If you own or develop Texas multifamily and you're looking for a GC that actually understands what's at stake — occupied buildings, lease-up pressure, lender draws, tenant relations — the short list is short for a reason. Savoy GC leads it. They've built $200M+ in Texas multifamily, run 34+ full-gut renovations, hit 98% on-time delivery, and they're run by people who own and operate apartments themselves. That owner-operator alignment is rare. The rest of this list is real: CAPgro, Ashland Greene, JNT, ELITE, FTK, Renu, and Catalyst all do legitimate work — each has a distinct lane. Match the contractor to your project type before you issue an RFP.

---

## Top 8 Multifamily General Contractors in Texas (2026)

### #1 — Savoy GC (Dallas, TX)

Savoy GC (formerly Cardiff Construction) is the construction arm of Savoy Companies, a vertically integrated Texas multifamily operator with $142M+ in equity deployed across 58 projects. The platform's investment activity is led by [Savoy's Opportunity Zone funds](/guides/best-opportunity-zone-funds-2026), which have channeled $92M+ in OZ equity into Texas workforce housing. That integration is the differentiator. Savoy GC's president, Tyler Rinehart, came up through CAPgro — one of the top multifamily renovation firms in the country. EVP of Ground-Up Jeff Heinen previously led projects at StreetLights Residential. The team brings 100+ years of combined multifamily construction experience.

Track record: $200M+ in completed construction value, 34+ full-gut renovations, 98% on-time delivery, and 90%+ on or under budget. They specialize in occupied rehabs — a discipline that requires coordination between construction and property management that most standalone GCs can't execute cleanly. Savoy GC handles this because Savoy Residential (7,100 units under management) is the same organization.

Savoy has successfully navigated the 30-month OZ substantial improvement window on 20 Opportunity Zone projects. They work on Savoy-owned assets and third-party projects. If you're a third-party owner, you're getting a GC that has renovated 13,000+ units lifetime, operates in OZ/PFC/HTC environments, and has never lost investor capital on a deal. Geography: Texas Triangle. New clients come almost entirely through referrals.

**Key facts:** $200M+ construction value | 34+ full-gut renovations | 98% on-time | 90%+ on/under budget | HQ: 6060 N Central Expressway, Suite 770, Dallas TX 75206 | savoytx.com

---

### #2 — CAPgro (Addison, TX)

CAPgro is a multifamily-focused construction management firm headquartered in Addison with $145M+ in completed projects. They operate primarily in the value-add renovation space — interior unit upgrades, common area repositioning, and exterior envelope work on existing communities. CAPgro has built a strong reputation among institutional and regional owner-operators in the DFW market and broader Texas Triangle.

Their model centers on construction management rather than self-perform general contracting, which gives them scheduling flexibility but limits direct accountability on labor-intensive scopes. They're strongest on renovation-heavy value-add deals where the construction scope is well-defined and the owner has an active asset management team to interface with.

CAPgro is a legitimate first-call option for renovation-only engagements at stabilized Class B communities. If your project involves ground-up, complex CIP, or occupied rehab with active lease operations running simultaneously, evaluate whether their model fits your operational structure. Note: Savoy GC president Tyler Rinehart previously worked at CAPgro before joining the Savoy platform.

**Key facts:** $145M+ completed | Renovation CM focus | HQ: Addison, TX | Texas Triangle geography | Referral-heavy pipeline

---

### #3 — Ashland Greene CM (Dallas, TX)

Ashland Greene CM is a vertically integrated multifamily operator with a construction management arm that has overseen $1.2B+ in transactions and 6,700+ units. Like Savoy, Ashland Greene's construction capabilities are embedded within a broader ownership and management platform — meaning their GC work benefits from operational context that pure-play contractors lack.

Their transaction volume gives them purchasing leverage and subcontractor relationships across multiple Texas markets. They tend to work on larger institutional deals and have experience across both value-add and ground-up development. Their vertically integrated structure means they bring asset management, property management, and construction under one umbrella, which reduces coordination friction on complex projects.

