Protect
Secure openings, utilities and active loss.
RECONSTRUCT · RESEQUENCE · REPRICE · DECIDE
Restart the plan.Not the confusion.
A private recovery workspace for owners of partially renovated homes—rebuilding the permit and inspection file, pricing what remains and testing whether completion still earns the risk.
No address requestedNothing stored or submittedOfficial sources reviewed Sep. 2026
This organizer does not inspect work, issue a permit, interpret plans, approve concealment, estimate market value or establish contractor, lien or legal rights.
Open the recovery fileTHE RECOVERY SEQUENCE
Protect → retrieve → diagnose → reprice → authorize.
Retrieve
Collect plans, permits, inspections and contracts.
Diagnose
Decide what may stay, change or be opened.
Reprice
Sequence remaining work, risk and carrying time.
Authorize
Compare finish, pause and as-is outcomes.
DESK 01 · PROJECT-STATE RECONSTRUCTION
Do not price a restart until you know what may stay.
Mark each layer unknown, blocked or verified. “Installed” is not the same as approved, warrantable, code-compliant or reusable.
Site + weather protection
Security, temporary protection, roof/openings, drainage, utilities and active-loss control
Approved plan + scope baseline
Current drawings, revisions, engineering, selections and written remaining scope
Structural + building shell
Foundation, framing, sheathing, roofing, windows, exterior and required inspections
Mechanical rough-in
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, gas and fire-system rough work with trade responsibility
Close-in authorization
Required rough, framing, insulation and other approvals before assemblies are concealed
Interior completion
Drywall, waterproofing, cabinets, trim, flooring, fixtures, appliances and finishes
Finals + occupancy path
Trade finals, building final, corrections, certificates and complete closeout file
DESK 02 · PERMIT + PAPER TRAIL
Rebuild the authority chain before rebuilding the house.
A new contractor should not inherit undocumented assumptions. Collect records from the authority and source—not screenshots alone.
DESK 03 · REMAINING-SCOPE ESTIMATOR
Ignore sunk cost. Price the work still between here and closeout.
Enter current remaining estimates, money already contractually committed and scope confidence. Verify contracts before treating a deposit as transferable or recoverable.
WorkstreamRemainingCommittedConfidence
DIRECT REMAINING SCOPE$130,000
SCOPE RISK ALLOWANCE$23,400
TIME + CARRY$18,200
ALL-IN FINISH BASIS$171,600
$26,500 is marked committed inside the direct estimate. Do not add it twice.
DESK 04 · FINISH OR SELL AS-IS
Compare two net outcomes on one honest clock.
Do not compare gross finished value to cash today. Include remaining capital, time, risk, debt and transaction assumptions in both paths.
DESK 05 · RESTART AUTHORIZATION GATE
Release the next dollar only when the next dependency is real.
OFFICIAL RECOVERY DESK
Open the live record before relying on the project story.
City limits, extraterritorial jurisdiction, property facts and work scope determine which authority and rules apply.
San Antonio residential permits
Official building, remodel, repair, homeowner and contractor permit starting points.
BuildSA record search guide
Official instructions for searching an address, licensed professional, contact or record.
San Antonio contractor search
Official registered-contractor search plus category, complaint and sanction context.
San Antonio inspections
Current Development Services inspection scheduling, status and contact routes.
San Antonio zoning
Official zoning, overlays, verification and property research starting points.
TDLR license search
Official Texas lookup for regulated occupations and trade credentials.
Texas plumbing license search
Official Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners public license search.
EPA renovation guidance
Current consumer guidance for lead-safe renovation, repair and painting in pre-1978 housing.
OWNER QUESTIONS
Stalled-project answers without false certainty.
Can a new contractor continue the old permit?+
Possibly, but do not assume it. Permit holder, contractor registration, trade permits, ownership, expired or inactive records, plan revisions and local procedures can change the route. Ask the issuing authority using the exact permit record.
Should I close walls if the rough work looks finished?+
Not until the required inspections and documentation are confirmed. Concealing unapproved work may require destructive opening and can erase evidence needed to diagnose or price corrections.
How do I know which completed work is reusable?+
Use permit and inspection history plus evaluation by the relevant qualified professional or trade. Appearance, payment, a contractor statement or a passed inspection in another workstream may not establish reuse.
What belongs in a remaining-scope estimate?+
Include investigation, protection, correction, design/engineering, permits, labor, material, equipment, taxes, disposal, utilities, insurance, financing, carry, contingency, inspections, punch and closeout.
What happens to money already spent?+
Historic spend matters for accounting, claims, liens and tax records, but it is generally sunk for the decision. Compare new money and new risk required from today against current alternatives.
How should I compare restart bids?+
Give bidders the same plan set, inspection record and remaining scope. Require exclusions, allowances, schedule, responsible trades, permits, inspection sequence, payment milestones, change orders, cleanup and closeout.
Do I need engineering?+
It depends on scope, observed conditions, approved plans and authority requirements. Structural changes, movement, removed members, foundations and undocumented alterations are common reasons to ask the authority or a qualified engineer before construction.
What about contractor liens or abandoned materials?+
Preserve contracts, notices, payments, invoices, delivery records and communications. Before paying replacements or disposing of material, get qualified legal/title guidance on lien, ownership, termination and claim issues.
When does lead-safe renovation matter?+
Paint-disturbing work in most pre-1978 housing can implicate federal RRP rules, especially paid work, rentals and renovation-for-sale activity. Verify current coverage and certified-firm requirements before disturbance.
How do I decide whether to finish or sell as-is?+
Compare supported net outcomes on the same date: current as-is value, debt, remaining scope, corrections, carry, time, contingency, transaction costs and supported finished value. Stress-test cost and schedule overruns.
WHEN COMPLETION NO LONGER CLEARS THE HURDLE
Price one as-is exit before releasing the next draw.
A current as-is option creates a comparable decision baseline. It does not prove selling is best, excuse unsafe conditions or resolve permits, title, liens or contracts.