Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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AfterFast, Reliable Home Additions & ADU Across Arlington
Home additions and ADU construction in Arlington, TX typically run $45,000 to $130,000 for a room addition and $90,000 to $220,000 for a new detached ADU, with garage conversions landing between $30,000 and $80,000. Those numbers come from the work we price every week across Arlington’s 76004, 76005, 76006, and 76007 zip codes. But the real story behind any Arlington addition is what’s under the slab. Our crews work the Blackland Prairie clay every day, and we’ll tell you straight: if your foundation hasn’t been checked before we pull the permit, you’re gambling with money you won’t get back. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk your lot before you spend a dime.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Arlington’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews that work Arlington job sites. That’s not a marketing line. When you call, a live person answers, and when a problem shows up, the person who framed your walls is the person who comes back to fix it. Arlington homeowners have heard plenty of pitches from out-of-town franchises that quote one number on the phone and hand over a different invoice at the door. That’s why our Home Additions & ADU contracts carry the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, not in fine print. If it’s not done right, Tom comes back. One call.
We also know how Arlington’s permit office operates in the older corridors. Inspectors in 76010, 76011, and 76012 routinely ask for geotechnical reports before they’ll sign off on an addition or garage conversion. That’s a requirement most homeowners never hear about until a permit gets put on hold. We’ve walked enough Arlington inspections to know exactly what’s coming, which means fewer surprises and fewer days where your project sits stalled.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Arlington
ADU Design & Permitting
An ADU in Arlington isn’t a shed with a bed in it. Design, setbacks, utility connections, and the soil report all have to line up before the city will issue anything. On Arlington’s Blackland Prairie clay, that soil report is the quiet killer of budgets and timelines. We’ll pull it early, price it honestly, and fold it into the written scope so you’re not financing a surprise later. Our Arlington clients get a permit package that reflects what the city will actually ask for, not what a generic builder assumes.
Garage Conversion ADU
Garage conversions in Arlington’s 1960s and 1970s ranch neighborhoods are popular because the slab already exists. The catch: many of those slabs have moved. A 76010 garage slab that’s settled an inch on one corner still needs correction before framing starts, and city inspectors will check. We price the conversion, and we price the slab correction as a line item with a written change order before any concrete gets touched. $30,000 to $80,000 is the real range in Arlington, depending on what the existing slab tells us.
New Detached ADU
For new detached ADUs, Arlington’s lot sizes and side setbacks drive the conversation. On tighter lots near the entertainment-district corridor, a detached unit can be a tight squeeze, and if your neighbor’s house sits close to the property line, you may need a party-wall notice before excavation starts. We handle that paperwork. A new detached ADU in Arlington runs $90,000 to $220,000, and the variance comes from site access, utility trenching, and whether the city requires post-tension reinforcement on the new slab.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
Interior conversions, including junior ADUs carved from existing square footage, are usually the fastest path to more living space in Arlington. You’re working inside the existing envelope, which sidesteps many setback questions. But the foundation still matters. If the slab under the converted space has settled, the interior work will crack with it. We check before we build, and we put the findings in writing.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Arlington
We install materials you can look up, not mystery brands off a van. On Arlington ADU and addition projects, that often means Quikrete products for slab work, framing hardware from Oldcastle, and outdoor living surfaces from Cambridge Pavers when a garage conversion or ADU includes a private patio. We keep common inventory staged for Arlington jobs, which means fewer supply runs and faster turnaround when your framing crew hits the site ready to work.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Arlington Homes
- Slab movement on Blackland Prairie clay. Arlington’s expansive soils swell after spring rains and shrink during summer droughts, shifting slabs an inch or more. New finishes crack, doors bind, and inspectors refuse sign-off until the foundation work is documented.
- Permit holds for missing geotechnical reports. Central and eastern Arlington inspectors expect soil-movement data attached to addition and ADU permits. Submit without it and your permit sits, your draw schedule slips, and your framing crew waits on a resubmission that costs more than the report would have.
- Party-wall and access fights on narrow lots. Arlington’s older neighborhoods have tight side yards and shared fence lines. Fail to file a party-wall notice or coordinate staging, and a neighbor complaint can stop work until a revised site plan clears the city.
