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 Sunrise
Home additions and ADU construction in Sunrise typically run $45,000-$130,000 for a room addition and $90,000-$220,000 for a new detached ADU, with garage conversions landing between $30,000 and $80,000. Most projects on Sunrise’s 1970s and 1980s concrete block homes also trigger Broward County’s roof-to-wall hurricane strap retrofit, which is exactly the kind of cost we put into a written allowance before we start, not as a surprise change order after the walls are open. Our Home Additions & ADU team has worked through enough pre-Andrew tract homes here to know what a permit will demand before the first inspection. If you’re planning an addition anywhere in Sunrise’s 33304 ZIP code, call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate and a line-item scope you can actually review.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Sunrise’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
We’re an owner-operated crew that has built additions and ADUs across Sunrise for long enough to know which neighborhoods hide what. Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. That’s not a slogan. When you call, a live person answers, and the person who walks your property is the person whose name is on the truck.
Sunrise homeowners tell us the same story: the last contractor quoted one number, showed up with another, and left before the inspector did. We fixed that by writing every allowance, every scope change, and every price adjustment on paper before it happens. If your project includes Bathroom Remodeling in Sunrise, the same transparency applies. On an addition, the permit inspector works for you, not for us, and we’d rather have him on the job early than explain later why a wall got closed before he looked at it.
The 90-Day Done Right Promise is written into our contracts. If something isn’t right after we finish, Tom comes back within 90 days and makes it right. One call. No argument. That’s how we’ve kept our reputation across 29 years in South Florida.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Sunrise
ADU Design & Permitting
Adding an ADU in Sunrise means submitting plans that account for Broward County’s wind-load code long before construction starts. Most of the city’s residential lots in 33304 are on flat oolitic limestone with a wet-season water table that sits just inches below grade, so the site plan needs a drainage strategy first, not after the slab cracks. We handle design, structural calcs, and permit submittal as one package, with a written allowance for any roof-to-wall strapping the building department flags. That way the permit comes back approved, not held up for a missed retrofit detail.
Garage Conversion ADU
A garage conversion in Sunrise is often the most cost-effective path to a rental unit or an in-law suite, but only if the existing slab and wall connections are actually sound. Many of the city’s 1970s garages were built on slabs that were never intended for finished living space, with no vapor barrier and no tie-downs at the roof line. We inspect the foundation and the truss connections first, then price the conversion with whatever moisture and strapping work is actually needed, in writing, before the first nail moves. Expect a garage conversion ADU in Sunrise to run $30,000-$80,000.
New Detached ADU
A new detached ADU on a Sunrise lot gives you the cleanest path to a code-compliant rental or guest unit, because you’re not fighting an existing structure’s pre-Andrew framing. But ground-up work here still has to manage the limestone shelf and the June-to-October water table. We compact the fill, engineer the slab drainage, and tie the new roof structure to code from day one. A new detached ADU in Sunrise typically runs $90,000-$220,000 depending on finished square footage and interior selections. We write every finish allowance into the contract so the number you sign is the number you pay.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
Converting an interior space in a Sunrise home, such as a den, carport, or enclosed patio, into a junior ADU can work well in the right floor plan. These projects cost less than a ground-up ADU, but they still run into the same local realities: damaged framing, outdated wiring, failed waterproofing at the slab edge. A junior ADU conversion is a good option for homeowners who already have the square footage and want to keep the roofline untouched. We inspect the existing walls and slab before we commit to a price, and any hidden damage becomes a written change order before we proceed. Call (877) 610-1318 to walk through your specific floor plan.
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 Sunrise
We’re picky about the materials that go into a Sunrise addition, because this climate punishes cheap products. For hardscape and site work around ADUs and room additions, we specify Techo-Bloc and Cambridge Pavers, both built for the sun, rain, and standing water we get from spring through fall. For concrete and masonry work around new slabs and footings, we work with Quikrete and Oldcastle products engineered for slab-on-grade moisture conditions. Using a named brand isn’t about markup; it’s about knowing the product will still be doing its job in 2035. We stock what we need locally for Sunrise jobs, so you’re not waiting on a delivery from three counties away.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Sunrise Homes
- Toe-nailed roof trusses. In Sunrise’s central and eastern tracts built in the 1970s under pre-Andrew codes, roof trusses are often simply toenailed to the CBS wall plates with no metal hurricane straps. Broward County inspectors won’t sign off a re-roof or addition permit final without confirmed strap compliance, so this becomes a mandatory line item on nearly every addition we bid in 33304.
