HandyMan Install is an Austin-based installation crew serving homeowners, investors, and contractors across the Austin metro. We specialize in five core installation trades — drywall installation and finishing, fence installation, vinyl and laminate flooring installation, interior and exterior painting, and tile installation — plus seven specialty installation services: bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, door installation, window installation, trim and baseboard installation, cabinet installation, and concrete patio installation.
All new installation work. No repair calls. No patch jobs. We scope every project in writing, confirm materials before work begins, and deliver on schedule. $500 labor minimum.
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We cover Austin and the full metro: Round Rock, Pflugerville, Hutto, Taylor, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Manor (Travis and Williamson counties); Kyle and Buda (Hays County); Bastrop, Elgin, and Del Valle (Bastrop and Travis counties). One crew, twelve installation trades, fourteen cities, zero travel fees within this service area.
Drywall installation is a finish trade that follows rough framing, plumbing rough-in, and electrical rough-in — and precedes painting. We work with 5/8″ Type X gypsum board (fire-rated assemblies, garages, shared walls) and 1/2″ standard gypsum board (residential living spaces) from USG SheetRock and National Gypsum Gold Bond. Our finishing process follows Gypsum Association GA-214 standards: Level 3 for standard painted walls, Level 4 for flat and low-sheen paints, and Level 5 — a full skim coat of compound over every surface — for high-gloss paint or any space where raking light from windows or fixtures would reveal surface variation.
The finishing process uses ProForm all-purpose joint compound for taping and bedding coats, topping compound for the final coat, paper tape for flat seams, and metal corner bead on every outside corner. Tools: screw gun (Dewalt DW272), drywall lift, T-square, mud pan, 6″ and 10″ finishing knives, hawk and trowel, corner bead crimper, pole sander. The difference between Level 3 and Level 5 finish is visible in any room with a large window or a low-mounted light fixture — we don’t apply Level 3 and call it Level 4.
Austin context: 1920s homes in Hyde Park (78756) and Travis Heights (78704) often have original plaster over wood lath. In wet areas, we remove and replace with Durock cement board before tile. New construction in Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, and Georgetown uses Level 4 as the standard — builders in fast-growth communities sometimes under-finish corners and butt joints, which shows through paint.
Fence installation is part of property boundary and privacy work. We install wood privacy fences using dog-ear cedar pickets, pressure-treated Douglas fir 4×4 posts, pressure-treated 2×4 rails, galvanized hardware, and Quikrete 80-lb concrete for post-setting. Every post goes into concrete — no exceptions in the Austin metro. In Austin’s Blackland Prairie clay soils — covering East Austin (78702, 78721), Pflugerville (78660), Hutto (78634), and eastern Round Rock (78665) — posts set in soil without concrete footings work loose within one to two seasons. Clay expands when wet and contracts when dry, creating lateral movement that post depth alone can’t counter.
Layout starts with a string line and line level before the first hole is dug. Post spacing is 6 to 8 feet on-center. Posts are power-augered 8 to 10 inches in diameter, set plumb in both planes, braced, and allowed to cure before rail work begins. Dog-ear cedar pickets are fastened with galvanized or stainless screws — not smooth nails, which back out over time in cedar.
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) and laminate flooring are used for dimensional stability, moisture resistance, and cost-to-quality ratio. We install click-lock LVP and laminate with 3mm EVA foam or cork underlayment on both slab-on-grade and plywood subfloor construction. Subfloor prep is where most DIY flooring failures originate — self-leveling compound (Henry 555 FloorPro) brings out-of-tolerance substrates within the NALFA standard: flat to 3/16″ over a 10-foot radius. We don’t install flooring over an out-of-spec substrate regardless of what the homeowner purchased.
Austin’s pier-and-beam homes in Hyde Park, Clarksville, and Central Austin require subfloor leveling before LVP. Newer slab-on-grade construction throughout Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, and Manor is more straightforward — though high spots still need grinding and low spots need fill compound. Moisture testing is performed on all slab installations before any flooring begins.
We deliver full interior paint scopes — walls, ceilings, trim, and doors — plus new construction paint finishing and exterior painting across the metro. Sherwin-Williams Emerald or ProMar 200 primer for interior; 100% acrylic exterior latex for all exterior work. Prep determines quality: fill and sand before painting, prime bare wood and patched drywall, mask with care. A paint job that fails within two years is a prep failure, not a product failure.
