A free site visit, a check of what your lot allows and a written, line-item price.
Get your free estimateFast, Reliable Garage Conversion Contractor Across Dallas
A garage conversion in Dallas typically runs $45,000 – $90,000 for a full ADU with kitchen and bath, and most projects take 14 – 20 weeks from permit to final inspection. That’s the honest number most contractors won’t give you over the phone. We’re Lodgewick ADU Dallas, and we’ve converted garages across this city from the M Streets to Oak Cliff to Far North Dallas. We know the Dallas Development Code the way you know your own garage. Call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts.
Why Lodgewick ADU Dallas Is Dallas’s Preferred Garage Conversion Contractor Company
Dallas homeowners call us after they’ve been burned. A contractor gave them a handshake number, then the real price showed up after demo. Or the crew never pulled the Residential Building Permit and the city slapped a stop-work order on the project. Russ Delmar runs our Dallas team, and he’s built our reputation on doing the opposite: the price goes in writing first, the permit gets pulled before the first hammer swings, and the crew shows up in the window they gave you.
Our Dallas customers talk about the written guarantee more than anything else. Every garage conversion we build carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise, named clearly, in writing, on every project. If something isn’t right within a year, we come back and fix it. Free. That’s not marketing copy. It’s how Russ has run this crew since Lodgewick’s founding in 2010 as part of the Kingswell family of home-service companies.
Garage Conversion Permit in Dallas
Garage Conversion Permit in Dallas is a term you’ll hear from us early, because this city treats garage conversions differently than its neighbors. Dallas requires a separate Residential Building Permit for any garage-to-living-space conversion, and the city enforces its own Development Code with fire separation and parking replacement rules that Garland and Irving simply don’t have. Get this wrong and you’ll get a stop-work order taped to your garage door.
When Dallas Requires the Permit
The trigger is simple: if you’re changing the use of the garage from vehicle storage to habitable space, you need the permit. Dallas doesn’t care if it’s a full ADU with plumbing or a basic bedroom conversion. The permit requirement kicks in either way. Our team pulls the permit ourselves, schedules the inspections, and stands at the job site with the inspector. You don’t chase paperwork.
What the Permit Process Costs
Permit fees in Dallas for a garage conversion typically run $1,800 – $3,500 depending on square footage and whether you’re adding plumbing. That’s the city’s fee, not ours, and we put it in your written estimate as a line item. Some Dallas homeowners try to skip it to save money. We’ve seen the stop-work orders. Don’t do it. Call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll walk you through the whole permit path.
Garage Conversion to Living Space in Dallas
Garage Conversion to Living Space in Dallas is what most homeowners actually want: turn that underused garage into a bedroom, an office, a rental unit, or a full ADU for aging parents. The work changes based on what’s already on your lot, which is why our crews start with the slab, the setbacks, and the electrical panel before we ever talk finishes. Dallas housing stock is wildly inconsistent, from 1930s Tudor-style bungalows to 2000s track homes, and each one has its own surprises.
Slab Conditions Across Dallas Neighborhoods
Many Dallas garages sit on 3-inch unreinforced slabs that were poured as driveways, not foundations. That works fine for a parked car. It fails when you add wall loads and a tile floor. In older Dallas neighborhoods like M Streets, Lakewood, and Oak Cliff, we regularly see cracked slabs and pier-and-beam foundations that need reinforcement before framing can start. A slab replacement or reinforcement adds $6,000 – $14,000 to the project, which is why we inspect it before we quote it.
Typical Layout Conversion Process
Once the slab checks out, we frame the interior walls, insulate to Dallas’s energy code, run electrical on a separate subpanel, and tie plumbing into the existing main line. A one-car garage that becomes a bedroom and bath runs $45,000 – $60,000. A two-car garage conversion to a full ADU with kitchen, laundry, and separate entrance runs $65,000 – $90,000. Both numbers include permit fees and the parking replacement Dallas requires.
Trusted Brands We Service in Dallas
We work with the ADU and prefab brands that actually hold up in Dallas heat and humidity. For Dallas customers who want a faster timeline, we’ve built garage conversion ADUs using Boxabl’s folding modules and Mighty Buildings’ panelized systems, both of which ship well and assemble on-site in a fraction of the time of stick-frame. For a more traditional look, we’ve matched Tuff Shed structures to existing rooflines and James Hardie siding to the main house. We keep local inventory and supplier relationships in Dallas so we’re not waiting on parts from out of state. Tell us what you want, we’ll tell you which system fits your lot, your budget, and your timeline, and we’ll put it in writing.
