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 The Acreage
A home addition or ADU in The Acreage typically runs $45,000 to $130,000 for most projects, and detached ADUs start around $90,000. The real variable here isn’t just square footage, it’s the site work. Most lots in The Acreage sit on 1.25 acres or more with private wells and septic systems, no municipal water or sewer lines, and a high water table that can sit just 18 to 24 inches below grade during the wet season. That means every addition, garage conversion, or second-story build in The Acreage starts with site engineering before a single wall goes up. If you’re planning on adding space, call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk your property with you before you spend a dime.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is The Acreage’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and the name still means something. His sons run the crews. They show up in uniforms, they’ve been background-checked, and they answer to their father. When a homeowner in 33412 calls about a garage conversion or a new detached ADU, the person who answers the phone is a live human being, not an out-of-state call center. If something isn’t right 90 days after we finish, Tom comes back. That promise is written on every contract we sign.
We’ve worked throughout The Acreage long enough to know that the Indian Trail Improvement District is part of almost every job. Any project that touches or crosses a roadside swale needs an ITID right-of-way permit before Palm Beach County will finalize the building permit. Out-of-area contractors find that out the hard way. We don’t. We plan for the ITID culvert permit, the high water table, the well and septic setbacks, and the flood elevation certificate on the front end, so your project doesn’t stall for weeks waiting on paperwork.
The Acreage isn’t a grid of quarter-acre lots. It’s a rural, unincorporated community where neighbors know each other and word travels fast. That’s good for us. Ask anyone on your street about Barrett & Sons, or look up Tom Barrett’s license number yourself. He publishes his name, his address, and his license number, because he lives the way he works: accountable, local, and loyal to the people who hire him.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in The Acreage
ADU Design & Permitting
Building an accessory dwelling unit in The Acreage means working with Palm Beach County, the Indian Trail Improvement District, and your well and septic system all at once. We handle the full design and permitting path, from initial site survey to final inspection. That includes coordinating the ITID right-of-way permit if your driveway crosses a swale, which nearly every rural lot here does. We’ve seen out-of-area builders lose three to four weeks on that one permit alone. Our Home Additions & ADU team files it first, not last.
Garage Conversion ADU
Converting an attached garage into a living unit is one of the most cost-effective ways to add space in The Acreage, typically $30,000 to $80,000 depending on finish level and whether you’re adding a bathroom and kitchenette. The catch on older Acreage homes is the slab. Many 1980s-era garages were poured thinner than today’s code allows for living space, and the area’s fluctuating water table doesn’t help. We check the slab and stem wall before we quote, so the price we give you is the price you pay.
New Detached ADU
A new detached ADU in The Acreage runs $90,000 to $220,000, and the site work typically accounts for a bigger share here than in eastern Palm Beach County. You’re dealing with muck and peat soils that shift seasonally, a water table that rises dramatically from June through October, and well and septic separation requirements that dictate where the structure can sit on your lot. We design the foundation and grading around those conditions, not in spite of them. Elevated slabs and proper drainage aren’t optional on a low-lying Acreage parcel.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
A junior ADU, or an interior conversion of a large bedroom, bonus room, or enclosed patio, is the fastest way to add a private living space without touching your septic capacity. These projects often fall between $45,000 and $90,000 depending on whether you’re adding a kitchenette and how much plumbing work the existing layout allows. On older Acreage homes with CBS construction, we pay close attention to load-bearing walls and existing electrical panels. Many 1980s panels weren’t sized for the additional circuits a junior ADU requires.
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 The Acreage
We don’t install mystery materials off a van. When your addition or ADU includes hardscape, paver, or concrete work, we work with Techo-Bloc and Cambridge Pavers, brands you can look up and verify yourself. We also use Quikrete products for concrete and masonry work where the job calls for it. For windows and doors on a second-story addition or enclosed patio, you’ll see Andersen and Marvin. These are premium-brand materials chosen because they hold up to South Florida humidity, hurricane season, and the shifting soils common throughout The Acreage.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in The Acreage Homes
- ITID culvert permit delays: Any driveway stub or site access that crosses a roadside swale needs an ITID right-of-way permit. Miss it, and Palm Beach County won’t finalize your building permit. We file it as part of the initial permit package, which alone can save you a month.
- High water table foundation stress: The wet season from June through October pushes the water table up to within two feet of grade in many parts of The Acreage. Older 1980s slabs and stem walls often weren’t engineered for that. We inspect before we design, and we build elevated foundations where the lot demands it.
- Well and septic setback conflicts: Palm Beach County Health Department requires minimum separation distances between wells, septic drain fields, and new living structures. On a 1.25-acre lot, those setbacks can clash with where you want to build. We map the site and adjust the footprint early, before you fall in love with a layout that won’t pass.
- Muck and peat soil movement: The western Palm Beach County soils here can shift seasonally as they dry and rehydrate. That movement cracks flatwork and stresses standard foundations. Our site prep includes proper compaction and, where needed, engineered fill, so your addition doesn’t settle unevenly in year three.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in The Acreage, FL
Most room additions and attached ADUs in The Acreage land between $45,000 and $130,000. A detached ADU runs $90,000 to $220,000. A garage conversion sits at $30,000 to $80,000. Those are honest ranges for this market, and they include the site work that so many quotes leave out. If you’re comparing bids from a national outfit, ask one question: does this price include the ITID culvert permit, the well and septic setbacks, the flood elevation certificate, and the elevated slab? If the answer is vague, you’re looking at a change order waiting to happen.
At Barrett & Sons, every scope item, every allowance, every price change arrives as a written change order before work happens. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate on your addition or ADU in The Acreage. We’ll walk the property, check the site conditions, and give you a real number, not a teaser.
We Also Serve Cities Near The Acreage
Our crews work throughout The Acreage and the surrounding communities, including Royal Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, and Lake Park. If you’re a few miles east of the ITID boundary and wondering whether we’ll come out, call (877) 610-1318. The no-trip-charge promise applies inside the county, and we’re on these roads every week. We also handle Kitchen Remodeling in The Acreage and Bathroom Remodeling in The Acreage when your addition project expands into the existing footprint.
Serving The Acreage, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the The Acreage 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 The Acreage
Plan on 6 to 12 weeks for full permit approval, and the biggest variable is the ITID right-of-way permit. If your project crosses a roadside swale, that permit has to clear before Palm Beach County finalizes the building permit. We file both in parallel, which keeps most of our Acreage jobs on the shorter end of that range. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific lot.
Yes, we cover all of 33412, from Northlake Boulevard down to Orange Boulevard and across the ITID canal network. That includes the neighborhoods off 120th Avenue North, 60th Street North, and the larger parcel tracts east of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. If you’re within the county, there’s no trip charge.
A garage conversion in The Acreage typically runs $30,000 to $80,000, while a new detached ADU starts around $90,000 and can reach $220,000. The conversion saves on foundation and roof work, which is why it’s the most budget-friendly way to add living space here. Call (877) 610-1318 for exact numbers on your garage.
Not without a written change order that you sign first. Every allowance, every scope adjustment, every material substitution gets put on paper before a single nail moves. If the site reveals something unexpected, like a deteriorated slab or a septic conflict, we show you the written change and the revised cost before we proceed. That’s the Barrett & Sons rule, and it’s been that way since 1998.
Every job comes with the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something isn’t right within 90 days of completion, call Tom Barrett and he comes back to make it right. That promise covers workmanship on every addition and ADU we build in The Acreage. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and we’ll put it in writing before you sign anything.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving The Acreage and Palm Beach County since 1998.