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 Myers
Home additions and ADU construction in Fort Myers typically run anywhere from $45,000 for a modest room addition up to $220,000 for a fully permitted detached ADU with site work. Permits, elevation certificates, and Lee County setbacks shape every project we quote here, because Fort Myers is still rebuilding under a very different set of rules than it had before 2022. Our Home Additions & ADU team plans around those rules from the first site visit, not after the concrete is ordered. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and we’ll walk your lot with you.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Fort Myers’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
We’re the contractor whose name is on the truck, and Tom Barrett’s sons run the crews that show up in Fort Myers. That matters when a project spans months and a dozen inspections. Homeowners in McGregor, Iona, and Cypress Lake know they can call Tom directly, and a live person answers 24/7, not a voicemail box.
Fort Myers has a deep bench of contractors right now, but most aren’t local the way we are. We carry the same 90-Day Done Right Promise on every addition and ADU we build here: if something isn’t done right, one call brings Tom back to make it right. That promise is written on the contract, not buried in fine print.
Our Fort Myers customers also get written change orders before any scope change touches the job. If the county requires something we didn’t see at the first visit, you’ll know the cost before we move a shovel. No surprise invoices at the end.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Fort Myers
New Detached ADU
A detached ADU in Fort Myers gives you a separate structure with its own address, its own entrance, and its own meter. On larger parcels east of I-75 in ZIP 33913 or 33965, that often means a 600 to 1,000 square foot build with a kitchenette, full bath, and a mini-split system. We scope the septic setback, well line, and stormwater drainage before we quote, so the price we hand you is the price the county approves.
ADU Site Prep & Utilities
This is where Fort Myers projects get expensive fast. Since Ian’s revised FEMA flood maps reclassified thousands of parcels from Zone X to Zone AE, a slab that would have passed inspection in 2020 may now need fill, stem walls, or pier-and-beam framing to meet base flood elevation plus freeboard. Site prep and utility runs on an ADU here typically run $8,000 to $25,000, and that assumes no surprises in the soil. On a lot in 33908 off McGregor Boulevard, our crew is building a 750-square-foot detached ADU with a KraftMaid kitchenette and Moen fixtures. The site had no municipal sewer tap, so we permitted through Lee County, set the septic tank 15 feet from the new slab, and brought the well line around the future shop footprint. After rough-in, the county inspector signed off on the stem-wall elevation certificate, and we released the next draw schedule without a change order.
Garage Conversion ADU
Converting an attached or detached garage in Fort Myers is the fastest way to add a rentable unit without new foundation work. Older homes in 33919 and Cypress Lake often have two-car garages that are easier to convert than to build behind. The catch is that garage slabs in this market were rarely poured with a vapor barrier, and Lee County won’t sign a final on a converted living space with moisture wicking up through the slab. We plan for that in the scope, not after the drywall hangs.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
A junior ADU converts interior space, like a large bonus room or a closed-in porch, into a self-contained unit under 500 square feet. Fort Myers homes from the 1960s through the 1990s along McGregor Boulevard often have floor plans that adapt well to this. Plumbing and electrical are usually the heaviest line items because the original layouts weren’t roughed for a second kitchen or bath.
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.
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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 Myers
We install PGT impact windows on ADUs and additions throughout Fort Myers because the wind load requirements here demand a product you can look up, not a mystery brand off a van. Simonton and Ply Gem show up on interior conversions and sunrooms where the structure isn’t taking the full brunt of a Category 4. If you want to verify a brand before you sign, we’ll show you the spec sheet and the warranty.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Fort Myers Homes
- FEMA flood map reclassification: A lot that was Zone X in 2021 may now be Zone AE in 33908, forcing an elevation certificate, fill, or stem-wall design that adds weeks and $20,000 or more to the scope. We check the current map before we quote, not after the permit application bounces.
- Well and septic setbacks on acreage: Many Fort Myers parcels east of I-75 still rely on wells and septic, so a new ADU can trigger a county health department setback review that moves the building location or requires an engineered drainfield. That review takes time and changes the siting.
- Wet-season trench flooding: Afternoon thunderstorms from June through October flood open trenches fast. Burying conduit and water lines before the county signs off on the subfloor means rework that can double site-prep cost if a rough-in fails.
- Stucco and fastener corrosion on older additions: The combination of 75% year-round humidity, intense UV, and daily storms accelerates stucco cracking and galvanic corrosion on fasteners. We see it constantly on 1980s and 1990s additions in Fort Myers, and we spec materials accordingly.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Fort Myers, FL
Here’s what we’re seeing on the ground in Fort Myers right now:
| Project Type | Typical Fort Myers Range |
|---|---|
| Detached ADU | $90,000 - $220,000 |
| Home Addition | $45,000 - $130,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 - $80,000 |
| ADU Site Prep & Utilities | $8,000 - $25,000 |
Those numbers assume a permitted job with written change orders and no allowances hiding in the dark. Flood zone work, septic setbacks, and post-Ian permit delays push the high end. We hand you a fixed scope with every allowance on paper before the first nail moves, and the estimate is free. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll price your Fort Myers project on the actual lot, not over the phone with a national call center.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fort Myers
Our crews cover Fort Myers and the surrounding communities daily: Villas, Cypress Lake, McGregor, and Iona. If you’re on a county road between any of them, you’re still in our service area. We coordinate scheduling from our South Florida office and send local crews to your job.
Serving Fort Myers, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fort Myers 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 Myers
If your parcel was reclassified from Zone X to Zone AE after Hurricane Ian, yes, any substantial improvement including a new detached ADU must meet base flood elevation plus freeboard and file an elevation certificate. That typically adds $15,000 to $40,000 in fill, stem-wall, or pier-and-beam work compared to pre-2022 builds on the same lot. We check your parcel against the current Lee County flood map before we quote, so you’re not surprised mid-permit. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact read on your lot.
Yes, but the Lee County health department will require a setback review that may move your building location or force an engineered drainfield, especially east of I-75 where well and septic are common. The review adds time and can add $5,000 to $15,000 to the scope depending on soil testing. We pull the health department file before we design the ADU, not after the slab is formed. Call us for a free site evaluation.
Three reasons: revised FEMA flood maps now require elevation certificates on parcels that were Zone X in 2021, Lee County’s permit pipeline is still backlogged from post-Ian reconstruction, and material costs for concrete, lumber, and trusses remain elevated in this market. A room addition that would have cost $45,000 before the storm now often lands at $55,000 to $70,000 with the same square footage, and the elevation requirements add line items you wouldn’t have seen in 2019. We spell every one of those line items out before you commit.
You need a licensed contractor who pulls permits, because Lee County will not issue a certificate of occupancy for a garage conversion done without rough-in inspections, and you’ll be left with an unpermitted unit you can’t rent or sell as living space. A handyman can hang drywall, but he can’t sign a permit application, and the permit inspector works for you, not for him. That’s why we like the inspector on site, every time.
Flood zone elevation requirements are the most common change order we see, because most Fort Myers ADU quotes are written before anyone checks the revised FEMA map. On this page we’ve already told you the range: $15,000 to $40,000 in fill, stem walls, or piers if your parcel moved from Zone X to Zone AE. The way to avoid the surprise is to check the map before you sign anything, and to hire a contractor who shows you the elevation certificate requirement in writing on the first quote. We do. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and we’ll show you the flood zone on your lot before you commit.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Fort Myers and Lee County since 1998.