10 service categories · 100 service pages · Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach
View all servicesAn accessory dwelling unit built onto the house you already own — its own entrance, its own kitchen and bathroom, its own sense of being somewhere else — while sharing a wall, a foundation edge and a utility run with the main home. Cheaper to service than a detached unit, and stricter about the one thing that separates them.
Miami-Dade · Broward & Palm Beach Counties
ScrollAn attached ADU is a complete, independent dwelling — sleeping space, bathroom, kitchen and its own front door — joined to the primary house rather than standing apart from it. That single decision makes the utilities shorter and cheaper, and makes the separation between the two homes the most heavily inspected thing you will build.
Zoning verification, design, structural tie-in to the existing building, fire-rated separation between the two units, kitchen and bathroom rough-in, service upgrades where the existing panel or water service cannot carry the load, and the permit closed in our name at handover.
Start with the zoning checkAlmost every attached ADU we are asked about is driven by a person rather than a return: a parent who should not be far away, an adult child who cannot yet buy, or a household that wants the option of rental income later without moving now.
There is no statewide right to build an ADU in Florida. Whether you may add one, how large it can be, whether it needs its own parking space, and whether the owner must live on site are all set by your municipality — and they genuinely differ between neighbouring cities. That check comes first, because it can change the entire brief.
Which one fits depends on what your lot allows and what the existing house already gives you. The cheapest is almost always the one that reuses structure you have already paid for.
A purpose-built unit added to a side or rear elevation, with its own entrance and its own services. Everything is designed for the use, so nothing is a compromise — and it is the option zoning scrutinises hardest, because it adds footprint.
The footprint, foundation and roof already exist. What has to be added is habitable-standard insulation, egress-compliant windows, moisture detailing at the slab, and the separation assembly — plus wherever your parking requirement now goes.
Where the lot has no width to give, the unit goes up. This is a structural project first: the existing foundations and walls have to be verified for the new load before the plan is worth drawing.
Carving an independent unit out of space the house already encloses. The least external change, and often the most complex separation and egress problem to solve.
These two rooms carry nearly all the plumbing, ventilation and inspection load in an ADU. Their position, more than the layout, decides what the unit costs to service.
Where head height allows, a sleeping loft buys a bedroom without buying footprint — subject to ceiling height, guarding and stair rules that apply to it as a habitable space.
A finished studio accessory dwelling unit built by Elbaz Construction, photographed after completion. Everything described below is visible in the photographs. No address, cost, date or schedule is stated, and this unit is a different project from the two-level unit shown further down the page.
Read what the photos showSix observations drawn only from the project photography on this page.
The first set of frames shows one room containing a full kitchen, a full bathroom, a sleeping area and a private external door. That combination — not the floor area — is what makes it a dwelling rather than a converted room.
Described from the photographs. Two separate completed units are shown and are not presented as one project. No location, cost, date or schedule is claimed.
Both units are vaulted to the underside of the roof with the beam left exposed. In a small footprint the only dimension left to spend is the vertical one, and spending it removes the boxed-in feeling a flat ceiling at standard height would give.
The two-level unit puts a stacked washer and dryer under its own stair. A shared laundry in the main house would have been cheaper and would have quietly undone the independence the whole project exists to create.
Mini-split heads sit high on clear wall sections, the skylight lands between structure, and the stair void was sized to take appliances. None of those positions survive being decided after the framing is closed.
Both units are shown finished and furnished rather than mid-construction — fittings in, floors down, appliances connected. What is not visible in any photograph is the separation assembly between the ADU and the main house, which is the part inspectors care about most.
An attached ADU is legally a second dwelling sharing a building with the first. Six systems have to establish that separation. Select one to see what it does.
Before anything is drawn: is a second dwelling allowed on this parcel, at what maximum size, with what setbacks, and with what parking provision. This is the layer that most often changes the project rather than delaying it.
Set locally. Neighbouring cities routinely answer this differently.
LayerNew foundations meeting old ones, a continuous load path for wind, and a roof that ties in without creating a valley that will leak. The existing structure has to be verified, not assumed — particularly if the unit is going above it.
LayerThe wall and floor-ceiling between two dwelling units must be a tested, rated assembly, built exactly as tested. Every penetration — every duct, pipe, cable and recessed box — has to be firestopped to keep the rating.
This is the single most common place an attached ADU fails inspection: the assembly is right and the penetrations through it are not.
