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 Garland
Garage conversion in Garland typically runs $85,000 to $165,000 for a full ADU with kitchen and bath, and most projects take 4 to 7 months from the first permit submittal to final inspection. We serve every Garland neighborhood, from Valley Creek to Firewheel, with written pricing before any work starts. If you’re weighing a garage conversion against an addition or a prefab ADU, call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll walk you through what’s realistic for your lot, your budget, and Garland’s 2021 IRC code requirements.
Why Lodgewick ADU Dallas Is Garland’s Preferred Garage Conversion Contractor Company
Garland homeowners call us because we do something most contractors in this market won’t: we put the price in writing before the first tool comes off the truck. That’s the Kingswell Guarantee, and it applies to every garage conversion we build in Garland. Russ Delmar, who leads our Dallas-area operation, has walked dozens of Garland lots from Duck Creek to Oates Drive and knows what the city’s inspectors look for when they review conversion plans.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise is in writing on every project. If something isn’t right within a year of completion, we come back and fix it. Free. That’s not a warranty buried in fine print. It’s a one-page document you get before work begins. Our crews arrive in uniform, background-checked, and they leave the job site cleaner than they found it. When you call about your build or your guarantee, a live person answers. Day or night.
Garage Conversion ADU in Garland
A Garage Conversion ADU in Garland takes an existing attached or detached garage and turns it into a legal, permitted accessory dwelling unit with its own kitchen, bathroom, and separate entrance. This is not a weekend project. It’s a full construction job that involves structural upgrades, insulation, electrical, plumbing, and a separate address designation from the city. Most Garland homeowners choose this route when they want rental income or a private space for an aging parent that’s close but not too close.
Typical cost for a garage conversion ADU in Garland lands between $95,000 and $165,000 depending on the condition of the existing slab, the age of the garage, and how far the structure sits from the main house’s utilities. A 1970s detached garage in Valley Creek will cost more than a 2000s attached garage in Firewheel because the older structure almost always needs foundation reinforcement and a roof upgrade to meet Garland’s adopted 2021 International Residential Code.
What Garland’s 2021 IRC Means for Your Garage
Garland adopted the 2021 International Residential Code, and that changes the math on conversions. Existing detached garages must meet current energy efficiency and structural upgrade provisions during conversion, including window and insulation upgrades that differ from neighboring Dallas, where older portions of the code still apply. If your garage has the original single-pane windows from 1978, they’re coming out. If the roof rafters are 2x4s on 24-inch centers, they’ll likely need sistering or replacement. These are real costs that a generic estimate misses.
Detached vs. Attached: What Changes the Price
An attached garage conversion shares a wall and often a foundation with the main house, which keeps utility runs shorter and structural work lighter. A detached garage sits on its own slab, typically with footings that were never designed to support living space. In Garland’s older neighborhoods like Williams Estates or Eastern Hills, detached garages from the 1960s and 1970s frequently require slab reinforcement before any framing goes up. Budget $10,000 to $25,000 more for a detached conversion with foundation work.
Garage Apartment Conversion in Garland
A Garage Apartment Conversion in Garland transforms a detached garage into a self-contained apartment, usually with a full bath, kitchenette, and sleeping area. In Garland, these projects are popular in established neighborhoods where the lots are deep enough to keep the garage apartment setback from the alley and still meet the city’s parking requirements. The city treats a garage apartment as a type of ADU, which means the same 2021 IRC standards apply to insulation, windows, and structural safety.
Expect a garage apartment conversion in Garland to run $85,000 to $145,000. The lower end assumes a newer garage in good structural condition with accessible electrical service. The higher end reflects older garages in areas like Club Hill or Lakewood where the water heater sits more than 50 feet from the new bathroom, triggering Garland’s specific requirement for a separate water heater or recirculation pump. That’s a code requirement many homeowners learn about mid-project, and it adds $3,000 to $6,000 to the job.
Plumbing and Hot Water in a Detached Conversion
When the existing house’s water heater is more than 50 feet from the new ADU bathroom, Garland requires a separate water heater or a recirculation pump. On a 1970s lot in Valley Creek where the garage sits behind the house, that distance is almost always exceeded. We build this into the written estimate up front. You shouldn’t hear about it for the first time when the plumber is standing in your yard with a change order.
Electrical Service: The Hidden Panel Upgrade
Many Garland homes still run on 100-amp panels. A garage apartment with a mini-split, kitchenette, and electric water heater will pull more than that panel can safely deliver. If your panel is undersized, the city won’t sign off on the rough electrical inspection until it’s upgraded. A panel upgrade to 200 amps adds $3,500 to $6,000. We check panel capacity during the estimate walkthrough, not after demolition starts. No price changes at the door.