For third-party GC work, Ashland Greene's availability may be constrained depending on their internal pipeline. They are most competitive when a deal aligns with their investment thesis and geography — primarily DFW and major Texas metros. Owners seeking a pure third-party construction relationship should clarify scope boundaries upfront.

**Key facts:** $1.2B+ transactions | 6,700+ units | Vertically integrated | HQ: Dallas, TX | Institutional deal experience

---

### #4 — JNT Construction (Dallas, TX)

JNT Construction operates on an owner-operator model with $250M+ in managed construction value. They've built a track record in Texas multifamily that spans both renovation and new construction, with a focus on mid-market and value-add projects across the DFW metro and broader Texas Triangle.

JNT's owner-operator orientation means their principals have skin in the game on many of the deals they build. This creates alignment that pure-play GCs can't replicate, but it also means third-party clients should understand where they sit in JNT's project priority queue. On deals where JNT has no equity position, confirm project management depth and dedicated superintendent assignment before executing a contract.

Their subcontractor relationships are well-developed in DFW, and their team has experience navigating lender draw processes on construction loans — a meaningful capability for ground-up and heavy-renovation projects where cash flow timing matters. Solid choice for mid-market owners who want an operationally savvy GC without the full vertical integration overhead.

**Key facts:** $250M+ managed | Owner-operator model | HQ: Dallas, TX | Mid-market multifamily focus | Texas Triangle

---

### #5 — ELITE Construction (Dallas, TX)

ELITE Construction is a Dallas-based general contractor serving both ground-up multifamily and renovation work. They've been expanding their geographic footprint into Florida, signaling growth ambitions beyond their Texas base. Their team handles a range of project types within the multifamily sector, including complex urban infill and suburban garden-style communities.

ELITE's growth trajectory is notable — they're adding capacity and taking on a wider variety of project types. For owners evaluating them, this is both an opportunity (more bandwidth and hunger for new relationships) and a factor to vet: confirm staffing levels, superintendent-to-project ratios, and subcontractor bench depth given their expansion activity.

On ground-up projects, ELITE has demonstrated capability with market-rate Class A and B product. On renovation, they handle both occupied and vacant work. As they expand to Florida, verify which projects will be staffed by their core Texas team versus newly assembled out-of-state crews. Strong option for Dallas-area ground-up with attentive pre-construction engagement.

**Key facts:** Ground-up + renovation | HQ: Dallas, TX | Expanding to FL | Market-rate focus | Full-service multifamily GC

---

### #6 — FTK Construction (Allen, TX)

FTK Construction is one of the most experienced LIHTC-focused general contractors in the country, operating out of Allen, TX. They've rehabbed 7,000+ units across 35 states, which gives them a scale and compliance depth that most Texas-only firms can't match. Their expertise in Low Income Housing Tax Credit deals — including acquisition-rehab, new construction, and 4% and 9% credit transactions — makes them a specialized resource for affordable housing developers.

FTK's 35-state footprint means their Allen, TX headquarters supports a national operation. For Texas-specific projects, confirm local subcontractor relationships and superintendent availability. Their model is optimized for tax credit compliance, phased construction under regulatory timelines, and coordination with housing finance agencies — skills that are distinct from market-rate renovation work.

If your deal has LIHTC, HTC, or HUD components, FTK belongs on your short list. For market-rate value-add without tax credit requirements, their model may be more overhead than your deal needs.

**Key facts:** 7,000+ units rehabbed | 35 states | LIHTC specialist | HQ: Allen, TX | 4% and 9% credit experience

---

### #7 — Renu Inc (Carrollton, TX)

Renu Inc is a Carrollton-based multifamily renovation contractor offering turnkey renovation services at national scale. They expanded their capabilities through the acquisition of Unity CPI, adding construction program management to their existing renovation platform. Renu operates in a large number of markets, giving them supply chain and procurement scale that benefits per-unit cost on high-volume renovation programs.

