A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateTrusted ADU Builders for Dallas Homeowners
If you’ve been circling the idea of adding an accessory dwelling unit to your Dallas property, you’ve probably already hit the wall most homeowners hit: every contractor has a different story about cost, timelines, and what’s actually included. We’re Lodgewick ADU Dallas, ADU Builders - Dallas, part of the Kingswell family of home-service companies since 2010, and we do one thing differently. We put the price in writing before work starts, we show up when we say we will, and every build carries The Kingswell Guarantee in writing. That means a defined arrival window, a clean job site, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not right, we come back and make it right. Call (361) 204-4652 and talk to a live person, any hour, any day.
In Dallas, adding an ADU is one of the smartest ways to squeeze more living space out of a lot you already own. Whether it’s income from a backyard rental, a quiet place for aging parents, or office space that doesn’t eat into the main house, the demand is real. What’s also real is how many Dallas homeowners have been burned by price changes mid-project, crews that never show, or work that fails a month after the final check clears. Our whole model exists because those stories are far too common.
ADU Construction
ADU Construction is the end-to-end process of planning, permitting, and building an accessory dwelling unit on your existing lot, from the first site visit to the final inspection. In Dallas, a ground-up backyard ADU typically runs $185,000 to $350,000 depending on size, finishes, and site conditions. Lodgewick ADU Dallas handles the full build: plans, permits, foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall, finishes, and final walkthrough. We also work with prefab ADU manufacturers like Mighty Buildings and Boxabl when speed and cost certainty matter more than a fully custom build.
When Custom Build Makes Sense
Dallas lots vary wildly from Lakewood to Oak Cliff. If your yard has odd dimensions, mature trees you want to keep, or drainage quirks, a custom stick-built ADU gives you design freedom a prefab can’t match. We price that work line by line, in writing, before we dig a single hole.
When Prefab Is the Smarter Play
Prefab units from Mighty Buildings or Boxabl can cut months off a timeline and remove a lot of weather-related risk. Dallas summers are brutal on framed-but-unfinished structures. Factory-built panels and modules arrive ready for assembly, which means fewer days of open framing in the heat. We match the system to your lot and your budget, not the other way around.
Detached ADU
A Detached ADU is a fully separate living structure built in your backyard, with its own entrance, kitchen, bath, and utilities. It’s the most flexible type of ADU because it doesn’t touch the footprint of your main house. In Dallas, a detached ADU generally falls between $200,000 and $350,000 for a complete, code-compliant unit with utilities run from the main structure. Lodgewick ADU Dallas manages the whole thing under The Kingswell Way: the price before the work, the crew in the window we gave you, the site cleaner than we found it, and the guarantee in writing.
Lot and Setback Considerations
Dallas building code sets specific setbacks for detached structures, and older neighborhoods like East Dallas or Kessler Park often have additional overlay rules. We pull permits and handle variances when they’re needed. Most Dallas lots over 6,000 square feet can accommodate a one-bedroom or two-bedroom detached unit without a fight.
Separate Utilities or Shared Systems
Running new electrical service to a detached ADU is usually cleaner than tapping the existing panel, especially in older Dallas homes where the main panel is already near capacity. We’ll tell you which approach costs less in your specific situation, in writing, before you commit.
JADU
A JADU is a junior accessory dwelling unit, typically a 150-to-500-square-foot conversion carved out of existing space inside the main home, like a spare bedroom, den, or attached garage. It’s the most affordable path to a legal second unit because you’re not building new square footage. In Dallas, a JADU conversion usually runs $60,000 to $120,000, depending on whether you need a kitchenette, separate entrance, and upgraded electrical panel. Lodgewick ADU Dallas designs and builds JADUs that meet Dallas code while staying small enough to avoid triggering major structural work.
When a JADU Beats a Detached ADU
If your lot can’t support a backyard structure, a JADU is the fastest legal ADU in Dallas. You skip foundation work, site prep, and long utility runs. For homeowners on streets like those near White Rock Lake where setbacks are tight, a JADU inside the existing envelope often makes the difference between a project that happens and one that stalls.
Separate Entrance and Kitchenette Rules
Dallas requires a JADU to have its own entrance or access through a shared hallway, plus an efficiency kitchen. We design to those rules from day one, so your final inspection is a formality, not a scramble.
