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 Fort Lauderdale
Adding square footage to a Fort Lauderdale Roofing home usually costs between $45,000 and $130,000, and the single biggest variable isn’t lumber or labor. It’s water. More specifically, how close your foundation sits to one of the 165+ miles of canals that thread through this city, and what that proximity means for soil, seawalls, and Broward County’s coastal High-Velocity Hurricane Zone code. We’ve permitted and built additions from Victoria Park to the finger islands, and we know which lots trigger seawall inspections before the first footing gets poured. If you’re weighing a room addition or an ADU and want a straight answer from someone who has actually pulled permits here, call Tom Barrett at (877) 610-1318. Free estimates, written in plain English, with every scope and allowance on paper before work begins.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Fort Lauderdale’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. That’s not marketing language; it’s the reason a Fort Lauderdale homeowner can call our office and talk to someone who will be standing on their job site the next morning. We’re not dispatching strangers from a call center. The people who show up carry our name and they answer for the work.
Home additions in Fort Lauderdale are not a side gig for us. We pull permits on every eligible job, and we don’t treat the building inspector as an obstacle. The inspector works for you, not for me, and that’s exactly why I like him. A permitted addition in Victoria Park or Tarpon River means wind-load calcs, HVHZ compliance, and a signed final inspection you can show the next buyer. An unpermitted one means you own a problem that surfaces at resale.
Our 90-Day Done Right Promise is written on every contract. If something’s not right, one call brings Tom back. And every price change, every allowance adjustment, every scope tweak arrives as a written change order before a single nail moves. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Fort Lauderdale
ADU Design & Permitting
Accessory dwelling units in Fort Lauderdale come with a specific set of Broward County rules, and they differ from what you’ll hear from a contractor in Plantation or Lauderhill. Zoning setbacks, owner-occupancy requirements, and the HVHZ structural engineering all have to line up before a permit application goes in. We handle the design and the paperwork as part of our Home Additions & ADU scope, so you’re not running between the city and an engineer on your own. For a backyard cottage on a Coral Ridge lot, plan on $90,000 to $220,000 depending on size and finish level, and expect permitting to take several weeks longer on a canal-front parcel than on an interior lot.
Garage Conversion ADU
Converting an existing garage is usually the most cost-effective path to an ADU in Windows & Doors - Fort Lauderdale, with most projects landing between $30,000 and $80,000. The catch here is what’s already in the walls. Homes built in the 1950s and 1960s across 33307 and 33308 often have concrete block construction with aging steel lintels and minimal insulation, which means a garage conversion frequently involves upgrading the wall assembly to meet current energy and wind codes, not just framing out a bedroom. We also make sure the original garage door opening gets properly infilled and impact-rated if it faces the water.
New Detached ADU
A freestanding ADU on a Fort Lauderdale lot is a bigger commitment, both in footprint and in site work. You’re looking at $90,000 to $220,000, and the first check we write is usually to a soil engineer, not a lumber yard. Tidal soil saturation is a real thing on the finger islands and along the Intracoastal corridors. We’ve seen concrete seawalls that rotated inward underneath existing patios, and that condition has to be addressed before a new structure can go in. If your lot backs up to a canal, expect the seawall conversation before the floor plan conversation.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
For a smaller budget, converting an existing interior space into a junior ADU, often a finished garage bay, a large laundry room, or a ground-floor flex space, runs from about $45,000 to $130,000 depending on plumbing and kitchenette scope. These projects work well in the older concrete block homes of Tarpon River and the 33310 corridor, where a separate rear structure would overbuild the lot. We also regularly pair these with our Kitchen Remodeling in Fort Lauderdale work, since opening up the main house and carving out a rental suite often go hand in hand. If the conversion touches a bath, our Bathroom Remodeling in Fort Lauderdale crew handles the wet wall, tile, and fixtures so you’re not juggling two contractors.