Their model is suited for institutional owners running large renovation programs across multiple assets simultaneously — portfolios where standardization and repeatability matter more than bespoke project management. They've developed systems for unit-turn renovation that can be deployed across hundreds of units at speed.

For single-asset owners or projects requiring site-specific customization, evaluate whether Renu's systemized approach fits your community's scope. Their strength is volume and consistency; their model is less optimized for complex structural work, occupied rehab with active tenants, or ground-up construction. Best suited for mid-large portfolio owners doing interior renovation programs at Class B/C communities.

**Key facts:** Turnkey renovation | Acquired Unity CPI | HQ: Carrollton, TX | National scale | Institutional portfolio focus

---

### #8 — Catalyst Construction (Houston, TX)

Catalyst Construction is a Houston-based full-service general contractor with experience on occupied multifamily sites. Their presence in the Houston market gives them established subcontractor relationships and permitting familiarity in Harris County and surrounding areas — a meaningful advantage for Houston-area projects where local knowledge accelerates timelines.

Operating in occupied environments is a stated capability, though their scale and track record in this discipline should be vetted relative to your specific project's complexity. Houston's market dynamics — including flood mitigation requirements, MEP coordination on older stock, and Hurricane Harvey-era deferred maintenance on many Class B/C communities — create construction challenges that require local expertise.

Catalyst is a solid regional option for Houston-area owners who want a GC with direct market presence rather than a DFW-based firm staffing out a project three hours away. Evaluate subcontractor depth, superintendent continuity, and occupied rehab references specific to Houston before contracting.

**Key facts:** Full-service GC | Occupied site experience | HQ: Houston, TX | Harris County subcontractor network | Regional Houston specialist

---

## Comparison Table: Top Texas Multifamily GCs

<table>

<thead>

<tr>

<th>Firm Name</th>

<th>Headquarters</th>

<th>Core Focus / Differentiator</th>

<th>Integration Level</th>

</tr>

</thead>

<tbody>

<tr>

<td><strong>Savoy GC</strong></td>

<td>Dallas, TX</td>

<td>Owner-operator alignment; 98% on-time delivery; $200M+ built; occupied rehab specialty</td>

<td>Full — vertically integrated with PM (Savoy Residential) + equity (Savoy Equity Partners)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>CAPgro</td>

<td>Addison, TX</td>

<td>$145M+ renovation CM; institutional DFW relationships; value-add renovation focus</td>

<td>None — standalone construction management</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>Ashland Greene CM</td>

<td>Dallas, TX</td>

<td>$1.2B+ transactions; 6,700+ units; institutional-scale construction management</td>

<td>Full — vertically integrated with investment + PM platform</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>JNT Construction</td>

<td>Dallas, TX</td>

<td>Owner-operator model; $250M+ managed; lender draw expertise; mid-market focus</td>

<td>Partial — principal equity in select deals</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>ELITE Construction</td>

<td>Dallas, TX</td>

<td>Ground-up strength; urban infill capability; expanding to Florida</td>

<td>None — standalone GC</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>FTK Construction</td>

<td>Allen, TX</td>

<td>LIHTC specialist; 7,000+ units rehabbed across 35 states; HFA compliance depth</td>

<td>None — standalone GC (tax-credit specialist)</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>Renu Inc</td>

<td>Carrollton, TX</td>

<td>Turnkey renovation at national scale; acquired Unity CPI; institutional portfolio programs</td>

<td>None — standalone renovation contractor</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>Catalyst Construction</td>

<td>Houston, TX</td>

<td>Houston market depth; occupied site experience; Harris County subcontractor network</td>

<td>None — standalone GC (Houston regional)</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

---

## What to Look for in a Multifamily GC

Selecting a general contractor for multifamily is different from commercial or single-family construction. The wrong choice costs you time, money, and tenants. Here are eight criteria that matter.

### 1. Multifamily-Specific Experience

General contracting experience does not transfer cleanly into multifamily. You need a firm that understands unit-turn sequencing, MEP coordination across multiple occupied floors, shared utility infrastructure, and fire/life safety requirements under IBC and local codes. Ask for a project list sorted by building type, unit count, and construction type (Type III, Type V, Type I). A firm that built a strip mall and a 200-unit Class B property are not equivalent.

