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BGW CONSTRUCTION FAQS

Answers for your next home project.

Find answers about planning, budgets, construction, and caring for your completed remodel.

Answers reviewed by Bobby Williams, President & CEO, BGW Construction.

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General Questions

BGW Construction is a design-build remodeling company based in Plainfield, Indiana, specializing in kitchen and bathroom remodels, home additions, basement finishes, and outdoor living spaces. We serve homeowners throughout Hendricks County and central Indiana, including Plainfield, Avon, Brownsburg, Danville, Zionsville, Carmel, Speedway, Mooresville, Pittsboro, Clayton, Coatesville, and Camby. Because we’re design-build, one team handles your project from the first design conversation through the final walkthrough.

Yes. BGW Construction carries general liability and workers’ compensation insurance and is registered with the building departments in the communities we serve, including Hendricks County, Boone County, Plainfield, Avon, Brownsburg, Zionsville, Indianapolis, and Carmel, among others. Indiana doesn’t issue a statewide general contractor license, so contractor licensing happens at the city and county level. That’s why it’s worth asking any contractor where they’re registered and asking to see a current certificate of insurance. We’re happy to show you ours.

Yes. Every BGW project starts with a free ballpark estimate, so you’ll know early whether your budget and your vision line up. If the ballpark works, we move into a free consultation to talk through your goals, your home, and how you want to live in the space. From there, we take you through our Preconstruction Services Agreement (PSA), a paid design and selections phase where we design the project and you choose your materials. Once every decision is made, you receive a detailed quote with each line item priced before construction begins.

“A detailed and accurate quote takes real design work,” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction. “If it’s free, somebody is guessing, and that guess usually shows up later as a change order.”

Watch Bobby explain the difference between an estimate and a quote:

Project Planning

Call BGW Construction at (317) 268-4487 or fill out the contact form at bgwconstructionllc.com. We start with a short conversation about your project and give you a free ballpark estimate. If that number fits your budget, we schedule a free consultation to walk your home and talk through your goals. Projects that move forward then enter our Preconstruction Services Agreement (PSA), where we design the project, finalize your selections, and build your detailed quote.

Most BGW projects take anywhere from a few weeks to several months of construction, depending on scope. As a general guide, a bathroom remodel takes about 4–8 weeks, a kitchen remodel 6–10 weeks, a basement finish 8–12 weeks, and a home addition 3–6 months. Design and selections during our Preconstruction Services Agreement (PSA) typically add 4–8 weeks before construction begins. Every client receives a written schedule before work starts, so you know what to expect from day one.

Yes. Design is built into every BGW project. During our Preconstruction Services Agreement (PSA), our team develops your layout and design renderings, then guides you through selecting cabinets, countertops, tile, fixtures, and finishes. You’ll see your space before construction begins and know exactly what’s going into it, which is what allows us to give you a detailed, accurate quote.

See every step of the BGW process: The BGW Process

Pricing & Payments

BGW prices every project from a complete design and finalized selections, not a rough guess. We start by agreeing on a target budget and the level of finish you want, then design the project to fit it. Once your selections are made during our Preconstruction Services Agreement (PSA), we build a detailed, line-item quote based on current labor and material costs. BGW doesn’t take time-and-materials work, so you know the price before construction begins. Quotes carry an expiration date because labor and material costs change, especially at the start of each year.

BGW doesn’t provide financing directly, but we can connect you with trusted local lenders who work with remodeling clients, including home equity and renovation loan options. We can also plan a project in phases so you can complete it over time without compromising the overall design. The best time to talk about financing is early, so your design and your budget are built around the same number.

Yes. BGW takes a 10% deposit when you sign your construction contract. After that, we bill progressively based on the line items in your quote, so you pay for each part of the project as you see the work completed. Every payment is spelled out in your contract before anything starts.

“Trust starts with how we honor the money you’re spending,” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction. “Your money pays for your project, not the sins of the last one. You pay for work you can see.”

Construction Process

Most BGW clients stay in their homes during remodeling. Bathroom, basement, and outdoor living projects rarely require moving out. A kitchen remodel is livable with some planning, and we’ll help you set up a temporary kitchen space while yours is under construction. For whole-house remodels or large additions that affect your only bathroom, bedrooms, or utilities, temporary relocation may make sense for part of the project. We’ll talk through that during design so there are no surprises.

BGW pulls every required building permit and schedules every inspection for your project, so you never have to deal with the building department yourself. In Hendricks County and the surrounding areas, most remodels that involve structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work require a permit. Permits protect you as the homeowner. They confirm the work meets current building code, and they keep your home’s records clean when it’s time to sell or file an insurance claim.

Every BGW project is led by a BGW project manager and built by a team of trusted trade partners. That includes electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and specialty craftsmen we’ve worked with for years. We don’t keep every trade on payroll, and that’s by design. It lets us match the right expert to each phase of your project instead of assigning whoever happens to be available. BGW manages all of the work and is accountable for every part of it, from start to finish.

“I’d rather bring in the best tile setter I know than the one who happens to be on my payroll,” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction.

After Completion

Yes. BGW backs its workmanship with a 1-year warranty that starts the day your project is complete. Our goal is to finish every detail at the final punch list. If small things show up afterward, like drywall nail pops or the minor settling that’s common in any building project, we come back and take care of them. Products like cabinets, windows, fixtures, and appliances also carry their manufacturers’ warranties, and we help you with those claims. When BGW supplies it, we stand behind it.

“We’ve built our reputation over nearly three decades by standing behind our work,” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction. “If something comes up after the warranty period, call us anyway. If it’s on us, we’ll fix it.”

Call BGW Construction at (317) 268-4487 or reach us through the contact form at bgwconstructionllc.com, and send photos if you can. We’ll review the issue, schedule a visit, and make it right if it’s ours to fix. Whether it’s inside your 1-year workmanship warranty or not, we want to hear about it.

