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 Carrollton
A room addition or ADU in Carrollton typically runs $45,000 to $130,000 all-in, with garage conversions landing between $30,000 and $80,000 depending on square footage and what the permit reveals once walls are open. We’re Barrett & Sons Construction, and we’ve built additions and ADUs across Carrollton for over 29 years, from 1960s ranch homes in 75006 to 1990s two-stories in 75007 and 75010. If you’re considering an Home Additions & ADU project, call (877) 610-1318 and Tom Barrett will walk your property himself, free estimate included.
Carrollton’s housing stock doesn’t let a contractor fake it. The same week we might relevel a slab in the morning and frame a second-story addition in the afternoon, and both jobs need a different set of eyes. That’s why we send crews who know the difference between a 1968 ranch on the Blackland Prairie and a 1994 brick-veneer colonial up north.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Carrollton’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
We’re not a franchise dispatching strangers to Carrollton. Tom Barrett started this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. When you call, a live person answers, 24/7. When work starts, Tom or one of his sons is on-site most days. That’s not marketing language; it’s how we’ve operated for nearly three decades.
Carrollton homeowners have seen the other model. A national brand quotes one price over the phone, a project manager shows up with a clipboard, and by the time the slab is poured, the bill has moved. We write every scope, every allowance, and every price change on paper before a single nail moves. The permit inspector works for you, not for me, so we pull permits and sign inspections on every eligible job.
Our reputation in Carrollton is built on jobs finished with inspection sign-off and a punch list under two pages. Tom publishes his name, his address, and his license number. Go look it up before you sign anything.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Carrollton
Room Additions
A room addition on a 1970s southern Carrollton slab starts with a foundation evaluation, not a framing plan. Blackland Prairie expansive clay has spent decades absorbing and releasing moisture between North Texas droughts and storm seasons, and we routinely find slab cracks that would wreck a new addition if not addressed first. We write the releveling, the framing, the electrical, and the finish work into one scope, priced before demo.
Second Story Additions
Going up on a 1980s or 1990s brick-veneer home in 75007 means confirming the first floor and foundation can carry the added dead load. Many of these homes were built on post-tension slabs sized for a single story. We evaluate what’s there, write an allowance for any reinforcement the permit requires, and price the change order in writing before we touch the framing.
Garage Conversion ADU
A garage conversion in Carrollton runs $30,000 to $80,000, and the spread comes down to what’s hiding in the walls. On a 1980s brick-veneer home, we often open walls and find failed waterproofing or freeze damage to pipe chases from the 2021 Winter Storm Uri. That’s exactly why we carry allowances for sheathing and insulation replacement in every conversion contract, and any change order lands in writing before it lands on your bill.
New Detached ADU
Building a detached ADU in Carrollton means a second foundation, separate utility runs, and in Old Town, a historic-district review that most out-of-area builders never see coming. We handle ADU design, permits, site prep, and the build itself, with fixed pricing and no surprise invoices at the end.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
A junior ADU inside an existing Carrollton home, like a basement nook or a converted den, is the most budget-friendly path to a rentable or multigenerational living space. The catch is code: egress windows, dedicated HVAC, and panel capacity all come under review once the permit is filed. We build those numbers into your scope from day one.
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 Carrollton
We install materials you can look up, not mystery brands off a van. On Carrollton ADU hardscapes and site work, we use Techo-Bloc and Cambridge Pavers for paver patios, walkways, and driveway aprons, and Quikrete for slab repairs and post-setting. We stock local inventory for Carrollton job sites, which means fewer delays when your addition hits mid-build and needs materials on the next truck.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Carrollton Homes
- Expansive clay slab movement in southern Carrollton. Homes in 75006, especially 1960s and 1970s ranch styles, sit on Blackland Prairie clay that heaves and cracks with every drought and storm cycle. Any addition on these slabs needs a foundation evaluation before framing begins.
- Outdated electrical panels on 50-year-old homes. Opening a load-bearing wall in a 1968 Carrollton ranch often reveals aluminum wiring and a 100A or smaller panel. A room addition permit triggers a panel upgrade to 200A in most cases, and that cost should be in the contract, not a surprise.
- Old Town historic-district review. Carrollton’s designated historic district near Belt Line and Denton Drive imposes exterior material and massing requirements that Farmers Branch and Addison don’t. If your addition faces the street, the permit process includes an architectural review that out-of-area builders routinely miss.
- Winter Storm Uri freeze damage. Homes built before modern freeze-resilience standards, which covers most of Carrollton’s 1980s and 1990s stock, often have damaged exterior sheathing, pipe chases, and insulation hidden behind drywall. An ADU or addition that opens those walls needs allowances for repair.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Carrollton, TX
Here’s what we tell Carrollton homeowners before the first hammer swings. The lead range for a home addition is $45,000 to $130,000. A garage conversion runs $30,000 to $80,000. Those numbers include the work, the permit fees, and the written change orders if anything shifts.
| Project Type | Typical Range in Carrollton |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000 - $130,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000 - $80,000 |
| ADU Construction (detached) | $90,000 - $220,000 |
What moves the number is what the walls hide. Aluminum wiring, cracked slabs, failed waterproofing, freeze-damaged pipe chases. That’s why our contracts carry written allowances for the unknowns, and every change order is priced and approved in writing before we proceed. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate with a line-item scope.
We Also Serve Cities Near Carrollton
From our DFW metro office, our crews serve Carrollton and the surrounding communities of Addison, Farmers Branch, Coppell, and The Colony. If you’re a few minutes outside Carrollton, call (877) 610-1318 and ask if we can put you on the schedule this week.
Serving Carrollton, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Carrollton 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 Carrollton
Yes, Carrollton requires a building permit for any garage conversion ADU, and yes, an inspector will flag issues in older 75006 homes, especially outdated electrical panels, undersized framing, and slab movement. Expect the permit to trigger code upgrades like a 200A panel and new egress windows if the conversion includes sleeping quarters. We pull the permits and sign the inspections, so the inspector’s list becomes our list, priced in writing before work begins. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote, estimates are free.
Expansive clay soil in Carrollton can add $8,000 to $20,000 or more to a room addition if pier releveling or slab repair is needed, and we find that need on roughly half the 1960s and 1970s homes in 75006. We run a foundation evaluation before finalizing the number and write a specific allowance for slab work into the contract. Call (877) 610-1318 for an honest range on your specific lot.
Opening a load-bearing wall in a 1970s Carrollton ranch typically triggers a framing review against current wind-load standards, an electrical panel upgrade to 200A if the home still has a smaller service, and structural reinforcement if the original 2×4 framing is undersized. Some jobs also require bringing smoke detectors and egress windows to current code. We write these into the scope before demo so you see the full number. Call (877) 610-1318 for a line-item estimate.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Many 1990s brick-veneer homes in Carrollton were built on post-tension slabs sized for a single story, so a second-story addition requires an engineering evaluation of the existing foundation and first-floor load path. If the slab and framing check out, you may skip a full retrofit and proceed with targeted reinforcement. If not, we’ll quote the retrofit as a written change order before any framing starts. Call (877) 610-1318 for an evaluation and free estimate.
An allowance is a written dollar amount set aside for a specific unknown, like replacing freeze-damaged pipe chases or failed waterproofing behind a garage wall. In a Carrollton garage conversion, the allowance protects you from paying surprise costs out of pocket when the permit inspection reveals something the original quote didn’t cover. Our contracts carry allowances for sheathing, insulation, and slab repair, and any use of an allowance is priced and approved in writing before we proceed. Call (877) 610-1318 to see what a real allowance looks like in a Carrollton ADU contract.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Carrollton since our founding in 1998.