Austin’s exterior climate is demanding. High UV from April through October, combined with thermal cycling from winter cold fronts, stresses exterior coatings heavily. We apply 100% acrylic exterior latex to clean, dry, primed surfaces. We do not spray in wind conditions or apply when overnight temperatures drop below 50 degrees F within 12 hours of application.
Tile installation covers bathroom floors and shower enclosures, kitchen backsplashes, entryways, laundry rooms, and outdoor applications. Materials include porcelain floor tile, ceramic wall tile, large-format tile (24×48, 24×24), subway tile (3×6), and mosaic accent tile. Setting materials: white polymer-modified thinset (not standard Portland cement mortar), Schluter KERDI waterproofing membrane, Durock 1/2″ cement board, and RedGard liquid waterproofing at seams and corners in wet zones.
The most consequential step in any shower installation is waterproofing the substrate. Cement board alone is moisture-resistant, not waterproof — these are not the same thing. A Schluter KERDI or RedGard membrane applied over cement board, with full coverage at seams and inside corners, is what separates a shower that holds 20 years from one that fails behind the tile within five. We back-butter every tile 15 inches or larger — ANSI A108.5 requires 95% thinset coverage in wet areas.
Bathroom remodeling installation covers the complete non-plumbing scope: shower and floor tile with cement board substrate and waterproofing membrane, LVP in dry zones, vanity cabinet installation, mirror mounting, and painting. Supply line connections, drain connections, and fixture hookups are outside our scope — a licensed plumber handles those in typically a half day at the start (cap lines) and a half day at the end (connect fixtures). Total plumber cost on a standard Austin bathroom: $400 to $900.
Kitchen remodeling installation includes cabinet installation (IKEA SEKTION, RTA systems, and semi-custom), backsplash tile, kitchen flooring, and countertop substrate preparation. IKEA SEKTION installation is a significant share of Austin’s mid-market kitchen renovation — we’ve installed IKEA kitchens in Mueller, East Austin, Hyde Park, Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Georgetown. We assemble flat-pack boxes, set the rail system level, hang and fasten all cabinets, and install interior organizers and hardware. The countertop fabricator templates after our cabinets are installed, level, and secured — that sequence is non-negotiable. Plumbing reconnection follows countertop installation.
We install interior pre-hung doors (hollow-core and solid-core), exterior fiberglass and steel entry doors, sliding patio doors, and barn doors with hardware. Every interior door is shimmed plumb with consistent 1/8″ reveal on hinge side, latch side, and head before fastening. Exterior doors are set to seal weatherstripping uniformly around the full perimeter — in Austin’s climate, an exterior door that doesn’t seal costs real money on cooling bills from April through October. Solid-core interior door upgrades are one of the most impactful single-trade renovations in Austin’s master-planned suburban homes where builder-grade hollow-core doors are universal.
Insert replacement (new window unit into existing frame) and full-frame replacement (back to the rough opening with flashing tape integration). Austin’s pre-1985 homes in Hyde Park, Allandale, Crestview, and Travis Heights have original wood or aluminum frames that typically need full-frame replacement. Homes built 2000 to 2015 in master-planned suburbs are insert replacement candidates when insulated glass units fail (foggy glass equals failed seal). Low-E, argon-filled double-pane glass meets Energy Star Zone 2 requirements for Austin’s climate and makes a measurable difference in cooling costs — Austin’s payback period on energy-efficient windows is shorter than most US markets because the cooling load is so large for so many months.
The last installation trade before the final coat of paint. We install baseboards (3.5″ colonial MDF and solid wood profiles), door casing, window casing, crown molding, chair rail, wainscoting, and board-and-batten accent walls. Every inside corner is coped, not mitered. Coped joints stay tight through Austin’s humidity swings. Mitered inside corners open up within one to two seasonal cycles. Crown molding requires compound miter cuts at every corner — we calculate each cut individually rather than averaging out-of-square rooms.
Kitchen cabinet installation (IKEA SEKTION, RTA, and semi-custom), bathroom vanity cabinets, laundry room storage, and garage cabinet systems throughout the metro. The critical step in any cabinet installation is the first cabinet — plumb in both planes, level across its width, fastened into studs. Every subsequent cabinet references the first. Full-extension soft-close slides and adjustable hinges throughout. Filler panels scribed to irregular walls using a compass scribe and flush-mounted to complete the run.
