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 Hobe Sound
A home addition or ADU in Hobe Sound typically runs $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 are real numbers from this market, not national averages. Barrett & Sons Construction has worked on both sides of the bridge here, from inland CBS ranches off Bridge Road to custom estates on Jupiter Island. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk your property, talk through what you’re planning, and put the scope in writing before anything gets ordered.
Hobe Sound isn’t one market. It’s two. And if your contractor treats it as one, your schedule will tell you the difference within a month. Inland work in 33475 and barrier-island work in 33455 sit under the same Martin County permitting desk, but anything east of the bridge also triggers Florida’s Coastal Construction Control Line review. That’s a DEP permit on top of county permits, and it adds weeks. We plan for that split from day one.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Hobe Sound’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. That’s not marketing language. Tom’s name, his address, and his license number are published and verifiable, and if you call the office, a live person answers. You won’t get an out-of-state call center or a voicemail box that promises a callback. You’ll get one of us, and if you’re mid-project and something’s wrong, Tom wants the call.
We’ve built a reputation in Hobe Sound the slow way: one project at a time, with permits pulled and inspections signed on every eligible job. The Martin County building department is known for thorough inspections and conservative interpretations of code. We know the inspectors, we know what they flag, and we schedule for it. A contractor from Jupiter who’s used to Palm Beach County’s pace will lose three weeks on his first Hobe Sound project just learning the review cycle. We don’t have that learning curve.
Every scope, every allowance, every price change comes to you as a written change order before work proceeds. That’s how we’ve always done it. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date, and we don’t do surprises. We carry a 90-Day Done Right Promise on every job, in writing, on the contract itself. If it’s not right, Tom comes back. One call.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Hobe Sound
Before we get into the list, one thing worth saying: we treat every addition as a full project, not a bolt-on. That means drawings, permit scheduling, material lead times, and a written draw schedule before the first nail moves. Here’s what most Hobe Sound homeowners call us about:
ADU Design & Permitting
This is where Home Additions & ADU projects in Hobe Sound succeed or stall. Martin County’s permitting process is slower and more scrutinized than Palm Beach County’s, and barrier-island parcels add the DEP’s Coastal Construction Control Line review on top. We handle the drawings, the county submittal, the DEP coordination, and every inspection. You get a realistic permit timeline in writing, because the last thing you want is a slab waiting on a permit that wasn’t actually submitted when the contractor said it was.
Garage Conversion ADU
Plenty of Hobe Sound’s inland ranch homes were built between the 1960s and 1990s, which means the electrical panels often predate Florida’s post-Hurricane Andrew 2002 code overhaul. Before we frame a garage conversion into a living space, we verify the panel capacity for the load you’re adding, whether that’s a kitchen, a full bath, or both. We’ve seen contractors skip that check and hand the homeowner a change order mid-rough-in. That’s not how we work. We check the panel first, and the price reflects what we actually find, in writing.
New Detached ADU
On Jupiter Island, a new detached ADU deals with salt-laden air, tropical moisture, and CCCL review on top of everything else. That means stainless steel connectors, corrosion-resistant fasteners, impact-rated glazing, and waterproofing details that hold up a quarter mile from the ocean. Inland, a detached ADU off Bridge Road needs different materials, but the same rigorous permit prep. We’ve built both, and the estimating reflects which side of the bridge you’re on. A new detached ADU in Hobe Sound generally runs $90,000 to $220,000.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
A junior ADU is a conversion inside the existing footprint, usually a bonus room, a guest suite, or part of a large interior space. It’s the most cost-effective way to add a legal second unit without new foundations or new rooflines. In Hobe Sound’s older CBS ranches, the big question is usually plumbing access and egress, and we’ll tell you exactly what’s involved before you commit. These projects often permit faster inland, but we’ll give you an honest timeline either way.
Second Story Additions
Going up on a CBS ranch is a serious structural project. The original walls were never engineered for the added load, so we’re pouring and framing with connector systems that meet today’s wind-load requirements. Hobe Sound’s coastal exposure means roof-to-wall strapping is non-negotiable, and the Martin County inspector will hold the rough-in open to verify it. We expect that, schedule for it, and plan our inspections around the inspector’s availability. You shouldn’t be the one learning this mid-project.
Sunrooms & Enclosed Patios
Hobe Sound’s climate makes enclosed outdoor space a year-round room. But salt air and humidity will find weak waterproofing fast, so we detail these openings the way we would on an island house: proper flashing, sealed glazing, and deck drainage that doesn’t rot the sill plate. Whether you’re enclosing a patio in 33475 or adding a glass-walled sunroom on an island property, the details are what keep it dry in August.
