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 Sunset
Home additions and ADU construction in Sunset typically run $45,000-$130,000 for an addition and $90,000-$220,000 for a full detached ADU, with garage conversions in the $30,000-$80,000 range. What makes Sunset different from anywhere else in Florida is that you’re building under Miami-Dade County’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone code, the strictest residential construction standard in the United States. Barrett & Sons Construction has worked in the 33173 corridor long enough to know exactly what the county inspector will demand before a single wall gets opened. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk your property, look at your CBS block home, and give you a written scope you can take to the bank.
We’re the local Home Additions & ADU crew that shows up with Tom Barrett’s name on the truck. Tom founded the company in 1998, and his sons run crews across Sunset to this day. If you live off Sunset Drive or SW 72nd Street, you’ve probably seen our trucks. That’s not an accident, we live twenty minutes away, and if something’s not done right, we want to hear about it at the hardware store before we ever read about it online.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Sunset’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Sunset homeowners keep calling us for one reason: our paper trail. Every scope, every allowance, every price change lands in writing as a change order before work happens. That matters in this part of Miami-Dade because opening a load-bearing wall in a pre-Andrew CBS ranch can trigger requirements nobody quoted on the first phone call. We don’t hide from that. We write it into the contract so the allowance is on paper, not a surprise waiting for a date.
Our reputation in Sunset is built on inspections, not shortcuts. Tom Barrett publishes his name, his address, and his license number. Look it up before you sign anything. When a Miami-Dade County inspector walks a Sunset job site, he’s checking every strap, every impact window, every NOA stamp. The permit inspector works for you, not for me, that’s why I like him. We pull permits and sign off on inspections on every eligible job, then back the finished work with our written 90-Day Done Right Promise. One call brings Tom back.
Response time to Sunset is quick because our crews are local, but we will not promise a remodel in a weekend. We’re not that kind of contractor. We schedule in phases, keep you informed at each rough-in inspection, and answer the phone 24/7 with a live person, not a voicemail box.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Sunset
ADU Design & Permitting in Sunset
An ADU in Sunset lives or dies by its Miami-Dade NOA paperwork. We handle design and permitting as one job. Before we draft anything, we check your lot’s zoning under unincorporated Miami-Dade rules, confirm setback requirements off your property lines, and route every drawing through the county building department. Sunset isn’t a city with its own permit desk. Every permit goes through Miami-Dade County, and county inspectors enforce the HVHZ product approval list without exception. We know which windows, doors, and roof assemblies will pass before we put them on paper.
Garage Conversion ADU in Sunset
Most garages in Sunset were built as CBS shells with flat or low-slope roofs, cheap slab pours, and no thought toward living space. Converting one to an ADU means raising the floor assembly, adding insulation to code, replacing the garage door with impact-rated wall construction, and often re-roofing to current HVHZ standards. Fees for a garage conversion in Sunset generally land between $30,000 and $80,000. We pull the permit, schedule the mid-rough-in inspection before closing walls, and write every material allowance in the contract.
New Detached ADU in Sunset
A new detached ADU in Sunset means new footings, new block walls, new trusses, and a new roof that meets Miami-Dade NOA requirements from day one. Construction typically runs $90,000-$220,000 depending on size, finish level, and what the lot will accommodate. We’ve built them behind ranch homes off Sunset Drive where the backyard sloped toward a canal, which adds engineered drainage to the job. On this side of Miami-Dade, oolitic limestone sits just inches under the soil, so our crews plan for jackhammering on excavating days rather than act surprised when a hand-dug trench stops at ten inches.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion in Sunset
For smaller budgets, a junior ADU or interior conversion often works within the existing footprint. We convert attics, split oversized bedrooms, or build out attached efficiency units with a separate entrance. These jobs usually fall under the broader home addition umbrella. The key in Sunset is that any load-bearing wall we open in a 1965-1988 CBS house can trigger a Miami-Dade retrofit order, so we price that risk in writing before the first hammer swings.