At your final walkthrough, BGW gives you care information for the products in your project, including manufacturer care guides for cabinets, countertops, tile, flooring, and fixtures. A few things apply to almost every remodel. Reseal natural stone and grout as recommended, use cleaners made for your specific surfaces, and keep indoor humidity between 30 and 50 percent so wood cabinets and flooring don’t shrink or swell through Indiana’s seasons. If you’re ever unsure how to care for something we installed, call us.

Project Costs & Expectations

In central Indiana, a finished home addition built by a design-build remodeler typically costs $200 to $400 per square foot. Where your project lands depends mostly on what the room is for:

  • Bedroom, family room, or office: $200–$275 per square foot
  • Primary suite (bedroom plus bathroom): $275–$350 per square foot
  • Kitchen or bathroom addition: $350–$400+ per square foot

Kitchens and bathrooms cost the most per square foot because they pack plumbing, cabinetry, tile, and fixtures into a smaller space. Second-story additions also cost more per square foot than ground-level additions because of the structural work involved. BGW gives you a free ballpark estimate at the start, then a detailed quote once design and selections are complete.

The three biggest cost drivers in any remodel are structural changes, moving plumbing or electrical, and the level of finish you choose. Removing a load-bearing wall or relocating a sink, toilet, or gas line adds labor, materials, and sometimes engineering. Vintage homes built before 1950 usually land at the higher end of the range to renovate or add on to. Building codes and construction practices were far less standardized then, so opening walls often reveals framing, wiring, or plumbing that has to be corrected and brought up to code. BGW has renovated many of these homes and plans for those unknowns from the start. Keeping your existing layout is the single biggest way to control cost.

“Homeowners tell me all the time, ‘We don’t have expensive taste, so we’ll save on the finishes,’” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction. “But better flooring, cabinets, and countertops usually cost more because they last longer, and the labor to install them is the same either way. Saving a couple dollars a square foot on flooring rarely changes the budget as much as people expect, and you’ll live with that choice every day.”

Communication & Process

Every day BGW works on your project, we post a daily log in JobTread, our construction management software, so you’ll see updates several times a week. Each log shows what was completed, who was on site, and what’s coming next, often with photos. Between logs, you can reach your project manager directly with questions.

“We’ve embraced the technology of today,” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction. “With a camera in every pocket and the ability to communicate in real time, there’s no excuse for a homeowner to be left in the dark about what’s happening in their own home.”

Your main point of contact is your BGW project manager, who oversees your remodel from the first day of construction through the final walkthrough. Your project manager coordinates our trade partners, manages the schedule, posts your daily logs, and answers your questions along the way. Before construction starts, during design and selections, you’ll work closely with our preconstruction team.

Design & Permits

No. BGW is a design-build firm, so design and construction happen under one contract with one team. Our preconstruction team creates your floor plans, design renderings, and construction drawings during our Preconstruction Services Agreement (PSA). Indiana doesn’t require an architect for most single-family home remodels and additions. When a project needs a structural engineer, for example to remove a load-bearing wall or support a second-story addition, we coordinate that for you. Because the people designing your project also build it, the design is priced as it’s drawn, so you avoid the common gap between an architect’s plans and a contractor’s budget.

Yes. BGW prepares the design drawings, material selections, and other documents your HOA’s architectural review committee needs. Most HOAs prefer to hear directly from the homeowner, so you submit the application, and we ask to be copied on the email conversation so we can help you answer questions and work through any revisions. We also confirm zoning requirements like setbacks, lot coverage, and height limits with your local planning office before your design is finalized. That matters most for additions, decks, and covered porches. Getting approvals in order early keeps your project from stalling once construction is on the schedule.

Living Through a Remodel

Remodeling creates dust and noise, and no contractor can eliminate it completely. What BGW controls is how we treat your home while we’re in it. Depending on the project, that includes plastic dust barriers to seal off the work area, floor protection along the paths our team uses, and covering HVAC vents so dust doesn’t travel through your ductwork. We clean the work area at the end of every workday. Before work begins, we’ll talk through your household’s routines, pets, and work-from-home needs so we can plan around them.

“Construction is dirty. There’s no way around that,” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction. “But we approach every renovation knowing we’re working in a home, not a jobsite.”

Weather mainly affects exterior work like additions, decks, covered porches, concrete patios, and foundations. In Indiana, spring rain and winter freezes cause the most delays, especially for concrete, which can’t be poured on frozen ground or in heavy rain. BGW builds realistic schedules with the season in mind, and once an addition is framed and under roof, most interior work can continue whatever the weather. If weather affects your schedule, you’ll see it in your daily log along with the adjusted plan.

“My good friend Chuck Lofton forecast Indiana weather on WTHR for years, and I gave him a hard time every time it didn’t go the way he said,” says Bobby Williams, founder of BGW Construction. “He taught me that Indiana weather keeps everybody humble. So we’ve become amateur weathermen ourselves. We watch the 7- to 14-day forecasts constantly and plan concrete pours and exterior work around them.”

Final Walkthrough & Beyond

At the end of your project, your BGW project manager walks through the finished space with you, room by room. Together we create a punch list of any final details that need attention, like paint touch-ups or hardware adjustments, and schedule them right away. We also go over how to care for your new finishes and hand over your product information and warranty details. Your project isn’t complete until every item on the punch list is finished.

BGW doesn’t offer a formal maintenance plan, but we’re always a phone call away after your project is complete. Whether you have a question about caring for your finishes, need an adjustment, or have a warranty concern, call our office at (317) 268-4487. Many BGW clients come back to us for their next project, and we’re glad to be the contractor you call for the life of your home.

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