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 Hobe Sound
We don’t stock mystery materials off the back of a van. When we install impact-rated windows and doors in Hobe Sound, we’re working with PGT, Simonton, and CGI product lines, because those are brands you can look up, verify, and hold us to. Cambria and KraftMaid are our go-to names for kitchens and baths inside additions, and we order direct from the manufacturers, not through a middleman. For Hobe Sound homeowners, that means real lead times, real warranty support, and no surprises about what actually shows up on delivery day.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Hobe Sound Homes
These are the recurring issues we walk into on Hobe Sound projects. Not hypotheticals. Things we actually see.
- Allowances that were never fixed in writing. A homeowner signs a contract with a kitchen-quality allowance, then picks a Silestone or Caesarstone slab that doubles the material cost. The allowance wasn’t fixed on paper, so the change lands as a surprise invoice. We lock every allowance before ordering.
- Panel capacity missed on garage conversions. A 1970s CBS ranch has a 100-amp panel. The contractor doesn’t check it before adding a kitchenette and a steam shower, then has to issue a change order mid-rough-in for a panel upgrade. We verify the panel first.
- Underestimating Martin County inspection cycles. A crew from Jupiter assumes Palm Beach County pacing, the framing sits exposed through a wet season, and the subfloor swells before dry-in. We schedule for Martin County’s real review times, which are slower and more thorough by design.
- CCCL review treated like county review. On barrier-island parcels, the DEP’s Coastal Construction Control Line approval is a separate process with its own timeline. We’ve watched contractors tell homeowners the county permit is “close” while the DEP review hasn’t started. We track both, and you see the status of each.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Hobe Sound, FL
Here’s what we tell homeowners at the kitchen table, because you deserve real numbers before you get emotionally invested. A room addition in Hobe Sound runs $45,000 to $130,000. A new detached ADU runs $90,000 to $220,000. A garage conversion runs $30,000 to $80,000. The spread is real and it’s driven by scope, not by our mood: whether you’re on the island or inland, what the county makes us bring up to code, what you select for finishes, and whether you’re adding a full kitchen and bath or a smaller living space.
| Project | Typical Hobe Sound Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000 - $130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000 - $220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 - $80,000 |
What moves the number within those ranges? Square footage, structural work, permitting complexity (especially CCCL on the island), and your finish selections. We fix the price in writing before ordering, with written change orders for anything that shifts. No surprises at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and we’ll give you a line-item quote you can take to anyone else in town and compare honestly.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hobe Sound
Our crews work up and down the Martin and northern Palm Beach County coast, so if you’re across the bridge or a few exits north, we’ve got you covered. We serve Home Additions & ADU in Hobe Sound plus the surrounding communities of Tequesta, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, and North Palm Beach. If you’re in one of those cities and planning an addition or ADU, the same written-scope process applies. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll come take a look.
Serving Hobe Sound, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hobe Sound 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 Hobe Sound
Yes. Any new construction or substantial improvement seaward of Florida’s Coastal Construction Control Line needs the DEP’s CCCL permit on top of Martin County’s building permit, and the two run on different timelines. The county reviews your structural drawings, the state reviews your impact on the coastal zone, and you can’t start until both clear. We coordinate the submittals and track each one separately, so you’ll always know which desk your project is sitting on. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll tell you what the current review windows look like for your specific parcel.
Because Martin County’s building department is known for conservative code interpretations and a more deliberate review process, while Palm Beach County (where Jupiter sits) generally moves faster. Contractors who work both sides of the county line will tell you the same thing. That’s not a criticism, it’s just the reality of Martin County’s growth-management philosophy since the 1980s, and it means your Hobe Sound schedule has to build in that extra review time from the start. We plan for it so your materials don’t arrive before the permit clears.
Materials. Lead times on custom cabinetry, stone slabs, and impact-rated windows set the calendar. Labour is rarely the limiting factor on high-end Hobe Sound work. That’s why we lock the Cambria slab order and the KraftMaid cabinet run in writing before the demo permit is even issued. If the DEP review adds three weeks to the CCCL permit, your materials are already ordered and the draw schedule holds. The price was fixed in writing before anything was ordered, so the schedule shifts but the number doesn’t.
Maybe, but probably not without at least a subpanel, and we won’t know until we verify your panel’s current capacity against the load you’re adding. A 1970s-era Martin County home often has a 100-amp panel, and adding a kitchenette, full bath, and a climate-controlled living space will likely exceed it. We check the panel before we write the scope, so if you need an upgrade, it’s in your estimate from day one, not a change order mid-rough-in. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll take a look at your panel during the free estimate.
Fixed in writing before ordering. If the contract says “kitchen-quality allowance” but doesn’t name the slab, the cabinet line, and the hardware, the contractor can hand you a bill for double after you pick what you actually want. We name the slab, the cabinet line, the window brand, the flooring, everything, in the written scope before any order is placed. Then if you upgrade, it’s a written change order with the new price on paper before anything moves. That’s the whole system. Call (877) 610-1318 for a quote that reflects the finishes you actually want, in writing.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Hobe Sound and surrounding communities.