- Planning a remodel or custom build?
Start with a direct conversation.
Speak with an experienced building professional before you commit to the wrong process, the wrong design, or the wrong price structure.
- A Better Way to Build
Most remodelers begin with a sales structure. The homeowner gets a proposal built around markup, broad assumptions, and a pricing model that often leaves too much uncertainty hidden inside the numbers.
ZeroDown Consulting approaches the process differently. You work with an experienced building professional who understands design, budgeting, sequencing, materials, and field realities. We create the design, align the scope with a realistic cost structure, coordinate vetted trades and vendors, and help you avoid the expensive disconnect between design intent and production reality.
You keep control of your money. You pay trades and vendors directly. We provide disciplined coordination and experienced oversight without the traditional builder markup model that inflates cost before the work even begins.
Talk With UsCreative Architectural Designs
Design should reflect how the project will actually be built, how you intend to live in the space, and how the budget needs to perform.
Reliable Vendors and Trades
We spent years cultivating relationships with vetted trades and premium vendors, so your project is not a test run for unproven people.
No Traditional Builder Markup
A different model designed to eliminate unnecessary cost inflation while you remain the custodian of your own money.
Never a Down Payment
You pay suppliers and artisans directly as the project moves forward. No middleman. No middleman’s markup.
You are working with a builder’s perspective, not a sales script.
You are not being handed off to a commissioned salesperson or a design consultant detached from production realities. You are working directly with a building professional whose experience spans design, budget alignment, trade coordination, material planning, and field judgment. That leads to better decisions early—and fewer expensive surprises later.
- 40+ years in residential and commercial construction
- Direct guidance from design concept through coordination
- Real-world judgment before costly mistakes take shape
Experienced Building Expertise
Good projects are not created by sales language. They are created by experienced decisions made early and reinforced throughout the process.
Design + Budget Alignment
Design, cost, and buildability should agree with each other before production begins, not after the homeowner is already financially committed.
A Better First Conversation
Homeowners usually do not need more pressure. They need clarity on scope, cost, process, and whether the project they are imagining can be executed intelligently.
- What We Help You Do
From concept to completion, we help homeowners bring order, realism, and experienced judgment to a process that usually feels risky and confusing.
Architectural Design
We begin with a design that reflects how the project should actually be built, not just how it should look on paper.
Budget Development
We build the financial reality of the project from the design so you can make informed decisions before costly mistakes happen.
Interior Design Guidance
Material selections, finish direction, and practical input help the finished project look cohesive and valuable.
Project Scope & Timeline
We define the scope, sequence, and realistic progression of the work before production starts.
Vendor & Trade Coordination
We bring qualified people and trusted sources to the table, helping reduce chaos, delay, and avoidable waste.
Production Oversight
We stay engaged so design intent, budget goals, and field realities continue to align as the project moves forward.
- How It Works
A disciplined process replaces the usual confusion. That protects the design, the budget, and the homeowner.
Consultation & Project Discovery
We begin by understanding your goals, property, priorities, and realistic budget expectations before anyone starts selling you something you do not need.
Design, Scope & Budget Alignment
We shape the design around buildability and cost reality so the project makes sense before production starts. That reduces surprises and expensive change orders.
Coordination Through Production
We coordinate the moving parts of the project and help keep the work aligned with the plan, the budget, and the homeowner’s expectations.
- Frequently Asked Questions
Our vendor relationships were built over years in the industry. Because we still operate within that professional ecosystem, our clients benefit from established relationships, trusted sources, and pricing structures typically associated with experienced builders rather than retail walk-in pricing.
No. One of the core distinctions of our model is that you keep control of your project funds. Trades and vendors are paid directly, which creates a higher level of transparency and reduces the discomfort many homeowners feel about turning over large sums of money to a general contractor.
Where licensing is required, we verify licensing. Where licensing is not required, we rely on deep experience, vetting the people who work on projects under our coordination. We also prioritize insured subcontractors and vendors whenever applicable.
Traditional remodelers usually build their pricing model around markup. Our model is structured differently. Clients who want experienced guidance, design input, vendor coordination, and greater transparency often prefer a consulting-led process that reduces cost inflation and keeps them more informed and in control.
We began years ago as trade artisans, building strong relationships with our material vendors and suppliers. Over time, we evolved into a full remodeling firm, dedicating years to finding and vetting qualified artisan subcontractors. We carefully selected the best of them to form our approved labor force, and we bring the benefit of those years of meticulous selection to your project.
Even as we have shifted our focus, we continue to build numerous projects each year, allowing us to maintain the builder discounts we enjoyed when we operated as a traditional builder. This means you still receive the same high-quality workmanship and materials at competitive prices, backed by our years of expertise and trusted relationships in the industry.
The core of our business model is that you retain full control of your project investment. Aside from our fee for coordinating your project, none of your project funds go to us. Your project will be completed as long as your funds are sufficient to cover the costs.
You pay tradesmen only after they have completed work to the contracted draw point or finished their tasks, and you pay suppliers and vendors directly for materials and fixtures. ZeroDown Consulting is compensated only as a percentage of what you have spent to date on your project. The only thing that can slow down or stop production is your decision to do so.
Most reputable remodeling contractors typically mark up material and labor costs by at least 100%, with many operating in a range closer to 120% to 150%. While that may seem high, it is a standard part of the traditional remodeling model.
By contrast, our fee is a nominal percentage of the project cost, paid weekly as the job progresses. That structure allows you to save significantly while maintaining full transparency, direct control of your project funds, and a clearer view of where every dollar is going.
- Why Homeowners Call Us
They want experienced building expertise.
Good projects are not created by sales scripts. They are created by experienced decisions made early.
They want transparency.
Clients are tired of not knowing where the money is going or how pricing is being constructed or distributed.
They want the project to make sense before it starts.
Design, budget, and production all need to agree with one another. Most expensive problems begin when those three things are disconnected.
- Testimonials
I met Craig on another job he was working on. I asked him to take a look at my project. Following his advice, he redesigned the space and managed the build. His imagination, creativity, and vast building experience made the process easier and of a quality we were doubtful we would achieve.
When we could find no one locally to redesign and renovate our ranch, we called Craig. His design was wonderful. He was able to pull quality work out of a difficult market, and we love the finished home.
Before you commit to a remodeler, talk to someone who knows how projects really get built.
Schedule your free initial consultation and find out whether your project goals, design expectations, and budget are aligned before expensive assumptions start setting the tone.
- Craig's Builder Blog
Craig shares insights drawn from decades in the industry—what homeowners should understand before hiring a remodeler, how pricing really works, and where projects usually go wrong long before construction begins.
Advice that helps homeowners avoid costly mistakes
From contractor selection to project planning, the blog is designed to give homeowners a clearer view of the process before they step into it. It is not filler content. It is practical guidance shaped by field experience.
Visit Craig's Builder Blog
- Contact Us
We bring decades of expertise without asking you to gamble on whether someone else will manage your money wisely. You keep control. We help you make the project make sense.
Call Us
Phone 512-461-3831Service Area
Serving the Greater Austin Metro Area