- Out-of-plumb framing on 1960s-era ranches. Pre-1985 slab-on-grade homes rarely match modern framing tolerances. We routinely find studs and plates out of plumb by a half-inch or more, which has to be corrected before drywall, or the inspector will flag it.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Arlington, TX
Home additions in Arlington run $45,000 to $130,000, and the spread comes from what we find when we open the walls and check the slab. Garage conversions run $30,000 to $80,000. New detached ADUs run $90,000 to $220,000. Second-story additions fall in the $45,000 to $130,000 range, with foundation reinforcement often the deciding factor. Here’s the line-item view:
| Project Type | Arlington Price Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000 - $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 - $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 - $80,000 |
| Second Story Addition | $45,000 - $130,000 |
We don’t quote one number on the phone and hand you another at the door. Every scope, every allowance, every price change arrives as a written change order before work happens. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate on your Arlington project.
We Also Serve Cities Near Arlington
Barrett & Sons works throughout the Mid-Cities, including Kennedale, Forest Hill, Hurst, and Grand Prairie. If your home sits in one of those communities but your addition or ADU faces the same Blackland Prairie clay conditions, the same rules apply. We coordinate scheduling and permits from our Dallas-Fort Worth office, and crews serve Arlington locally.
Serving Arlington, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Arlington area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Home Additions & ADU in Arlington
Arlington sits on Blackland Prairie shrink-swell clay, and the dominant housing stock in 76010, 76011, and 76012 is 1960s-1980s slab-on-grade ranch construction that predates modern soil-movement standards. City inspectors in those zip codes routinely require geotechnical data before they’ll issue an addition or ADU permit, because they’ve seen too many slabs heave after spring rains and crack new work. If we’re building on your slab, we pull that report early and price the foundation correction as a written line item, not a surprise. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll explain what your specific lot needs.
Arlington enforces work-hour and noise rules that matter on tight lots, where a saw running early or late can trigger a neighbor complaint that halts your project. We stage materials on the driveway when we can, keep demolition to permitted hours, and coordinate party-wall notices before work starts. It’s slower, but it keeps your project moving instead of stopped on a code violation. For an exact quote on your garage conversion, call (877) 610-1318.
Expect a foundation assessment first. Arlington’s 1960s slabs were built before post-tension reinforcement was standard, and adding a second story means adding concentrated loads the original slab was never designed to carry. On a tight 76010 lot near the entertainment-district corridor, our crew framed a second-story addition over a slab that had moved an inch unevenly. We pulled permits with a geotechnical report, corrected the out-of-plumb framing, and kept materials staged on the driveway to avoid blocking a neighbor’s shared fence line. The inspector sign-off came only after we added post-tension reinforcement to the existing slab’s scope of work, and the homeowner’s change order for that foundation work was approved before rough-in began. Call (877) 610-1318 to get your second story scoped correctly the first time.
Yes, on many Arlington lots. If your foundation excavation or utility trenching comes close to a neighboring structure, the city may require a party-wall notice, and your neighbor’s written acknowledgment becomes part of the permit file. We handle that notice before we dig, which keeps the project legal and keeps neighbor disputes out of the inspection queue. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll check your lot lines and setback requirements.
Arlington’s permit process for an ADU or addition in the older 76010-76012 corridors is measurably more involved than in Mansfield or Keller, where subdivisions sit on engineered fill and inspectors rarely ask for soil-movement data. In Arlington, the geotechnical report is a near-certain prerequisite, and the inspector will look for foundation remediation in your scope of work before sign-off. That’s the biggest difference: paperwork and soil data up front, not after framing starts. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk you through exactly what your Arlington permit will require.
Get Your Arlington Home Addition or ADU Priced
If you’re planning a home addition, second story, or ADU in Arlington, start with a free estimate from a company that publishes its owner’s name, address, and license number. Tom Barrett and his sons work Arlington job sites themselves, and every contract carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Call (877) 610-1318 today. A live person answers, and the estimate is free.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Arlington and the surrounding Mid-Cities since 1998.