, the National Association for the Remodeling Industry, for firms that list membership.
- The product maker’s own website, if you already know the brand you want.
- A local search, followed by a close read of each firm’s own pages and reviews.
Your city’s permit office is not a referral service. It can, however, tell you what your project needs, which helps you screen firms that say otherwise. Dallas and Fort Worth each post residential information, and the rules differ by city.
Which kind of firm does the work you need?
Match the job to the specialty before you search. Exterior remodelers handle the outside shell of a house. Other work goes to other trades, and a firm that claims to do everything is worth a second look. The table below sorts common jobs into the kind of firm to look for.
| The job | The kind of firm to look for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows, doors, siding, patio covers, pergolas, sunrooms, insulation | An exterior remodeler | These are the products American Eagle Builders installs |
| A full roof | A roofing contractor | We do not do roofing, other than patio roofs |
| Kitchens and bathrooms | An interior remodeler | Outside what we install |
| Landscaping and pools | A landscape or pool builder | Outside what we install |
| Electrical and air conditioning | A licensed trade firm | The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses electricians and air conditioning contractors |
If your list spans several rows, you will deal with more than one firm. Agree who is responsible where the jobs meet, such as a new patio cover meeting a wall that was just resided. Our post on how to hire an exterior remodeling company explains how to compare estimates.
Should you hire a firm that works close to home?
Closeness helps with service and with knowing your area, but it is not the only test. Dallas-Fort Worth spans dozens of cities, and the ground and the rules change across the metro. Ask each firm which of your neighboring cities it works in and what it has seen there.
The differences are real. Arlington has many build eras and the needs change street to street. Fort Worth often has rock close to the surface where Dallas and Plano have clay, which can change how a footing is built. A firm that works across the area should be able to talk about this in plain terms without being asked.
How do you vet a firm you found online?
Read the firm’s own pages, check the insurance and look for finished work you can see. A tidy website proves little. Ask for the street address, a phone number that a person answers and the names of the people who will visit your home.
- Confirm the firm has an address and has been at it for some time.
- Ask for a certificate of insurance and look at what it covers.
- Read reviews for patterns rather than scores. Our post on how to read contractor reviews shows how.
- Ask whether the firm holds listed accreditations, and ask to see proof.
- See what kind of work fills their photo pages, and whether it looks like yours.
What should you say on the first phone call?
Give the firm enough to say yes or no quickly. State your address, the kind of work you want, the rough age of the house, whether you have an association and what is bothering you. Ask whether they work in your city and whether they visit before they price.
A firm that offers a price on the phone without seeing the house is guessing. Ask for an in-home visit, and expect to be home for it.
What should you have ready for the first visit?
Gather what the estimator will ask for, so the visit goes to the real questions instead of to paperwork. A few minutes of preparation lets the firm see your house as it is and give you a more useful answer.
- Photos of anything failing, taken in daylight and from a few steps back.
- Your written list of what you want and what cannot wait.
- Any homeowners association rules or approval letters.
- Papers from earlier work, such as warranties or permit records.
- Your questions, written down, so none get lost in conversation.
Where does American Eagle Builders fit?
A family-owned company based in Arlington, American Eagle Builders has worked across Dallas-Fort Worth since 1984 and serves 90 DFW cities. We install Andersen windows, James Hardie and vinyl siding, doors, patio covers, pergolas, enclosures, Four Seasons sunrooms and insulation. See our home exteriors page for the full list.
Our in-home estimates are free. If your job is a roof, a kitchen or a pool, we will tell you so and point you toward the right kind of firm. For more on narrowing your choices locally, read our post on choosing a contractor in DFW.
Questions we get asked about this
Ask neighbors with finished jobs similar to yours, then confirm each name. Check insurance, read reviews for patterns, look at finished work and ask for an in-home visit. Match the kind of firm to the job first, since windows, roofs and kitchens are different specialties.
Call an exterior remodeler. These jobs are on the outside of the house and are usually handled by the same kind of firm. American Eagle Builders installs windows, siding, doors, patio covers, pergolas, enclosures, sunrooms and insulation across Dallas-Fort Worth.
No. We are an exterior remodeler. We install windows, doors, siding, patio covers, pergolas, enclosures, sunrooms and insulation, and patio roofs. If you need a full roof or an interior remodel, we will point you toward the right kind of firm.
We serve 90 DFW cities from our base in Arlington, and have been working in the area since 1984. Give us your address when you book a free in-home estimate and we will confirm we cover it.
Treat a phone price as a guess. Windows, siding and patio work all depend on what is actually on the house. A firm should visit, measure and look at the condition of what is there before putting a price in writing.