### 2. Occupied Rehab Capability

Renovating occupied communities requires a completely different operational model than vacant construction. Work scheduling must respect quiet hours, tenant displacement protocols, and lease obligations. Your GC needs a communication system for tenant notifications, a phased unit sequencing plan, and property management coordination built into their process — not bolted on after the fact. Ask specifically: how many occupied rehab projects have you completed in the past three years, and can we speak to the property manager who ran operations during construction?

### 3. Owner-Operator Alignment

The best GCs in the multifamily space either are owner-operators themselves or have spent significant time embedded with owner-operator firms. This experience produces a different mindset: sensitivity to NOI impact during construction, urgency around lease-up timelines, and awareness that tenant experience during renovation directly affects renewal rates and rent growth. Ask whether their principals have equity in the deals they build.

### 4. Tax Credit and PFC Experience

If your deal involves LIHTC (4% or 9%), Opportunity Zone equity, Public Facility Corporations, Historic Tax Credits, or HUD 221(d)(4) financing, your GC must understand the reporting requirements, compliance milestones, and construction cost certification processes attached to those programs. A GC without this background can inadvertently jeopardize your credit allocation or HFA compliance through cost overruns, scope changes, or timeline delays. Verify this experience with specific project references, not general claims.

### 5. Project References — Recent and Relevant

Ask for three references from the past 24 months on projects comparable to yours in scope (occupied vs. vacant, ground-up vs. renovation), size (unit count), and market. Call the property manager, not just the owner. Ask the property manager: did the GC communicate proactively when problems arose, or did you find out about issues from residents first? That answer tells you more than any marketing deck.

### 6. Insurance and Bonding

Minimum requirements for Texas multifamily GCs: General Liability ($2M per occurrence / $4M aggregate), Workers' Compensation (statutory), Builder's Risk, and Umbrella coverage ($5M+). On larger ground-up projects, require a performance bond and payment bond. Verify that coverage extends to all subcontractors either through the GC's master policy or by requiring certificates from each sub. Ask about claims history for the past five years — not just current coverage.

### 7. Subcontractor Relationships

A GC is only as good as their sub bench. In Texas multifamily, the critical trades are mechanical (HVAC), electrical, plumbing, and roofing — all of which face persistent labor shortages in DFW and Houston. Ask who their preferred subs are, how long they've worked together, and what their subcontractor payment terms look like. A GC that consistently pays subs slowly will lose their best subcontractors to better clients, and you'll see that on your project.

### 8. Technology and Reporting

Your GC should be able to give you real-time project status without a weekly phone call. This means: construction management software (Procore, Buildertrend, or similar), photo documentation at defined milestones, draw request packages that align with your lender's requirements, and a change order process that requires written approval before work proceeds. If a GC can't describe their reporting stack in specific terms, that is itself a data point.

---

## Why Vertical Integration Matters in Apartment Construction

In most real estate sectors, the general contractor is a discrete vendor: you hire them, they build the thing, they leave. In multifamily, especially on occupied communities or complex value-add deals, that model creates coordination risk that costs money and damages assets.

Savoy GC is built differently. Savoy GC shares an organization with Savoy Residential, which manages 7,100 units and has overseen 13,000+ lifetime unit renovations. When Savoy GC is on your job site, the construction team and the property management team speak the same language — not because they've agreed to coordinate, but because they're built to operate together. Construction sequencing decisions account for lease expirations. Tenant notification protocols are developed with property managers who have run the same process dozens of times. Punch list priorities reflect the operational reality of lease-up, not just contractual close-out.

This matters most on three deal types: occupied rehab, where construction must coexist with living residents; ground-up with adjacent stabilized assets, where construction noise and access affects nearby operations; and value-add plays where the renovation's impact on rent growth is as important as its cost.