LayerNot always mandated to the same degree as fire rating, and the thing occupants actually notice every single day. Decoupled framing, insulation in the cavity and sealing at the perimeter cost very little while the wall is open, and cannot be added afterwards at any sensible price.
LayerWhether the existing electrical service and water supply can carry a second dwelling, and whether the unit is sub-metered or separately metered. On septic, the drainfield is sized by bedroom count — so adding bedrooms can force a septic upgrade that costs more than the room it serves.
LayerAn independent entrance that does not pass through the primary dwelling, and compliant emergency egress from every sleeping area — which is what usually decides window sizes in a converted garage.
Purpose-built, nothing compromised, and the most zoning scrutiny because it adds footprint and lot coverage.
Reuses foundation, walls and roof. Cost moves to insulation, egress glazing, moisture detailing and replacing the parking.
No footprint added, so it can work where nothing else does. Structural verification of what is already there comes first.
Owners arrive with a layout and a look. The two things that actually decide whether an attached ADU is buildable are what your zoning permits and whether the existing services can carry a second home. We check both before drawing, because finding out later invalidates the design rather than adjusting it.
Requirements are set by the authority having jurisdiction for your municipality and genuinely differ between them. What follows is how the stage runs, not a promise about what your city permits or how long it will take.
An ADU is reviewed as a new dwelling unit, not as an extension. Expect at minimum:
Zoning and building are two different reviews and can reach different conclusions. Where the property is on septic, the health department becomes a third party with a real veto.
The rated separation is inspected before it is closed, and every later trade that penetrates it can undo it. That is why electrical and mechanical rough-in are sequenced against the separation rather than around it.
Whether an ADU is permitted at all, its maximum size, parking, and any owner-occupancy or rental restriction are local rules that change. Nothing here is a legal opinion. We establish what applies at your address before you commit to anything.
A second completed ADU — not the studio shown above, and not the same property. Two levels, with a sleeping loft over the living space. Use the thumbnails, the arrows, arrow keys, or swipe on the image.
We do not publish a price per square foot for ADUs, because a small dwelling contains a kitchen, a bathroom and a full set of services regardless of its size — which is exactly why the rate is misleading. These are the twelve factors that decide it.
Maximum size, setbacks and parking can reshape the brief entirely, and occasionally end it. This is checked first for that reason.
Whether the electrical service and water supply can carry a second dwelling. A service upgrade is a real line item, not a rounding error.
On septic, drainfield sizing follows bedroom count — so one extra bedroom can force a system upgrade costing more than the room.
Reusing an existing foundation, walls and roof removes the most expensive third of the work.
The rated wall and its firestopping, plus any acoustic work done while the wall is open.
Two rooms carrying almost all the plumbing, ventilation and inspection load in the unit.
Joining new to old, and verifying the existing structure if the unit is going above it.
Sleeping areas need compliant escape openings, which often means new or enlarged windows.
Which reviews your scope triggers, and your jurisdiction’s current turnaround.
Cabinetry, tile and appliances — the part owners control most directly.
Working alongside an occupied home, with limited laydown space and a shared driveway.
Building against a house people are living in means dust control, noise windows and keeping the main dwelling’s services on. It is a real cost and it is worth pricing honestly.
After a site visit and the zoning check you get a written scope priced against drawings — stating what is included, what is not, and where a contingency is likely. We will also tell you which of the twelve factors above is the one driving your number, and whether a detached unit would serve you better than an attached one.
Request an estimateFilter by what you are trying to work out. Every answer stays on the page.
That is a local question with a local answer, and it is the first thing we establish. Florida has no statewide right to build an accessory dwelling unit — whether one is permitted, how big it may be, and what parking it needs are set by your municipality, and neighbouring cities frequently answer differently.
We check your specific parcel before any design work starts, because the answer can change the project rather than merely delay it.
An attached unit shares at least one wall with the main house. That shortens every utility run and reuses a foundation edge, which usually makes it cheaper to service.
In exchange it introduces a requirement a detached unit does not have: a fire-rated separation assembly between the two dwellings, built exactly as tested and firestopped at every penetration. Zoning also treats the two differently, sometimes markedly.
Often, yes. A second dwelling adds a full set of loads — cooking, water heating, air conditioning, laundry — and many older South Florida services have no headroom for that. A load calculation answers it properly, and it is done during design rather than discovered during rough-in.