ADU Plans
ADU Plans are the architectural drawings, engineering stamps, and permit packages required to legally build an accessory dwelling unit in Dallas. Without them, you can’t pull a permit, and without a permit, an unpermitted ADU can wreck a future home sale. Lodgewick ADU Dallas produces complete plan sets, typically $8,000 to $18,000 for full architectural and structural drawings, stamped by licensed Texas engineers. We handle the city submittal, plan revisions, and resubmissions until the permit is in hand.
Why Cheap Plans Cost More Later
Dallas plan review rejects incomplete submittals for small things: missing energy calcs, undersized shear walls, wrong egress window specs. Every rejection adds weeks and resubmittal fees. Our plans go in clean the first time because we build ADUs in Dallas every month, and we know what plan reviewers here actually flag.
What a Complete Permit Set Includes
Site plan, floor plan, foundation plan, framing plan, electrical layout, plumbing riser diagram, Title 24 energy compliance if you’re in an area that follows state energy code, and structural engineering stamps. You’ll also get a written scope of work aligned to the plans, so the price you sign matches the drawings the inspector sees.
ADU Contractor
An ADU Contractor is the licensed general contractor responsible for executing the build from permit to punch list. In Dallas, that’s a role with real consequence, because a contractor who subs everything out to the lowest bidder is the contractor whose ADU leaks in year two. Lodgewick ADU Dallas acts as your single point of accountability: our crew lead is on site daily, our subs are background-checked, and our technicians wear uniforms so you always know who’s walking your property. Our build management typically runs 18-22% of total project cost, built into the written price you approve before work starts.
What Separates a Good GC from a Bad One
A good Dallas ADU contractor has working relationships with local building inspectors, orders materials before demo starts, and doesn’t juggle six jobs at once. A bad one leaves your project dark for three weeks while chasing another check. We schedule every phase before we start, and we give you a written build calendar with your contract.
Change Orders: The Moment Trust Dies
Most contractor horror stories in Dallas start with a handshake price and end with a change order for something that was obvious from the start. Our fixed-price contracts cover the scope in the plans. If you add something mid-build, we price the change in writing before the work happens. No surprises at the door, no vague “we’ll figure it out later.”
ADU Design
ADU Design is the planning phase where we translate your budget, lot constraints, and intended use into a buildable, livable floor plan and elevation. In Dallas, design fees for a custom ADU typically run $4,000 to $10,000 when bundled with construction, and we credit a portion of that fee back when you sign a build contract with us. Lodgewick ADU Dallas designs with Dallas in mind: heat-reflective roofing, ceiling fans as standard, window placement that works with Texas sun, and foundation details suited to our expansive clay soils.
Designing for How You’ll Actually Use It
An ADU for a college kid reads differently than an ADU for your mother-in-law or a long-term tenant. One needs a full kitchen and laundry. The other needs zero-threshold entries and grab-bar blocking in the walls. We design for the use case, not for a magazine photo.
Prefab Design Options with Plant Prefab and Boxabl
If you’re leaning toward a factory-built ADU, Plant Prefab and Boxabl both offer design libraries that can be customized within their structural parameters. We help you pick the model that fits your Dallas lot, then handle the site work, foundation, and utility connections so the overall project still feels custom.
Backyard ADU
A Backyard ADU is what most people picture when they hear “ADU”: a standalone unit at the rear of the property, visible from the main home’s back windows, with a small yard or patio between. It’s the most valuable type of ADU for rental income because tenants get full privacy. In Dallas, a one-bedroom backyard ADU with kitchen and bath generally costs $190,000 to $280,000; a two-bedroom version pushes toward $350,000. Lodgewick ADU Dallas has built backyard units in neighborhoods from Preston Hollow to Pleasant Grove and nearby ADU Builders - Balch Springs areas, and we know where the surprises hide.
Foundation Work on Dallas Clay
Dallas sits on expansive clay that moves with moisture. A backyard ADU needs a foundation designed for that movement, usually piers or a slab with proper moisture controls. Some builders pour a standard slab and walk away. When that slab heaves, your doors stop latching and drywall cracks. We design foundations for Dallas soil, every time.