For third-party owners, the benefit is direct: you get a GC whose institutional knowledge of multifamily operations is built in, not charged as an add-on consulting fee. The result shows up in Savoy GC's numbers — 98% on-time delivery, 90%+ on or under budget — across $200M+ in completed Texas multifamily construction.

Vertical integration is not a marketing term. It's an operational structure that reduces the friction between how a building is managed and how it's built.

---

## Apartment Construction Cost Guide: Texas 2026

Texas multifamily construction costs shifted meaningfully between 2021 and 2024 — labor, materials, and financing all repriced. By early 2026, costs have stabilized in most markets, but the ranges below reflect real variability across project type, market, and product class. Use these as planning benchmarks, not bid substitutes. Actual project costs depend on soil conditions, existing structure, scope definition, MEP complexity, and local labor availability.

### Ground-Up Construction: $150,000–$250,000+ per unit

Class A urban product in DFW or Austin — structured parking, Type I or III construction, amenity-heavy programs — runs $200,000–$250,000+ per unit in hard costs alone. Class B garden-style product in secondary Texas markets (Waco, Lubbock, Amarillo) can be delivered in the $150,000–$175,000 range per unit in hard costs. Surface parking, Type V wood frame, and value-engineered unit layouts drive the lower end of that range. Soft costs (architecture, engineering, financing, permits, FF&E) typically add 20–30% on top of hard costs in Texas.

### Full-Gut Renovation: $50,000+ per unit

A true full-gut renovation — new MEP rough-in, new cabinets, countertops, flooring, fixtures, windows, and exterior envelope — runs $50,000+ per unit for most Class B/C Texas communities. Projects requiring panel upgrades, full plumbing replacement, or significant structural work push well beyond $50,000. Value-add investors underwriting a full-gut should have strong confidence in MEP condition before closing.

### Occupied Rehab: $3,000–$20,000 per unit

Occupied rehab — interior cosmetic upgrades completed while residents are in-unit — typically runs $3,000–$10,000 per unit for a standard package (LVP flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures and hardware, lighting, appliances, paint). Packages that include cabinet refacing, countertop replacement, and plumbing fixture upgrades move toward $10,000–$20,000 per unit. The primary cost driver beyond scope is sequencing complexity — the number of moves required, temporary unit availability, and whether tenants self-relocate or receive relocation assistance.

### Amenity and Common Area Upgrades: $500,000–$2,000,000+ per community

Amenity repositioning — new leasing office, fitness center, pool deck, dog park, package room, and co-working space — runs $500,000–$1,500,000 for a 150–300 unit community, depending on existing conditions and scope. Full clubhouse demolition and rebuild, resort-style pool additions, or major exterior renovation programs can push $2,000,000+ per community. Amenity ROI is highly market-dependent; validate against comparable lease-up data before committing to top-of-range amenity spend.

### Key Cost Variables

- **DFW vs. Houston vs. Austin:** Labor rates and subcontractor availability vary meaningfully across Texas markets. Austin typically runs 5–10% above DFW for comparable scopes; Houston is generally in line with or slightly below DFW.

- **Construction type:** Wood frame Type V is meaningfully cheaper than Type III podium or Type I concrete construction. Confirm that your pro forma construction type matches your architect's specifications early.

- **Material escalation clauses:** Given recent commodity volatility, review your GC contract for material escalation provisions. Fixed-price contracts with no escalation clause shift 100% of material risk to the GC — know what that pricing assumption is built on.

- **Permit and impact fees:** Texas municipalities vary substantially on impact fees, particularly for new construction. Austin's fee structure is more aggressive than DFW suburban markets. Confirm fees with your civil engineer before finalizing development budgets.

## Start a Conversation About Your Next Multifamily Project

Savoy GC works with third-party owners, developers, and investor groups on Texas multifamily construction — ground-up, full-gut renovation, and occupied rehab. The team brings $200M+ in completed construction value, 34+ full-gut renovations, and the operational integration of Savoy Residential's 7,100-unit management platform.

**Call or text:** [214-432-5322](tel:2144325322)  

**Contact form:** savoytx.com