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 Delray Beach
If you’re living in Delray Beach and the walls are starting to feel like they’re closing in, you’re not alone. We hear it all the time from homeowners in Lake Ida, Tropic Isles, and the communities west of Jog Road: the family grew, the in-laws moved down, or the house you bought in 1995 suddenly needs a bedroom that doesn’t double as a storage unit. A home addition or ADU in Delray Beach typically runs between $45,000 and $130,000, depending on whether you’re building a second-story addition, a detached backyard unit, or converting the garage. That’s a real number, not a teaser. Call Tom Barrett and his sons at (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk your property, measure the setbacks, and tell you straight what’s possible and what it’ll cost.
We’ve been building these projects since 1998, and our Delray Beach Roofing team knows what the code enforcement office, design review board, and stormwater rules will ask for before you even pull the first form. That local knowledge saves you weeks of back-and-forth and a pile of redesign fees.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Delray Beach’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Tom Barrett publishes his name, his address, and his license number on every contract, every estimate, and every business card. You can look it up before you sign anything. That’s not a sales tactic. It’s just how we’ve worked for 29 years, and it’s why homeowners in Delray Beach keep calling us back when the national outfits don’t answer the phone.
Our crews work locally in Delray Beach with most of our team living within twenty minutes of Atlantic Avenue. When you call about a foundation question or a last-minute change on a garage conversion in the 33444 area, you’re talking to someone who knows what the water table does on your street in August, not a call center reading a script. The permit inspector works for you, not for me, which is exactly why we like him. Every job we run in Delray Beach gets permits pulled and inspections signed, on the record, no exceptions.
We also bring a background most remodelers in this market can’t touch: Tom’s sons run the crews. These aren’t dispatched strangers in a branded van. They’re the same people who show up Monday morning, and they carry the Barrett & Sons name on their shirts. If something isn’t done right, one call brings Tom back. That’s the 90-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s written on every contract, not buried in fine print.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Delray Beach
Our Home Additions & ADU team handles the full scope, from the first survey to the final coat of paint. Here’s what most Delray Beach homeowners ask us about first.
ADU Design & Permitting
Building an accessory dwelling unit in Delray Beach isn’t as simple as dropping a shed in the backyard. The city has specific rules about setbacks, lot coverage, and how an ADU ties into the existing utility service. In the 33447 and 33448 ZIPs, many lots are in planned communities with their own architectural review boards, so we coordinate with both the HOA and the city. We’ll handle the full design package, wind-load engineering when it’s needed, and all permit submissions, so you get a unit that’s legal, insurable, and built to last the next fifty years.
Garage Conversion ADU
Converting an existing garage is the most cost-efficient way to add living space in Delray Beach, and we do a lot of them in the CBS-block homes built through the 1980s and 1990s west of I-95. These garages already have the slab, the walls, and often the electrical panel nearby, which keeps the price down. Typical garage conversions in Delray Beach run from $30,000 to $80,000 depending on plumbing scope and whether the garage is attached. We bring the space up to current code for egress Windows & Doors in Delray Beach, insulation, and a separate entrance, and we pull the permits so the finished unit adds real resale value.
New Detached ADU
A new detached ADU gives you the most flexibility, whether you’re housing an aging parent, a returning adult child, or long-term seasonal renters. In Delray Beach, a new build in the back yard usually lands between $90,000 and $220,000. That range reflects the difference between a simple one-bedroom efficiency and a two-bedroom unit with a full kitchen and bath. We handle the site prep, the foundation type (slab or raised, depending on your drainage), the utility tie-ins, and the full interior finish. Every detached ADU we build in Delray Beach gets the same permits and inspections as a full house, and we’ve never once told a customer that permits were optional.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
Sometimes the smartest addition is already inside your footprint. A junior ADU, which is a smaller unit built within the walls of the existing home, works well in the older ranch homes and mid-century layouts we see in Delray Beach’s established neighborhoods. We’ll section off a portion of the house, add a kitchenette and separate entry, and handle the occupancy requirements the city enforces. This approach often stays under $90,000 and keeps the existing roofline intact, which can simplify review when you’re working in an area with stricter design guidelines.
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 Delray Beach
We’re not a van stocked with whatever the supply house had on sale. For hardscape and outdoor living components that often accompany Delray Beach additions, we install Techo-Bloc and Cambridge Pavers because they hold up to our wet summers and salty coastal air better than the off-brand alternates. When your addition calls for new concrete flatwork around the foundation or a patio tie-in, we use Quikrete mixes rated for South Florida exposure. If you’re planning an ADU with a kitchenette, our Kitchen Remodeling in Delray Beach crew handles the cabinetry and counters, and we can also bring in our Bathroom Remodeling in Delray Beach team for the ensuite bath. One crew, one schedule, one name on the truck.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Delray Beach Homes
- Groundwater surprises during excavation. Across much of Delray Beach, the water table sits 18 to 24 inches below grade. When we dig for a footer or a utility trench, we hit water fast. We plan for dewatering and drainage from week one, which means your schedule and your price don’t change mid-dig. Contractors from inland markets consistently underestimate this, and their bids fall apart when the hole fills up.