What happens when you call
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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 Fort Lauderdale
We stock and install materials you can look up, including Gaf service in Fort Lauderdale, not mystery brands off a van. For paver driveways, walkways, and any hardscape tied into a new addition or ADU site, we regularly use Techo-Bloc, Cambridge Pavers, and Oldcastle product lines. Fort Lauderdale’s salt air and seasonal downpours punish cheap materials fast, so we spec pavers with proven drainage and color retention rather than whatever is sitting in a warehouse. If you’re near the coast and need a paver path from your new ADU to the main house, we’ll show you the options in person before we write the quote.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Fort Lauderdale Homes
- Canal-front seawall failures discovered mid-project. On lots throughout Coral Ridge and the finger islands, aging concrete seawalls have rotated or deflected inward beneath existing pool decks and patios. That structural issue has to be permitted and fixed before Broward County will final any addition or ADU permit, even if the seawall wasn’t part of the original scope.
- HVHZ wind-mitigation upgrades triggered on nearly every permit. Fort Lauderdale sits fully inside Florida’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, where windows, doors, and roof assemblies must be tested for 170+ mph design pressures. Most concrete block homes built between the late 1940s and mid-1970s don’t have impact-rated openings or modern roof-to-wall connectors, so a simple room addition often pulls in required whole-structure upgrades.
- Salt corrosion on structural fasteners and rebar. Year-round humidity and onshore salt air accelerate rust on steel lintels above windows, on rebar inside block walls, and on any exposed metal connector. We inspect for spalling concrete and corroded lintels before we build on top of an existing wall. Skipping that step means you’re bolting a new addition to a compromised skeleton.
- Older 1940s-1970s foundations with undersized footings for today’s codes. The concrete block houses that dominate Victoria Park, Tarpon River, and Coral Ridge were built to mid-century standards, which means when you add a second story or a large ground-floor bump-out, the existing footing often doesn’t meet current load requirements. We bring in a structural engineer early rather than discovering it after the slab is cut.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Fort Lauderdale, FL
A home addition in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $45,000 to $130,000. A new detached ADU is a different animal, usually between $90,000 and $220,000, and a garage conversion lands in the $30,000 to $80,000 range. What moves the number? Waterfront setback and seawall conditions, the amount of wind-mitigation retrofit required on the existing structure, finish level, and whether your lot allows a detached unit or forces an attached conversion. We give written line-item quotes before you commit, and every change after that is a signed change order. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and we’ll walk your specific lot in Fort Lauderdale rather than guessing from satellite photos. Seniors and veterans get a standing 10% discount, and we offer a free second opinion on any written estimate you already have.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fort Lauderdale
Our crews work throughout Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding communities, including Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Plantation, and Broadview Park. Same crew standards, same written change orders, same 90-Day Done Right Promise, whether the job is a canal-side addition in Coral Ridge or an interior ADU conversion near Plantation.
Serving Fort Lauderdale, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fort Lauderdale 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 Fort Lauderdale
Most projects in Fort Lauderdale can begin within a few weeks of a signed contract, with the actual start date driven more by the city and Broward County permit review timeline than by our crew schedule. Canal-front and HVHZ-triggered projects often add several weeks for engineering review, so call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific lot.
Yes. We work across 33307, 33308, 33309, and 33310, including Victoria Park, Tarpon River, Coral Ridge, and the finger islands off the Intracoastal. Our scheduling is coordinated from the Miami office, but the crews live and work in the Fort Lauderdale area, so we’re on your street regularly, not making a once-a-month trip from across the state.
Yes, and skipping it is the most expensive mistake a homeowner can make here. Broward County inspects and fines unpermitted work, and unpermitted square footage becomes a liability at resale. We pull permits on every eligible job and the inspector’s signature on the final is part of the deliverable, not an optional extra.
Generally, yes, and the reason is the HVHZ code plus canal-front prevalence. A room addition that costs $45,000 in a non-coastal county can run toward the higher end of our $45,000-$130,000 range in Fort Lauderdale once wind-mitigation upgrades and seawall conditions are factored in. We’ll show you exactly where the money goes in a written line-item estimate.
Every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise, written on the contract. If it’s not done right, you make one call and Tom Barrett comes back and makes it right. No phone tree, no subcontracted warranty department, just the same guy who signed the agreement.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, building and remodeling across Fort Lauderdale with his sons on the crew since day one.