Utility Trenching and Tree Roots
Running water, sewer, gas, and electrical to a backyard unit means digging a trench across your yard. Mature Dallas trees, especially live oaks and pecan trees, have root systems that complicate that trench. We map roots before we dig and route around them when we can, rather than sawing through and hoping the tree survives.
Brands We Service
We have hands-on experience with a range of prefab ADU systems, and we match the brand to your lot, budget, and timeline rather than pushing one product on everyone. Mighty Buildings units use 3D-printed panels that dramatically reduce framing time on Dallas sites, which matters when summer heat and spring storms keep pushing outside work around. We know their panel tolerances, their connection details, and how to prep a Dallas foundation and utility rough-in so their factory tolerances actually hold up on site.
Boxabl units fold into a shippable module and unfold on site in a few hours. The promise is real, but the site work still has to be right: level pad, utility stubs in the exact location, and a foundation that can handle the module’s concentrated load. We prepare sites for Boxabl installations and handle the finish connections. We also work with Plant Prefab and Tuff Shed structures depending on the project. Whether you already own a prefab shell or you’re comparing brands, we can help you pick the one that fits your Dallas lot and your price point.
Signs You Need a Pro Right Now
- Dallas code requires engineered plans, not napkin sketches. The City of Dallas won’t issue an ADU permit without stamped structural drawings. If you’re being told “we’ll handle permits later,” that’s a red flag. Unpermitted work gets flagged during a sale and can delay closing by months.
- Your electric panel is already maxed out. Most 1950s-to-1980s Dallas homes have 100-amp panels. An ADU, even a small one, usually needs a 200-amp upgrade. If a contractor quotes an ADU without asking about your panel, they haven’t actually looked at your house.
- Your attached garage has a slab lower than the house floor. Garage conversions in Dallas often need floor-raising and moisture barriers because garage slabs sit below grade by design. A builder who doesn’t address that will deliver a converted space that smells like a garage forever.
- You’ve been told your lot “might” work but no one has pulled the survey. Setbacks, easements, and lot coverage rules in Dallas are specific to your platted lot. Until someone pulls the survey and checks zoning, every price you’re given is a guess. A real ADU contractor starts with the survey.
- You’re planning to rent the ADU and need it legal, not just livable. Dallas requires a certificate of occupancy for a rental ADU. If your “ADU” doesn’t have a CO, you’re exposing yourself to code enforcement and insurance problems. The difference between a legal ADU and a nice shed-loft is paperwork, and it matters.
Our Process, Step by Step
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Site visit and lot review. We walk your property, pull the survey, check zoning and setback requirements for your specific Dallas neighborhood, and talk through your budget in real numbers. You’ll leave that first meeting with a ballpark range in writing, not a vague “we’ll get back to you.”
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Design and fixed-price proposal. Our design team produces a floor plan and elevation that fits your lot and your use case. Then we price the entire build line by line and give you a written fixed-price proposal. That’s the number you sign. It doesn’t change because Dallas clay moved or lumber prices ticked up.
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Permitting and plan review. We submit the plan set to the City of Dallas and manage every review cycle. You don’t chase the building department. We do. You’ll get a written build calendar with your permit, so you know exactly when your crew shows up and what happens each week.
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Build and weekly updates. Our uniformed crew lead is on site daily, and you get a written progress update every Friday. The job site is cleaned at the end of every workday, not just at the end of the job. If you have a question at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, you call (361) 204-4652 and a live person answers.
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Final inspection, CO, and guarantee delivery. We walk the finished ADU with you, pass the final inspection, and hand you the certificate of occupancy. Then we hand you the written Kingswell Guarantee: 365 days of coverage. If anything fails within that year, we return and make it right. Free.
How Much Does ADU Builders Cost in Dallas?
A typical ADU build in Dallas runs $185,000 to $350,000 for a detached unit, $60,000 to $120,000 for a JADU conversion, and $8,000 to $18,000 for a full permit-ready plan set. Those are real ranges based on the ADU work we’ve done across Dallas, not national averages pulled from a blog. A one-bedroom backyard ADU with basic finishes lands around $210,000; a two-bedroom with upgraded finishes and a small deck pushes past $300,000. Garage conversions in Dallas typically fall between $90,000 and $150,000 depending on whether the slab needs work and how much of the existing structure can be saved.