- Setback violations on older lots. Many Delray Beach homes built before the 1980s have non-conforming setbacks that exist legally because they predate the current code. The moment you add square footage, the city may require the new structure to meet today’s rules. We survey first and design around what’s actually allowed, not what the previous owner got away with.
- Wind-load engineering on barrier island projects. Homes in the 33483 ZIP, especially along the oceanfront, fall under Palm Beach County’s 160 to 170 mph design wind speed requirements and often the state’s Coastal Construction Control Line. That means pile or grade-beam foundations, elevated finished floor elevations, and a structural engineer’s stamp before the city will even look at your permit. We pre-coordinate with a wind-load engineer before we submit, so you don’t get stuck in a mid-project redesign loop.
- HOA review boards in the western communities. The large planned and active-adult communities west of Delray, including the areas around Kings Point and Century Village, each have their own architectural review process. A detached ADU that the city approves can still get rejected by the HOA if the roof pitch or exterior finish doesn’t match. We’ve navigated enough of these boards to know which details get flagged, and we adjust the design before the hearing, not after.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Delray Beach, FL
Here’s what we tell every Delray Beach homeowner up front, in writing, before any work starts. A full home addition in this market runs $45,000 to $130,000. A new detached ADU lands between $90,000 and $220,000. A garage conversion ADU, which is the most popular budget-conscious route, runs $30,000 to $80,000. A junior ADU or interior conversion typically stays under $90,000.
What moves the number: whether you’re building on the barrier island or west of I-95, whether the job needs pile foundations, how much plumbing is involved, and whether your HOA requires specific exterior materials. Every scope, every allowance, every price change arrives as a written change order before work happens. No surprise invoices at the end. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date, and we don’t do that to people. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free written estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Delray Beach
Our Home Additions & ADU in Delray Beach team also covers Kings Point, Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, and Lantana. If you’re just outside the city line and wondering whether we’ll drive out, the answer is yes. We work throughout the surrounding coastal and western communities, and we price every estimate the same way: honest, written, and without a trip charge inside the county.
Serving Delray Beach, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Delray Beach area and know this community well, with Cover in Delray Beach as part of our service offerings. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Home Additions & ADU in Delray Beach
We can usually have a surveyor on your property within two weeks of the first call, and we submit the permit package within three to four weeks after the design is approved. The city’s review timeline varies by scope and whether you’re in a flood zone or a special district, but we’ve found that a complete, engineer-stamped submission gets through Delray Beach’s building department noticeably faster than a thin one that triggers back-and-forth corrections. We handle the entire submission for you. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you a realistic timeline for your specific lot.
Yes. We work throughout the 33483, 33447, 33448, and 33482 ZIP areas, from the oceanfront communities along A1A to the planned neighborhoods west of Jog Road and the areas around Kings Point. Barrier island projects involve additional coastal permitting and wind-load engineering, and we price that in up front so there’s no sticker shock in month three.
Generally, no. The construction costs are similar across southern Palm Beach County, though Delray Beach’s downtown design review process and the coastal permitting layer on the barrier island can add soft costs that homeowners in western Boynton Beach don’t encounter. A typical detached ADU in Delray Beach runs $90,000 to $220,000, and we’ll give you a line-item breakdown before you commit so you can see exactly where the money goes.
Every project we complete, including full home additions and ADUs, carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise. It’s written on every contract: if it’s not done right, Tom comes back and makes it right, one call. Beyond that, we honor all manufacturer warranties on installed materials and pass through every brand-backed guarantee. We stand behind the work because Tom lives twenty minutes away and he wants to be welcome at the hardware store.
Yes, on every eligible job. We pull the building permit, coordinate inspections, and make sure the final inspection is signed before we consider the project closed. The permit inspector works for you, not for me, and that’s a good thing. Delray Beach’s code office has seen too many additions built without permits, and we won’t put our name on one of those.
Get Your Free Home Additions & ADU Estimate in Delray Beach
If you’re thinking about adding space in Delray Beach, call (877) 610-1318 today. A live person answers the phone, not a voicemail box. We’ll schedule a walkthrough, take measurements, and give you a written estimate with real numbers and a clear scope. No pressure, no change orders hidden in the fine print, and a free second opinion on any written estimate you’ve already received. Ask about our 10% Senior & Veteran discount. We’ve been doing this since 1998, and we plan to be here long after your addition is done.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Delray Beach and surrounding communities since 1998.