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 Sunset
We install impact windows and doors from PGT, Simonton, and CGI, all of which carry current Miami-Dade NOAs and hold up through the wind-driven rain that pounds Sunset every hurricane season. When a Sunset homeowner calls about replacing jalousie windows as part of an addition, we’ve got the brands on hand and the paperwork the inspector will ask to see. We’re not installing mystery glass off a van. We’re installing products you can look up.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Sunset Homes
- Original roof-to-wall connections failing inspection. CBS ranches built between 1965 and 1988 used toe-nails, not straps. Once a load-bearing wall is opened for an addition, the inspector will order Simpson H2.5A retrofit hardware before we can reframe.
- Shallow limestone turning a half-day dig into a jackhammer job. The oolitic Miami Limestone under Sunset’s soil often starts at 10 to 18 inches down. That changes footing depth, drainage runs, and the contract, which is why we write allowances for rock excavation before we dig.
- Jalousie windows that can’t stay once walls come open. Original aluminum jalousies don’t meet current HVHZ opening-protection requirements. Adding a bedroom or ADU means replacing them with NOA-approved impact windows, and the county will check.
- Flat garage roofs failing under standing water. Sunset’s near-zero elevation and June through October rainy season send water pooling on old garage roofs. A garage conversion without a proper roof assembly drains into a mold problem inside two years.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Sunset, FL
Here’s what Sunset homeowners can expect on paper, not over the phone. A room addition on a CBS block home runs $45,000-$130,000. A new detached ADU runs $90,000-$220,000 depending on square footage, finish, and site conditions. A garage conversion runs $30,000-$80,000. These ranges include the HVHZ retrofit work Sunset homes predictably require. They do not include surprise rock excavation, hidden termite damage, or windows swapped mid-job, because we write allowances for those items into the contract before you sign. No change order, no surprise invoice. Call (877) 610-1318 to schedule your free estimate, and we’ll put the numbers in writing.
| Service | Sunset Price Range |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000-$130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000-$220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000-$80,000 |
We Also Serve Cities Near Sunset
Barrett & Sons Construction works throughout the Sunset area and the neighboring communities of Olympia Heights, Westwood Lake, Richmond Heights, and Kendale Lakes. If you’re just outside the 33173 line, call us anyway. We’ll come take a look and tell you straight if we can take the job. No trip charge inside the county.
Serving Sunset, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sunset 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 Sunset
No. Miami-Dade County’s HVHZ code requires opening protection on any new or substantially renovated living space, and original aluminum jalousies don’t meet the standard. The inspector will flag them during the permit review, and we’ll write the replacement impact windows into the scope before work starts. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
Because Sunset sits on oolitic Miami Limestone, a shallow bedrock layer that’s often just inches under the topsoil in this part of Miami-Dade. Hand digging stops fast, and the job moves to jackhammering. We budget for that reality in our Sunset contracts with a written rock-excavation allowance, so the change order comes before the surprise, not after.
We start by checking the roof-to-wall connections, because pre-Andrew CBS homes in Sunset were built before modern strap requirements. Most need Simpson H2.5A retrofits before we add a second story. Then we schedule the mid-rough-in HVHZ inspection before any drywall closes, so the county sees every strap and anchor. No tearing out finished walls later.
Often, yes. Garage roofs in Sunset were frequently built as low-slope or flat assemblies that don’t meet current wind-load or drainage requirements. Once the garage becomes living space, the county requires the roof assembly to comply. We write the re-roof into the ADU scope with NOA-approved products, so there’s no surprise invoice at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate.
Only if they carry a current Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance number that matches the product on the packaging. Products that pass inspection in Broward County can fail in Sunset if the NOA is expired, missing, or doesn’t match the actual window. The county inspector checks every stamp. We source PGT, Simonton, and CGI products with current Miami-Dade NOAs for every Sunset job.
Ready to talk about your addition or ADU? Call (877) 610-1318 and ask for Tom or one of his sons. We’ll walk your Sunset property, answer the phone when you call, and put every allowance in writing before the first nail moves. Free estimates, written change orders, and permits pulled on every eligible job. That’s how we’ve done it since 1998.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Sunset and the surrounding communities.