- Undersized or water-damaged framing. Older Sunrise homes can hide top plates and headers that were sized for pre-code wind loads or softened by decades of roof leaks. We find this most often where a flat built-up roof has been patched instead of replaced, and once walls are open, the framing needs to be brought to current standard before inspection.
- Slab moisture during wet season. Lots across Sunrise sit on a flat limestone shelf where the water table rises close to grade from June through October. A new addition or ADU slab without proper fill compaction and moisture management will effloresce, crack, or worse. This is standard engineering on our Sunrise jobs, not an optional upgrade.
- Wiring and plumbing that predate current code. Once you add square footage in Sunrise, the new space must be tied into the existing electrical and plumbing systems, and those older systems often don’t meet current demand. We include a written allowance for panel and service upgrades in our additions, so a code-required electrical change doesn’t arrive as a surprise invoice.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Sunrise, FL
Here’s what we’re seeing in Sunrise right now:
| Project Type | Typical Range in Sunrise |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000-$130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000-$220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000-$80,000 |
The single biggest cost swing on a Sunrise addition is the structural retrofit work Broward County requires when a permit touches the roof-to-wall connection. Homes built before Hurricane Andrew, which is most of central and eastern Sunrise, typically need galvanized hurricane straps installed at every truss-to-plate connection. We price that as a line-item allowance on every bid so it’s visible from the start. Site drainage on the limestone shelf is the second factor, especially for ground-up ADUs. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and we’ll give you a written scope with real numbers, not a handshake and a guess.
We Also Serve Cities Near Sunrise
Our crews work throughout western Broward, so if you’re in Wilton Manors, North Andrews Gardens, Oakland Park, or Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, you’re within our service area. Each of those cities has its own housing stock and code quirks, but the same allowance-and-change-order process applies everywhere we work. The Home Additions & ADU in Sunrise team is glad to start with a free estimate, no matter which side of the city line you’re on.
Serving Sunrise, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sunrise 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 Sunrise
Because Broward County code says any permitted addition that ties into the existing roof structure forces the roof-to-wall connection to meet current wind-load standards, and most 1970s Sunrise CBS homes have trusses that are simply toe-nailed to the plates with no hurricane straps. The retrofit is a line-item allowance on our bids, not a surprise. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll explain exactly what your permit will trigger before you sign anything.
We inspect first and write an allowance for anything we expect to find. On a 1970s or 1980s Sunrise home, we assume the framing may need reinforcement and the wiring may need a panel upgrade, so those costs are in the contract as a written allowance, not a change order that materializes after demo. If we find something unexpected, we stop, price it in writing, and get your signature before we touch it.
Sunrise’s housing stock was built almost entirely between the mid-1960s and the late 1980s under pre-Andrew codes, so nearly every addition triggers the hurricane strap retrofit. Plantation has a wider mix of newer construction where some homes already meet current strapping requirements. The work itself is the same; what changes is how often the structural retrofit shows up in the bid.
In most cases no, because the building department reviews the existing roof-to-wall connection as part of any permit that turns a garage into living space, regardless of whether the roof itself is being replaced. If the garage is a separate structure with its own roof, the requirement may still apply depending on the year it was built and the scope of work. We’ll tell you what your specific permit triggers during the free estimate. Call (877) 610-1318.
We open the roof, install the hurricane strap retrofit and any new framing connections, and get the framing inspection passed before we close the walls. That sequence means the inspector sees the connections, your permit stays clean, and you don’t pay to undo finished work. On a second-story addition in Sunrise’s 33304 area, our crew opened a roof to tie in new framing and found the original trusses simply toe-nailed to the CBS walls with zero straps. Broward County flagged it immediately. We wrote a change order for the strap retrofit, installed galvanized connectors at every roof-to-wall connection, and passed the framing inspection before closing the walls.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Sunrise since 1998.