Trusted Brands We Service in Garland
We work with materials and manufacturers that hold up to Texas heat and Garland’s freeze-thaw cycles, including James Hardie siding, Tuff Shed structures for simpler detached builds, and Plant Prefab for homeowners who want a precision-built shell with faster on-site assembly. Our crews have hands-on experience with each system and we stock local parts at our Dallas-Fort Worth office so Garland customers aren’t waiting on a shipment from out of state. When a panel arrives warped or a window is the wrong rough opening, we handle it without stalling your schedule.
Common Garage Conversion Contractor Problems We See in Garland Homes
- Slab-on-grade garages with inadequate footings. Older Garland garages, especially detached ones from the 1960s and 1970s, were poured to hold a car, not a bedroom. Adding living space means adding floor load, and the existing slab often can’t take it. We see foundation reinforcement on roughly half of the conversions we bid in neighborhoods like Valley Creek and Eastern Hills.
- The 50-foot hot water rule. Garland’s code has a specific requirement that most homeowners never hear about until the plumbing inspection: if the main house water heater sits more than 50 feet from the new ADU bathroom, you need a separate water heater or recirculation pump. It’s a mandatory cost on most detached conversions.
- 100-amp electrical panels that can’t carry the load. A garage apartment with a mini-split, kitchen appliances, and a water heater will trip a 100-amp panel. Many Garland homes from the 1980s and 1990s still have original panels. The city won’t pass rough electrical until the panel is upgraded to 200 amps.
- Roof rafters that don’t meet 2021 IRC structural standards. Garland’s code cycle requires structural upgrades on conversions. A 1970s garage with 2×4 rafters on 24-inch centers often needs sistering or full replacement to support the added insulation and ceiling load. When we converted a brick garage in Valley Creek, we had to sister the existing roof rafters and install R-38 insulation in the ceiling to pass Garland’s inspection. We also replaced the old slab-side door with a 16-inch-deep fiberglass entry and ran a separate 100-amp subpanel from the main house to power the new mini-split and kitchen appliances.
Pricing for Garage Conversion Contractor in Garland, TX
A full garage conversion ADU with kitchen and bath in Garland runs $95,000 to $165,000. A garage apartment conversion runs $85,000 to $145,000. A simpler garage-to-bedroom conversion with a half bath starts around $60,000. What moves the number: the age and condition of the garage, whether it’s attached or detached, the distance from the main house’s electrical panel and water heater, and whether the slab needs reinforcement. We give you a written line-item price before any work begins, with every code requirement accounted for. Call (361) 204-4652 to schedule a free estimate. Russ Delmar will walk the property with you and give you the real number, not a ballpark.
We Also Serve Cities Near Garland
Our crews serve Garland plus the surrounding communities of Garland‘s neighbors: Rowlett, Richardson, Plano, and Addison. If you live just outside Garland and are weighing a conversion under a different city’s code cycle, our Garage Conversion Contractor team can help you understand what applies where. Permitting rules change at the city line, and we know the differences.
Serving Garland, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Garland 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 Garland
A garage conversion ADU in Garland typically takes 4 to 7 months from permit submittal to final inspection. The biggest variable is the city’s plan review queue, which currently runs 4 to 6 weeks for conversion permits. Demolition, structural work, rough-in, and finishes account for the rest. We give you a written schedule with your estimate, and we call you if an inspection date moves.
A garage conversion ADU in Garland requires a building permit, electrical permit, plumbing permit, mechanical permit, and a plan review through the city’s building inspection division. If the garage is detached, the city also requires a site plan showing setbacks and parking compliance. We pull every permit ourselves and handle all inspections. Call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll tell you exactly what your specific property needs.
Yes, Garland allows attached garage conversions into ADUs with a full kitchen, provided the conversion meets the 2021 IRC requirements for insulation, ventilation, structural safety, and fire separation between the ADU and the main house. The kitchen will need its own exhaust, and the wall between the ADU and the main house must meet a fire rating. We handle this on every attached conversion in Garland. Call for a free estimate and we’ll confirm what your specific attached garage needs.
The most common change order on Garland garage conversions is a slab reinforcement or foundation upgrade discovered after demolition, typically adding $8,000 to $20,000 to the job. This happens most often on detached garages from the 1960s and 1970s in neighborhoods like Valley Creek and Williams Estates. That’s why we do a slab inspection during the estimate phase and include likely reinforcement costs in the written price up front. Nobody wants a surprise at demo time.
No, Garland does not require the garage floor to be raised to match the main house. A single step-down from the main house into the ADU is code-compliant. What the city does require is that the garage slab be moisture-barriered and insulated underneath if you’re adding flooring over it, which is a standard part of our conversion scope. We’ll confirm the exact floor assembly you need when we walk your property.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Dallas, serving Garland since the company’s founding in 2010.