Concrete patio slabs, sidewalks, walkways, steps, and utility slabs. 4000 PSI Portland cement mix with #4 rebar and welded wire mesh on a minimum 4″ compacted crushed gravel base. In Austin’s heavy clay soils — East Austin (78702, 78721), Pflugerville (78660), Hutto (78634), eastern Round Rock (78665) — that base preparation is non-negotiable. Control joints at 8 to 10 foot maximum spacing, saw-cut to one-quarter of slab thickness. Broom finish is standard; smooth and stamped finish available. Sealed after minimum 28-day cure.
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These are the five installation trades we specialize in across all 14 cities in our service area. Each service has a dedicated page for Austin — the canonical reference for materials, process, pricing, and scope.
Drywall Installation in Austin — 1/2" and 5/8" Type X gypsum board, Level 3 through Level 5 finish, USG SheetRock and National Gypsum Gold Bond. New construction, room additions, garage conversions.
Fence Installation in Austin — Dog-ear cedar pickets, pressure-treated 4×4 posts, every post in concrete. No exceptions in Austin metro clay soil.
Flooring Installation in Austin — Click-lock LVP and laminate on slab and plywood subfloor. Moisture testing before every slab install. Henry 555 self-leveling compound for out-of-spec substrates.
Painting Services in Austin — Interior and exterior painting with Sherwin-Williams Emerald and Duration. Two finish coats minimum. Prep is not optional.
Tile Installation in Austin — Porcelain floor tile, shower tile with Schluter KERDI waterproofing membrane, kitchen backsplash. Polymer-modified thinset throughout.
All five services are available across all 14 cities — Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Hutto, Taylor, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Manor, Elgin, Bastrop, Del Valle, Kyle, and Buda — with no travel fee.
The difference between a professional installation and a failed one is often in the materials, not just the labor. Here are the exact materials and processes we use in each trade.
Drywall materials: USG SheetRock and National Gypsum Gold Bond for hanging; ProForm all-purpose compound for taping and bedding; topping compound for final coats; paper tape for flat seams; metal corner bead crimped on outside corners; Durabond (setting compound) for butt joints and large repairs where strength matters before the first sand.
Tile materials: White polymer-modified thinset for all tile — not standard Portland cement mortar which doesn’t provide adequate bond strength for porcelain or large-format tile. Schluter KERDI membrane in shower wet zones. RedGard liquid waterproofing at seams as a secondary option. Durock or HardieBacker cement board for substrate. Unsanded grout for joints 1/8″ or narrower, sanded grout for wider joints. Grout sealer applied at completion.
Fence materials: Dog-ear cedar pickets (naturally rot-resistant without chemical treatment); pressure-treated Douglas fir 4×4 posts and 2×4 rails; galvanized or stainless hardware throughout; Quikrete 80-lb concrete for post footings — every post, every time, no soil-only sets.
Flooring materials: 12-mil or better wear layer LVP (we do not install 6-mil LVP in high-traffic areas regardless of what was purchased); 3mm EVA foam or cork underlayment; Henry 555 self-leveling compound for substrate prep; transition strips at all material changes; moisture barrier on slab installations.
Concrete materials: 4000 PSI Portland cement mix; #4 rebar on 18 to 24 inch centers; 6×6 welded wire mesh as alternative reinforcement; 1.5″ crushed gravel base minimum 4″ depth (6″ in Blackland clay zones); expansion joint foam at structure interfaces; control joint groover for formed joints or saw-cut for cut joints.
HandyMan Install operates throughout the Austin metro without separate travel fees. Every city below is part of our regular weekly schedule.
Travis County: Austin (78701–78756, our home base), Pflugerville (78660), Manor (78653), Del Valle (78617)
Williamson County: Round Rock (78664, 78665, 78681), Hutto (78634), Taylor (76574), Georgetown (78626, 78628, 78633), Cedar Park (78613), Leander (78641, 78645)
Every project is quoted individually based on actual scope and site conditions. These benchmarks reflect 2026 Austin market rates for labor only unless noted.
Labor minimum: $500. Materials priced separately except concrete (all-in). Subfloor leveling, demo, and disposal quoted separately when applicable.
Drywall installation is part of the framing and finishing process. Rough framing and MEP rough-in (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) must be inspected and approved before drywall hangs. Painting follows drywall finishing. Baseboard and trim install after flooring and before final paint coat.
LVP flooring is used for high-moisture-tolerance applications and installs after drywall but before baseboard. Flooring installs after drywall primer but before final paint in most sequences.