What moves the price: lot conditions, utility trench distance, panel upgrades, foundation type, and finish level. Dallas clay is a real cost driver because foundations here need more engineering than slab work in, say, Houston. Prefab units like Mighty Buildings and Boxabl can compress the timeline but don’t always cut total cost once site work and utility connections are factored in. The way to avoid overpaying is to get a fixed-price written proposal that covers the entire scope, not an estimate with allowances that can balloon. Our free estimate includes the written scope and price, so you can compare apples to apples. Call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll schedule it.
Our Service Area Near Dallas
We build ADUs all over the Dallas metro area, including Plano, Garland, Richardson, Grand Prairie, Heath, Rowlett, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Balch Springs, Murphy, and Addison. If you’re in one of those communities, you’re in our normal service radius, and we can typically get a site visit scheduled within a week. We’re the ADU Builders in Dallas homeowners call when they want a written price and a crew that actually shows up. We also serve ADU Builders in Plano and ADU Builders in Garland with the same Kingswell Guarantee on every project. If you’re starting from scratch, our home page lays out the full range of what we do.
Serving Dallas, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Dallas area and know this community well, including nearby Addison ADU Builders service areas. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About ADU Builders in Dallas
An ADU builder is a contractor who specializes in accessory dwelling units: detached backyard units, garage conversions, and JADUs inside existing homes. Unlike a general remodeler who does one ADU every couple years, a specialist like our ADU Builders in Duncanville team deals with Dallas ADU code, setbacks, and utility requirements every single week. That repetition is what keeps your project on schedule and your permit moving through review without endless resubmittals.
A detached ADU in Dallas typically takes 6 to 9 months from signed contract to certificate of occupancy, depending on plan review time, foundation complexity, and weather. JADU conversions run faster, usually 3 to 5 months. Prefab units from Mighty Buildings or Boxabl can cut framing time meaningfully, but site work, utility trenching, and finish trades still follow a normal schedule. We give you a written build calendar before work starts, and we hold to it. Call (361) 204-4652 to get a timeline for your specific lot.
A legal, permitted ADU in Dallas costs between $60,000 and $350,000 depending on whether you’re converting existing space or building new. Detached units run $185,000 to $350,000, JADUs run $60,000 to $120,000, and garage conversions usually land between $90,000 and $150,000. We provide a written fixed price before any work begins, so the number you sign is the number you pay. Call (361) 204-4652 for an exact quote; the estimate is free.
Yes, we work with Mighty Buildings, Boxabl, Plant Prefab, and Tuff Shed structures. We handle site prep, foundation, utility connections, and finish work for prefab ADU installations across the Dallas area. If you’ve already purchased a prefab shell or you’re still comparing brands, we can tell you which one fits your lot and budget. Call (361) 204-4652 and ask for a site review.
For active builds, yes: if something goes wrong on a Lodgewick project, you call (361) 204-4652 and a live person answers, 24/7. We don’t route you to a voicemail tree. For new projects, we schedule site visits within a week in most of the Dallas metro area. If you’re mid-build with another contractor and hitting problems, we can do a paid site assessment and tell you honestly what’s needed to get the project back on track.
Every Lodgewick ADU build in Dallas includes a written 365-Day Done Right Promise. If any part of the work fails within one year, we come back and make it right at no cost to you. That includes structural issues, water intrusion, electrical problems, and any finish defect traced to our workmanship. The promise is handed to you in writing on the day we hand over the keys, not buried in fine print.
Pull any survey or plat you have on the property, and think about how you’ll use the unit: rental income, a parent suite, a home office, or a long-term guest house. Have a ballpark budget range in mind, even a rough one, because it shapes whether we recommend a JADU conversion, a prefab unit, or a full custom build. We’ll handle the rest: zoning check, setback review, and a written price range before we leave your driveway.
Schedule Your ADU Builders Service in Dallas Today
You deserve a builder who hands you a written price, shows up in the window they gave you, and stands behind the work for a full year. That’s the standard Lodgewick ADU Dallas has held since 2010 under the Kingswell family. Call (361) 204-4652 to schedule your free estimate. A live person answers, day or night, and your written quote is yours to keep whether you hire us or not.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Dallas, serving Dallas since 2010.