Common Garage Conversion Contractor Problems We See in Dallas Homes
- Demo without a permit. Homeowners start tearing out the garage door, then Dallas code enforcement shows up because the garage sits within 3 feet of the property line and the fire separation isn’t compliant. A stop-work order goes up and the project stalls for weeks. We pull the permit before the first hammer swings.
- Forgotten parking replacement. Dallas requires replacing the off-street parking space you lose when you convert a garage. A permeable paver pad or concrete pad runs $3,000 – $6,000. Contractors who forget this line item underprice the quote, and the homeowner gets the surprise after demo.
- Cracked slab foundations. Older Dallas garages often sit on unreinforced slabs that crack under wall loads. If you skip the slab inspection, you’re looking at a full slab replacement mid-project, which pushes the timeline back weeks and adds five figures.
- Wrong electrical assumptions. A garage conversion with a bedroom and bath needs a separate subpanel, often 100 amps. Older Dallas homes with 100-amp main panels can’t handle the added load without a service upgrade, which is another $3,500 – $6,000 most quotes don’t include.
Pricing for Garage Conversion Contractor in Dallas, TX
Let’s get specific. A basic attached garage conversion to a bedroom with a half bath in Dallas runs $45,000 – $55,000. A detached garage conversion to a full ADU with kitchen, full bath, and separate entrance runs $65,000 – $90,000. A garage apartment conversion above a detached garage starts around $80,000 and goes up from there depending on structural reinforcement. What changes the price: the slab condition, the electrical service size, the parking replacement requirement, and whether you want a prefab system or stick-frame construction. We give you a written line-item price before work starts, and that price doesn’t change unless you change the scope. Call (361) 204-4652 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Dallas
Our Garage Conversion Contractor team works throughout Dallas County and into the neighboring suburbs. We regularly handle projects in Duncanville, Balch Springs, Addison, and Grand Prairie. If you’re just outside Dallas and wondering whether we cover your street, call us and ask. A live person answers, 24 hours a day. We’ll tell you straight.
Serving Dallas, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Dallas 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 About Garage Conversion Contractor in Dallas
Yes. Dallas requires a Residential Building Permit for any garage conversion into habitable space, including ADUs. The city reviews your plans against the Dallas Development Code, which covers fire separation, setbacks, ceiling height, and parking replacement. We pull the permit ourselves and handle every inspection. Call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll tell you exactly what your specific garage needs.
Dallas requires you to replace the off-street parking space you lose when the garage becomes living space. That means a permeable paver pad or a concrete parking pad on the driveway, typically running $3,000 – $6,000. Some Dallas lots can build a carport instead, which varies by zoning. This rule applies across Dallas, from Preston Hollow to Pleasant Grove. Call (361) 204-4652 for an exact quote on your lot.
A full garage conversion in Dallas runs 14 – 20 weeks from the day we submit the permit application to the final inspection. City of Dallas permit review typically takes 3 – 6 weeks, plus inspection scheduling. The construction itself is usually 8 – 12 weeks depending on slab work, electrical upgrades, and finishes. Prefab systems like Boxabl or Mighty Buildings can trim 4 – 6 weeks off the build phase. We’ll give you a written schedule before we start.
Because the contractor didn’t inspect the slab, the electrical panel, or the property line before quoting. Dallas garages commonly have unreinforced 3-inch slabs, undersized main panels, and setbacks within 3 feet of the property line. Each one of those adds thousands. We inspect all three before we write your estimate, so the price you sign is the price you pay unless you change the scope.
Yes. Dallas requires a minimum ceiling height of 7 feet for habitable rooms, and 7 feet 6 inches in some cases depending on the room type and ceiling slope. Many older Dallas garages were built with 8-foot flat ceilings, but detached garages from the 1930s and 1940s in neighborhoods like M Streets and Junius Heights sometimes fall short after new flooring and insulation. We measure early. Call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll check yours on the free estimate visit.
If you want a garage conversion in Dallas done right, with a written price, a pulled permit, and a written 365-Day Done Right Promise, call us at (361) 204-4652. We’ll schedule your free estimate and walk the site with you. No pressure, just straight answers in writing.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Dallas, serving Dallas homeowners with written prices and written guarantees on every garage conversion.