Tile installation is associated with plumbing work — shower tile and floor tile in wet zones follow plumbing rough-in. Cement board substrate and waterproofing membrane are required before any tile is set in wet areas. We coordinate with plumbers on bathroom renovation timelines.
Cabinet installation is part of the kitchen renovation sequence. Cabinets follow drywall and precede countertop templating, backsplash tile, and plumbing reconnection. The countertop fabricator cannot template until cabinets are installed, leveled, and secured.
Concrete patio installation is located in the outdoor property zone and is associated with landscape contractors, drainage considerations (slope away from structures at 1/8″ per foot minimum), and permitted covered structures that require a licensed contractor even when the slab itself doesn’t.
Serving Austin, located in Travis County — with active service throughout Williamson County (Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Hutto, Taylor), Hays County (Kyle, Buda), and Bastrop County (Bastrop, Elgin).
Drywall installation and finishing (hanging, taping, floating, Level 3/4/5 finish), fence installation (cedar privacy, chain link), vinyl and laminate flooring installation (LVP, laminate, subfloor prep), interior and exterior painting (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore), tile installation (floor, shower, backsplash, waterproofing), bathroom remodeling (installation scope — no plumbing connections), kitchen remodeling (cabinets, backsplash, flooring — no plumbing or electrical), door installation (interior and exterior), window installation (insert and full-frame), trim and baseboard installation, cabinet installation (kitchen, bath, laundry, garage), and concrete and patio installation.
We serve Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Hutto, Taylor, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Manor, Elgin, Bastrop, Del Valle, Kyle, and Buda. All 14 cities are part of our regular rotation with no separate travel fees.
No. Our scope is new installation, replacement, and renovation work — projects where a surface or system is being genuinely replaced. Single-item repair calls and patch jobs are below our $500 labor minimum and are not our business model.
Our minimum labor engagement is $500. This reflects mobilization cost and the minimum complexity that a professional installation crew handles efficiently.
Yes. We work with homeowners, investors, general contractors, and production builders throughout the Austin metro. We understand construction sequences, coordinate with other trades on-site, and operate without the project management overhead that general contractors add when they subcontract the same installation trades we do directly.
Drywall installation — hanging, taping, floating, sanding, and priming — is the prerequisite for any quality paint job. A paint job applied over improperly finished drywall will show every defect under raking light. Finishing drywall to Level 4 or Level 5 is what makes painting results look professional. We deliver all drywall to painting with primer applied — bare unprimed drywall absorbs paint unevenly and requires significantly more finish coats to achieve even sheen.
Fill out the estimate form on this page or call 512-290-5153. Describe the service type, approximate scope, and your city. We follow up within one business day. For larger projects — full home remodels, new construction scopes, multi-trade coordination — we schedule a site walk to scope accurately before quoting.
Get a Free Estimate → Call 512-290-5153
Many Austin homeowners managing their own renovation projects — skipping the general contractor markup on projects that don’t require licensed trades throughout — benefit from understanding how installation trades sequence. Getting the order wrong means rework. Getting it right means each trade’s work sets up the next one cleanly.
The standard sequence for a full residential renovation in Austin:
Rough framing (if applicable — additions, layout changes)
MEP rough-in — mechanical (HVAC ducts), electrical rough-in, plumbing rough-in. All require inspections before drywall.
Insulation — in walls before drywall.
Drywall hanging and finishing — our scope. Follows rough framing and MEP rough-in. Level 3/4/5 finish delivered to the painting trade.
Cabinet installation (kitchen) — before countertop template, before backsplash tile, before flooring in most sequences.
Countertop template and fabrication — templates after cabinets are installed. 2–4 week fabrication lead time.
Flooring installation — LVP or tile, after drywall primer, before baseboard.
Tile installation — bathroom shower and floor tile after plumbing rough-in. Kitchen backsplash after countertop installation.
Countertop installation — after fabrication complete.
Trim and baseboard installation — after flooring, before final paint.
Door and window installation — exterior doors early (weather seal); interior doors after drywall.
Painting — final coat after all drywall, trim, and cabinet work is complete.
Plumbing trim-out — fixture connections after countertops and tile are complete.
Electrical trim-out — devices, fixtures, and covers after paint.
HandyMan Install covers steps 4, 5, 6 (prep only), 7, 8, 10, 11 (installation scope), and the painting portion of step 12. Licensed plumbers and electricians handle their respective trim-out steps. We coordinate with whatever trades are active on your project and show up in sequence.