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 Houston
If you live in Houston and you’re running out of room, you already know the math. A 1920s bungalow in the Heights or a 1950s ranch in Meyerland wasn’t built for a home office, an aging parent, or adult kids who moved back after college. Adding square footage to an existing home here means dealing with deed restrictions in the inner loop, expansive Beaumont Clay soils that shift under your slab, and post-Harvey flood elevation rules that changed how high new living space has to sit above the ground. Most Houston homeowners don’t discover any of that until the estimate shows up and the numbers don’t match the phone quote.
That’s exactly the mess Barrett & Sons Construction works to keep you out of. We’re an owner-operated Houston Home Additions & ADU company led by Tom Barrett, and everything we quote comes in writing before a single nail moves. Call (877) 610-1318 and a live person answers. We’ll tell you straight what a detached ADU off your alley in West University Place should cost, what a garage conversion in Bellaire will realistically require, and whether your lot in 77025 can legally support a second story under its current deed restrictions.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Houston’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and Tom’s sons run the crews. That’s not a slogan. It means the person who answers the phone on Monday is the person whose name is on the contract, and the person standing in your kitchen on Thursday is his kid. In Houston, where a lot of construction work gets handed to whichever crew a national outfit can schedule that week, that’s a real difference. Our customers in 77025, 77001, 77002, and 77003 see the same faces from the first site walk to the final inspection.
Our Home Additions & ADU team approaches every Houston job with the same rule: scope in writing, allowances in writing, change orders in writing. If the permit inspector finds something that changes the plan, you get a paper change order with the new price before we proceed. No surprise invoices at the end. Tom publishes his name, his address, and his license number. Look it all up before you sign anything. He wants you to.
Every completed job carries the written 90-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t done right, Tom comes back and makes it right. One call.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Houston
ADU Design & Permitting
Detached accessory dwelling units in Houston land you in a paperwork maze most contractors don’t talk about until after you’ve paid a deposit. In the Heights and Montrose, your city permit will sail through while a deed restriction quietly blocks the build. Skipping a title search before design can get you an injunction from a neighbor and a stop-work order no city department can undo. We pull that title work first, then design, then permit. Our clients in 77006 and 77007 don’t get surprised halfway into a foundation pour.
Garage Conversion ADU
Converting a garage in Houston means dealing with slab elevations, flood zone minimums, and the reality that most older local garages weren’t permitted as living space when they were built. In neighborhoods along the Brays Bayou corridor, FEMA flood maps revised after Harvey have pushed finished-floor requirements up by over a foot in some areas. That changes how we pour, how we frame, and how we waterproof. We also handle Kitchen Remodeling in Houston when a garage conversion needs a full kitchenette built to code.
New Detached ADU
A new detached ADU in a place like Bellaire or Meyerland sits on Beaumont Clay that expands and contracts with every wet season. Get the foundation wrong and the doors bind within two years. We budget for proper pier depth, soil testing, and positive drainage from day one. A typical new detached ADU in Houston runs $90,000 to $220,000 depending on size, finishes, and whether your lot requires site prep like tree removal or fill.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
For smaller budgets, a junior ADU carved out of an existing floor plan makes sense in older Houston homes with underused formal living rooms or oversized utility spaces. We’ve done these in West University Place and the Montrose area where a separate entrance already exists off a side yard. This route often sidesteps some of the more expensive site work while still adding a rental unit or a private suite for a parent. We handle the full Home Additions & ADU scope from framing to finishes.
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 Houston
We don’t install mystery materials off a van. For hardscape elements tied into additions and ADUs, we use Techo-Bloc and Cambridge Pavers for walkways, patios, and site drainage work, and we spec Oldcastle products on structural retaining where soil movement is a concern. When you see a brand name in your contract, you can look it up. That’s the whole point. We also handle Bathroom Remodeling in Houston when an ADU or addition includes a full bath.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Houston Homes
- Deed restriction surprises in the inner loop. Municipal permits don’t flag deed restrictions. We see Houston homeowners who bought a lot in the Heights, got a city permit, and then got a cease-and-desist from a neighbor with a lawyer. Your title work has to happen before design, not after.
- Beaumont Clay movement under new foundations. Houston’s expansive clay soil shifts seasonally, and additions that don’t account for that end up with slab cracks, binding doors, and separation at the roofline where new framing meets old.
- Post-Harvey flood elevation requirements. Revised FEMA maps changed minimum finished-floor heights in large portions of the inner loop. A room addition that would have been legal in 2010 may now need to sit a foot higher, which changes foundation design and drainage.
- Mixed foundation types on old-to-new intersections. When you add onto a 1930s pier-and-beam cottage in Montrose, the new section is typically poured slab. The joint where those two systems meet is where Houston additions fail if the transition isn’t detailed correctly.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Houston, TX
You won’t get a phone quote from us that changes at the door. You’ll get a written scope, written allowances, and a number that holds unless something in writing changes it. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate. We serve Home Additions & ADU in Houston without trip charges inside the county, and we’ll give you a second opinion on any written estimate from another contractor.
We Also Serve Cities Near Houston
Beyond Houston proper, we take calls from Bellaire, West University Place, Galena Park, and Jacinto City regularly. Each of those cities has its own permitting quirks, and many of the inner-ring areas share Houston’s Beaumont Clay and post-Harvey flood zone complications. If you’re in one of those areas, call (877) 610-1318 and tell us your street. We’ll know the lay of the land before we arrive.
Serving Houston, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Houston area and know this community well, offering trusted Houston Roofing and more. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Home Additions & ADU in Houston
How fast can Barrett & Sons get to my Houston home for an estimate?
We schedule estimates across Houston within a few business days, and since scheduling runs through our Houston office, there’s no long wait for a crew from out of town. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll set a time that works around your schedule.
Which Houston neighborhoods do you cover for additions and ADUs?
We cover the entire Houston metro, including the Heights, Montrose, Meyerland, Bellaire, West University Place, and the surrounding ZIP codes 77025, 77001, 77002, and 77003. If you’re inside the loop or just outside it, we’re already working within twenty minutes of you.
Is getting a permit different in Houston than in the suburbs?
Yes. Houston is the largest US city without traditional zoning ordinances, so a city permit alone doesn’t guarantee you can legally build. Deed restrictions attached to your lot title control what can be constructed, and those restrictions aren’t printed on your permit. We run the title work as part of the design phase.
How much does a home addition cost in Houston compared to nearby cities?
Houston pricing is generally in line with Bellaire and West University Place, though inner-loop lots often carry extra cost because of deed restriction research, clay soil prep, and flood zone minimums. A typical addition in Houston runs $45,000 to $130,000, and a detached ADU runs $90,000 to $220,000. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote; estimates are free.
What warranty do you offer on ADU work in Houston?
Every job we finish carries the written 90-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right, Tom Barrett comes back and makes it right. That’s on the contract in plain language, not buried in fine print. Call our Houston office at (877) 610-1318 with any warranty concern and a live person answers.
Ready to Add Space to Your Houston Home?
Start with a real number. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll walk your property, check your deed restrictions, test what we need to test, and put a written estimate in your hand. No pressure, no phone quote that changes at the door, no strangers you’ll never see again. You’ll work with Tom Barrett and his sons, and every price change will arrive on paper before a single nail moves.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Houston and surrounding communities since 1998.