Significantly. Drainfield capacity is sized by bedroom count, so adding bedrooms can require a septic upgrade — and that upgrade sometimes costs more than the room creating the need for it. On septic properties this gets checked before the layout is settled, not after.
Frequently the best value, because the foundation, walls and roof already exist. The work moves to bringing it to habitable standard: insulation, compliant egress glazing, moisture detailing at the slab, conditioning, and the separation assembly.
The question that catches people is parking — if your zoning required those spaces, they have to go somewhere else on the lot.
Because an ADU is the worst possible use of that number. A small dwelling still needs a complete kitchen, a complete bathroom and a complete set of services, so the fixed content is spread over very little area. Two ADUs of the same size can differ enormously depending on service capacity, septic and whether you are converting or building new.
Sometimes, and sometimes only on certain terms. Some jurisdictions require the owner to live on the property, some restrict short-term letting, and some place no restriction at all. Because it is a local rule and it changes, we confirm what applies to your address rather than telling you what is generally true.
A wall — and where the unit is above or below, a floor-ceiling — built as a tested assembly that holds back fire for a defined period, so the two homes do not function as one building in an emergency.
The detail that decides whether it works is the penetrations. Every duct, pipe, cable and recessed box through that assembly has to be firestopped, or the rating is gone. It is the most common inspection failure on attached ADUs.
Yes — independent access that does not require passing through the primary dwelling is part of what makes it a separate unit rather than a bedroom suite. Every sleeping area also needs compliant emergency egress, which is usually what sets window sizes in a converted garage.
Yes, and an ADU is an unusually good opportunity to do it, because you are designing from scratch rather than retrofitting. Level thresholds, a wider door set, blocking in the walls for future grab rails and a curbless shower cost very little at design stage and a great deal afterwards.
Service capacity discovered late. An electrical upgrade or a septic problem found during construction lands as a large unplanned cost at the worst moment. Both are knowable during design, which is where we deal with them.
Yes. We work with four financing partners — Service Finance, Synchrony, Ygrene and Renew Financial — so you can compare options before you finalise the scope. Terms and eligibility are set by each lender and differ by programme. Which is appropriate depends on the scope and on whether the unit is intended to generate income.
No questions in that topic yet.
Details from both completed units. These are two separate projects and are not presented as one property.
A completed studio ADU, shown as a still rather than a film — there is no cleared footage of this service, and we would rather show you a real photograph than borrow a clip from another trade.
Zoning and design, then structure and tie-in, then the separation assembly, then services rough-in and inspections, then fit-out. The separation is built early and protected by every trade that follows it.
The separation assembly before it is closed, and again after every trade that penetrates it. Egress openings against the requirement rather than against the drawing. Service capacity against the load calculation before rough-in starts.
Everything here is either a licence number, a figure Elbaz publishes company-wide, or a description of how we work. No awards, memberships or certifications are listed, because inventing them is the easiest lie in this industry to tell.
Certified building contractor, bonded and insured. Verifiable with the State of Florida.
Across residential and commercial work in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Combined years across the team, in this market and this climate.
Cities served across the three counties.
We file with your building department directly, and we close the permit at handover.
Specified products are checked against their Notice of Acceptance or Florida Product Approval before ordering.
Service Finance, Synchrony, Ygrene and Renew Financial. $0 down and 100% financing available on qualifying PACE work, subject to lender approval. Compare all four.
The zoning verification happens before drawings, because an ADU that your parcel does not permit is not a design problem to be solved later — it is a different project, and you should know that before paying for a set.
A family-run, locally owned business. The same point of contact stays with your project through every stage, and the phone is answered in month six as well as week one.
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Proudly serving homeowners across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
104 municipalities across three counties — and we hold the licence to build in all of them. Not sure about your address? Ask us.
Where to go next, depending on which part you are pinning down.
What governs whether you may build an accessory dwelling unit at all, how large it may be, and which local rules decide it — the check that comes before design.
The address is the useful part — it lets us check what your parcel actually permits before anyone talks about layouts. If you know whether you are on sewer or septic, say so.
If your parcel will not carry an ADU, or a detached unit would serve you better, or the septic makes the plan uneconomic, we will tell you on the first call rather than after you have paid for a design.
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Your details are with the Elbaz Construction team and we will come back to you, usually the same or next working day. If it is urgent, call (754) 236-0675.
Zoning, service capacity and septic decide what an attached ADU can be long before anyone chooses a finish. Start with a conversation — no obligation, and no brochure.
