Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Home Additions & ADU Across Boca Raton
A detached ADU in Boca Raton typically runs $90,000 to $220,000, while a full home addition lands between $45,000 and $130,000 depending on scope, finishes, and how many ARB review cycles you sit through. The number most out-of-area contractors miss is the four to eight weeks Boca Raton’s Architectural Review Board adds before your permit even gets filed. We’ve been pulling permits in this city long enough to build that review time into the schedule from day one, so your project doesn’t stall waiting on a design-compliance correction.
Tom Barrett started Home Additions & ADU work in South Florida back in 1998, and his sons run the crews that serve Boca Raton today. Every job gets a written scope, written allowances, and written change orders before a nail moves. If you’re planning an ADU, a garage conversion, or a second-story addition, call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk you through what the ARB will actually require.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Boca Raton’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
We’re not a franchise dispatching strangers from three states away. Tom Barrett’s name, address, and license number are published and verifiable. His sons are on-site most days. When a Boca Raton homeowner calls about a permit question or a framing concern, the person who answers has actually built something in this city, not read about it in a training manual.
We know Boca Raton’s ARB submission cycles because we’ve sat through them. We know which gated communities require their own architectural committee sign-off before the city even looks at your plans. We know the difference between what Delray Beach lets you build and what Boca Raton’s Mediterranean Revival code demands including barrel-tile roofing profiles, smooth stucco, and arched openings on even a detached ADU. That’s not a surprise we discover mid-project. It’s a cost-of-doing-business we plan for.
Every eligible job includes permits pulled and inspections signed. We don’t tell you permits are optional. The permit inspector works for you, not for me, and that’s why I like him.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Boca Raton
ADU Design & Permitting
The ARB submission comes first, and it’s where ADU projects in Boca Raton either move forward or stall for months. We prepare the full design package to meet the city’s mandated barrel-tile roofing, smooth stucco, and arched-opening requirements before the first review. A submission that doesn’t match the Addison Mizner-era design code gets bounced at the first cycle, resetting a 30-day clock. We’ve learned to submit right the first time.
New Detached ADU
A new detached ADU in Boca Raton runs $90,000 to $220,000. The range swings on square footage, foundation type, and how much site work your lot needs. Most of the west side sits on a water table just two to four feet below grade, so excavating for a slab footer without dewatering means the trench fills and the rough-in gets buried. Out-of-area contractors quote the slab and discover the dewatering cost later. We write it into the scope up front.
Garage Conversion ADU
Converting an attached garage in Boca Raton runs $30,000 to $80,000. The structural question is whether your existing garage slab and walls can carry the new living load, and in most 1970s-to-1990s CBS construction, the answer is yes if you tie the conversion into the existing block properly. But you’ll still need ARB design review for the exterior changes, and if your home sits in a gated community like Boca Pointe or Woodfield, the HOA’s architectural committee gets its own look first.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
A junior ADU built inside your existing footprint is often the fastest path to a rentable unit in Boca Raton because it typically avoids the full ARB exterior review. We convert interior square footage like a finished garage loft, a bonus room, or an oversized utility space into a self-contained unit with its own entrance, kitchenette, and bath. You still need permits and inspections, but the review cycle is shorter and the construction is less invasive. A junior ADU typically lands between $45,000 and $80,000 depending on how much plumbing and electrical rough-in we’re adding.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Boca Raton
We carry brands you can look up, not mystery materials off a van. On Boca Raton additions and ADU projects, we regularly install Schluter waterproofing systems in wet areas, Sterling and Grohe fixtures where the spec calls for them, and GAF roofing products when the barrel-tile profile isn’t required and a quality asphalt or composite system fits the budget. You get line-item allowances for these brands in your written scope, so you know exactly what’s going in before we order it.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Boca Raton Homes
- ARB non-compliant ADU plans. A homeowner brings us a set of ADU drawings from an out-of-state designer and the roof isn’t barrel-tile profile, the openings aren’t arched, the exterior isn’t smooth stucco. The city bounces it at the first review cycle. By the time they call us, they’ve lost a month. We redraw to meet the Mediterranean Revival code and resubmit.
- High water table surprises during excavation. The water table sits two to four feet below grade across most of Boca Raton. Digging a footing, a slab, or a utility trench without active dewatering turns into an open pit filling with groundwater. We’ve seen trenches collapse and bury rough-in plumbing that then had to be redone. We factor dewatering into every excavation scope.
