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 Tequesta
Home additions and ADU construction in Tequesta typically run $45,000 to $130,000 for a room addition, and $90,000 to $220,000 for a detached ADU, depending on elevation, impact-rated openings, and which side of the county line your parcel sits on. You’ll also need to know whether your project triggers Palm Beach County or Martin County permits, and whether the Loxahatchee River buffer applies to your lot. Our Home Additions & ADU team works in Tequesta every week, so we know the village’s quirks better than most. Call Barrett & Sons at (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate with line-item pricing before anything gets signed.
Tequesta isn’t like building in the interior. Salt air off Jupiter Inlet chews through cheap flashing in under two years. The water table sits high on many lots, which means engineered footings or helical piers instead of standard slab pours. And the jurisdictional border between Palm Beach and Martin counties runs right through the village, so the wrong permit filing can stall a project for weeks before a single footing is poured. We live with these constraints on every job we take on here.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Tequesta’s Preferred Home Additions & ADU Company
Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998, and his sons run the crews. You’ll see the same faces from the first estimate to the final walkthrough, not a rotating cast of subcontractors sent by a franchise office three counties away. In Tequesta, that matters. This is a small village. Word travels fast. Ask anyone on your street about the contractor who filed the wrong county’s permit and sat on a hole in the ground for six weeks. Then look up Tom’s license number yourself – it’s published, along with his name and address. That’s how we’ve built our reputation here.
Every Tequesta job gets permits pulled and inspections signed before we close anything up. Every change order arrives in writing before a nail moves. And every project carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise: if something isn’t right, Tom comes back and makes it right, one call. But the real trust builder in a place like this is simpler than any guarantee: we answer the phone. Call the number and a live person picks up, 24/7. No voicemail box, no out-of-state call center.
We’re familiar with the village’s housing stock, too – the 1960s and 1970s CBS ranch homes off Tequesta Drive, the newer elevated builds near the Intracoastal, the waterfront lots that sit inside the Loxahatchee River’s protected buffer. That local knowledge shows up on every estimate and every permit application.
Our Home Additions & ADU Services in Tequesta
Here’s what we handle most often for Tequesta homeowners.
ADU Design & Permitting
Permitting is where Tequesta ADU projects go sideways when an out-of-area contractor handles them. The Palm Beach/Martin County border cuts through the village, and we’ve seen additions and ADUs file with the wrong county’s pipeline more times than we can count. That’s a rejection, a restart, and a stalled project. We verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before we even draw the plans. Our Tequesta clients get a permit path mapped before the first check clears.
Garage Conversion ADU
Bathroom Remodeling in Tequesta and garage conversions typically run $30,000 to $80,000, and they’re popular on the older ranch-style lots where a connected garage already exists. Two things drive cost here: impact-rated openings (required in this wind-exposed village) and the occasional need to lift the finished floor to meet base flood elevation. Older CBS garages often lack modern hurricane strapping, so we address that as part of the conversion rather than burying it behind drywall.
New Detached ADU
A detached ADU in Tequesta runs $90,000 to $220,000 depending on size, elevation, and site prep. If your lot sits anywhere near the Loxahatchee River, expect Army Corps Section 404/10 coordination before site work begins. The river’s Wild and Scenic status means a land-clearing buffer applies, and contractors who skip this step can face a mid-project stop-work order. We file the paperwork upfront. It’s not optional in this village.
Junior ADU & Interior Conversion
Junior ADUs and interior conversions are the fastest way to add square footage without touching the exterior envelope, which often sidesteps HOA architectural review in Tequesta’s newer master-planned communities. We’ve converted attached bonus rooms, formal dining rooms, and oversized laundry rooms into code-compliant junior units with separate egress and efficiency kitchens. The plumbing is usually the biggest consideration – tying into existing lines without overloading the drain system takes a licensed plumber who knows what’s below the slab.
Second Story Additions
Adding a second story to a 1960s or 1970s CBS ranch in Tequesta is doable, but it’s not a simple frame-up - which is why our Roofing in Tequesta expertise matters for structural load paths. Those original footings were sized for single-story load, and most of the block walls were never strapped for uplift. We handled a second-story addition off Tequesta Drive where the existing footings were undersized for vertical load and the block walls had no hurricane strapping at all. Our crew installed a new load-bearing beam over the existing slab, sistered the subfloor with pressure-treated lumber, and coordinated the rough-in inspection with Martin County before closing walls – all without touching the builder warranty on the original shell. That’s the kind of sequencing Tequesta jobs require.
ADU Site Prep & Utilities
Site prep in Tequesta isn’t just clearing and grading. High seasonal water tables mean many lots need engineered foundations or fill that wouldn’t be required a few miles inland. And utility connections on older village lots often mean trenching through mature root systems, dealing with 50-year-old service lines, or coordinating with the village for sewer lateral connections. Salt air is also a factor: we spec marine-grade fasteners and fasteners with proper coating for any exterior connection exposed to inlet air.
Sunrooms & Enclosed Patios
Sunrooms are a favorite on Tequesta lots where an existing covered patio already has a roof. Homeowners figure, correctly, that enclosure is cheaper than new construction. But wind exposure off Jupiter Inlet means the enclosure has to be rated as real structure, not a screen room. That changes the glazing spec, the framing, and the permit requirements. We walk through all of that with you before you commit.