- Non-impact windows that pass visual inspection but fail SB 4-D structural review. Florida’s mandatory structural inspection law has pushed condo associations and single-family owners to verify window and door assemblies meet 150+ mph design-pressure requirements. Replace an aluminum window with a non-impact unit and it might look fine for years, then fail the structural review when you sell or refinance. We spec impact-rated units on any exterior opening we touch.
- Builders warranty voided by unpermitted structural changes. Cutting a new door opening into a 1980s CBS exterior wall without a structural engineer’s sign-off and a permit can void the original builder warranty on that wing of the house. We pull permits on every eligible job and bring the engineer in when the change touches load-bearing block.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Boca Raton, FL
| Project Type | Boca Raton Price Range |
|---|---|
| ADU Construction | $90,000 - $220,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 - $130,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 - $80,000 |
What moves the number? Square footage is the obvious one. Then foundation work, and in Boca Raton, that means dewatering if you’re digging anywhere on the west side. ARB design review adds four to eight weeks of timeline but not much direct cost if your plans are compliant from the first submission. Impact-rated windows and doors carry a premium over standard units, but in Palm Beach County, they’re not optional on new construction or significant alterations. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll put a real line-item estimate in front of you. Estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Boca Raton
Our crews are in Boca Del Mar, Deerfield Beach, Sandalfoot Cove, and Kings Point regularly. The ARB rules change the moment you cross the city line, so we keep our scopes tied to the municipality where the work actually happens.
Serving Boca Raton, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Boca Raton 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 Boca Raton
How long does the Boca Raton ARB review add to an ADU permit timeline?
Between four and eight weeks, and it happens before permit intake, not after. The ARB meets on a monthly cycle, and if your submission doesn’t match the barrel-tile roof, smooth stucco, and arched-opening requirements, you lose another 30 days waiting for the next cycle. We prepare the design package to pass the first review. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll tell you which ARB date your project would realistically hit.
Can I convert my garage to an ADU in Boca Pointe without voiding my HOA’s rules?
Yes, but the HOA architectural committee reviews your plans before the city does. Boca Pointe and most of the gated communities on the west side have their own design standards layered on top of the ARB’s Mediterranean Revival requirements. You’ll need both approvals. We handle the submissions in the right order and we keep every scope change in writing before work proceeds.
What wind-load rating does a new second-story addition in ZIP code 33434 need?
Your new second-story addition in 33434 needs to meet Palm Beach County’s post-Andrew wind-load code: 150+ mph design pressure. That means impact-rated windows and doors, strapped and tied roof-to-wall connections, and, on a second-story addition, specific shear wall requirements that rarely apply to a single-story renovation. We engineer the addition to the current code, not the code from when your home was built.
Why did our contractor quote dewatering for a simple room addition slab?
Because in Boca Raton, the water table sits two to four feet below grade across most of the city. Any excavation for a slab footer, a utility trench, or a pool adjacent to an addition will hit groundwater. Without dewatering, the trench fills, the sides slough in, and the rough-in has to be redone. A contractor who has built in Boca Raton knows this. A contractor who hasn’t discovers it on your dime. We write dewatering into the scope up front.
Are there special structural inspections for converting a 1970s A1A condo balcony into a sunroom?
Yes. Florida’s SB 4-D milestone inspection law applies to condo buildings three stories or taller, and the aging concrete high-rises along A1A east of Federal Highway are exactly the buildings the law targets. Salt-laden sea air has corroded embedded rebar in many of these 1970s structures, causing spalling on balconies and facades. Converting one of those balconies to an enclosed sunroom requires a structural engineer’s condition assessment before any enclosure work proceeds. Most associations won’t approve the conversion without it, and for good reason.
Get Your Boca Raton Addition or ADU Scoped in Writing
A Home Additions & ADU project in Boca Raton is a six-figure decision on the ADU side, and a mid-five-figure decision on the addition side. You deserve a contractor who will show you the ARB timeline, the dewatering cost, the wind-load specs, and every allowance on paper before you sign. That’s how we’ve worked since Tom Barrett founded the company in 1998. Call (877) 610-1318 to schedule your free estimate, and we’ll put the whole picture in writing.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Boca Raton and surrounding South Florida communities since 1998.