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 Tequesta
We install Windows & Doors - Tequesta from PGT and Simonton, two brands built for coastal Florida conditions. PGT’s impact-rated lines are common on Tequesta additions because they’re designed for the wind and surge exposure this village gets. Simonton’s vinyl lines are a solid option for inland lots where impact isn’t required on every opening. We also work with Ply Gem for budget-conscious sunroom enclosures. If we’re already working on your home, we can advise on which brand makes sense for the specific exposure your lot faces, and we have the local supply chain to get materials to Tequesta without the long waits that plague out-of-area crews.
Common Home Additions & ADU Problems We See in Tequesta Homes
- Undersized footings on older CBS ranches. The village core was built in the 1960s and 1970s, and those footings were never designed to carry a second story. Before any vertical addition, we run the numbers and often end up pouring new footings or adding a load-bearing beam over the existing slab.
- Inland-grade metal that rots in salt air. Flashing, fasteners, and rebar cover that would last 20 years inland can fail in two or three years near Jupiter Inlet. We spec marine-grade materials on every riverfront or inlet-adjacent project, and we don’t treat it as an upgrade – it’s the minimum.
- Permits filed with the wrong county. Tequesta straddles the Palm Beach and Martin County border, and some parcels sit on the Martin side even though the mailing address says Tequesta, FL. We verify jurisdiction up front, and we’ve seen enough rejected permits to know that’s the only way to do it.
- HOA architectural rules blocking an ADU. Several of Tequesta’s newer developments have covenants that restrict ADU size, setback, roof pitch, or exterior finish. We review the HOA docs before designing, so you’re not paying for plans that will get bounced at architectural review.
Pricing for Home Additions & ADU in Tequesta, FL
Here’s what you can expect in Tequesta, based on the work we’ve done in the village.
| Project Type | Typical Range in Tequesta |
|---|---|
| Home Addition | $45,000-$130,000 |
| ADU Construction | $90,000-$220,000 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000-$80,000 |
Those ranges reflect the realities of building in this village: impact-rated openings, elevated first floors on many lots, engineered foundations where the water table sits high, and the added coordination of whichever county’s review pipeline applies to your parcel. A detached ADU near the river will land at the top of the range – sometimes beyond it – because of the Army Corps paperwork and buffer constraints. A simple interior conversion on the Palm Beach side will come in lower. The estimate we give you is line-itemed, and any change arrives as a written change order before the work happens. No surprises at the end. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll give you the real number for your lot.
Key Takeaways for Tequesta Homeowners
- Verify your parcel’s county jurisdiction before filing anything – Palm Beach and Martin both cover parts of Tequesta.
- Budget for impact-rated openings and elevated first floors if your lot faces inlet or Intracoastal exposure.
- Expect Army Corps Section 404/10 coordination if your project sits within sight of the Loxahatchee River.
- Review HOA covenants before designing an ADU in the village’s newer planned communities.
- Get every allowance and change order in writing – an allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date.
We Also Serve Cities Near Tequesta
Our crews cover the surrounding communities, including Home Additions & ADU in Tequesta, Jupiter, Hobe Sound, North Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens. If you’re anywhere along the northern Palm Beach or southern Martin County corridor, call us and we’ll tell you if your project is in our regular service area.
Serving Tequesta, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Tequesta 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 Tequesta
Check your property’s parcel number and verify jurisdiction, because the county line runs through the village and a Tequesta mailing address doesn’t tell you which county actually governs the lot. We confirm this before filing anything, because a permit filed with the wrong county gets rejected and restarts the review clock. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll verify your parcel before you spend a dollar on plans.
Yes, it’s done by installing a new load-bearing beam over the existing slab and sistering the subfloor rather than tying the new structure into the original shell in ways that would compromise it, which is exactly how we handled a project off Tequesta Drive. The original block walls also need to be checked for hurricane strapping, and most of them will need it added as part of the structural work. Our approach keeps the original shell intact and the warranty valid, while the new second story carries its own engineering and permits.
The most common blockers are setback requirements that treat an ADU as a primary structure, roof pitch and exterior finish standards that force you to match the main house, and minimum square footage rules that rule out smaller junior ADUs. Some Tequesta developments also have parking requirements that make a detached unit impractical on narrow lots. We pull the HOA docs before designing anything so you know exactly what the architectural review board will approve.
Yes. The river is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River, and any construction or land-clearing within the protected buffer requires Army Corps Section 404/10 coordination on top of your county permits. Skipping this step is how projects get a mid-course stop-work order, and it’s the single most common failure we see from out-of-area contractors on Tequesta waterfront lots. We file the paperwork before breaking ground.
For a Tequesta addition, budget $4,000 to $13,000 for cabinet installation, $2,000 to $6,500 for countertop installation, and $800 to $2,500 for backsplash work, depending on the size of the space and whether you’re building a full kitchen or a wet bar in an ADU. Our material allowances are written into the scope in advance, and any change is a written change order before work proceeds. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate with line-item allowances.
Contact Barrett & Sons Construction Today
If you’re planning an addition or ADU in Tequesta, start with a conversation. We’ll verify your parcel’s jurisdiction, walk you through the permit path, and give you a free estimate with line-item pricing in writing. We answer the phone live, 24/7, and we’ll tell you straight if your project makes sense – or if you should wait. Call (877) 610-1318 to schedule your free estimate.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Tequesta and surrounding communities since 1998.