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 North Dallas
Most garage conversions in North Dallas run between $85,000 and $165,000, depending on whether you’re finishing a 400-square-foot attached space or building out a detached garage apartment with a full kitchen and bath. We’re Lodgewick ADU Dallas, and our Garage Conversion Contractor team has walked dozens of North Dallas homeowners through the whole thing: permits, slab checks, HOA review, framing, electrical, and the final inspection. If you’re wondering whether your garage can actually become livable space, call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll tell you straight. No runaround, no vague “it depends” without numbers behind it.
Why Lodgewick ADU Dallas Is North Dallas’s Preferred Garage Conversion Contractor Company
North Dallas has a specific mix of housing stock that a contractor either understands or doesn’t. 1960s ranch-style homes with attached two-car garages sit next to 1980s brick two-stories, and tucked behind both you’ll find detached garage apartments that have been used for storage for decades. Our crews know which slabs are thick enough to build on, which neighborhoods trigger HOA review, and which streets fall under Dallas Development Services versus Richardson or unincorporated county rules. One thing we hear from North Dallas homeowners again and again: they called someone else first, got a vague verbal estimate, and then the number changed once the job started. That doesn’t happen with us.
Russ Delmar, who leads Lodgewick ADU Dallas, has spent years building a repeatable process around Garage Conversion Contractor work. Every project starts with a written price, not a handshake. Every job ends with our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if something isn’t right within a year, we come back and make it right, free. A live person answers our phones 24/7. When a homeowner on a street off Preston Road calls at 9pm with a question about their permit status, they talk to a person, not a voicemail tree.
Garage Apartment Conversion in North Dallas
Garage Apartment Conversion in North Dallas means turning a fully detached or attached garage into an independent living unit, usually with its own entrance, bathroom, kitchenette or full kitchen, and separate climate control. On a 1960s ranch near Hillcrest and Forest Lane, our crew converted an underused two-car garage into a 430-square-foot garage apartment for a homeowner’s aging parent. We handled the structural upgrade to meet IRC live-load requirements, added a mini-split from a brand we service, and walked the permit through Dallas Development Services, including the required zoning verification for a second dwelling unit on a 7,500-square-foot R-7.5(A) lot.
The cost pattern in North Dallas follows a simple logic. Attached garage conversions where plumbing already reaches the space run $85,000 to $115,000. Detached garage apartments with new electrical service, a full bath, and a kitchen run $125,000 to $165,000, sometimes more if we’re replacing a thin slab or trenching new sewer lines across a long backyard.
When a detached garage works
Detached garages in North Dallas can make excellent ADUs, but only if the existing structure is worth keeping. If the walls are plumb and the roof ties in cleanly, we frame the interior, insulate to current code, and run dedicated electrical. If the slab is 3 inches thick, we replace or top it before anything else. There’s no shortcut on that step.
Attached garage conversion scope
Attached garages convert faster because utilities are closer and the structure shares your home’s roofline. The tradeoff is fire separation: Dallas code requires a specific assembly between the new living space and the rest of the house. We handle that in the framing and drywall phase, and it’s part of every written quote we provide in North Dallas.
Garage Conversion Permit in North Dallas
Garage Conversion Permit in North Dallas is the piece most homeowners underestimate, and it’s the piece that causes the most expensive mistakes. Dallas requires a building permit for any garage conversion, and if you’re adding a kitchen or bathroom, you’ll also need plumbing and electrical permits. If the converted space becomes a second dwelling unit, Dallas Development Services requires zoning verification. That step alone can take two to four weeks. Our team handles it.
Permit fees in North Dallas typically run $1,800 to $4,200 depending on the project valuation and how many sub-permits the job triggers. Adding a separate water meter or backflow preventer, which Dallas requires when a garage apartment gets its own kitchen, pushes the number higher and adds an extra plumbing inspection before final approval. We disclose all of this in our written price before work starts.
What the zoning check actually looks at
Even if your garage conversion is fully interior and doesn’t change the home’s footprint, Dallas Development Services reviews the property’s zoning district and any recorded deed restrictions. On smaller lots, particularly R-7.5(A) districts common in parts of North Dallas, the setback rules for a second dwelling unit change by address. We check the specifics for your parcel before we tell you a price.
HOA review is not optional
Homeowners in neighborhoods like Preston Hollow and Bent Tree often face architectural review committees that restrict detached garage apartments even when the city says yes. Skipping that step can lead to a lien or a forced reversal. We walk every North Dallas client through the HOA process early, so there are no surprises at the back end.
Trusted Brands We Service in North Dallas
We work with established ADU brands and materials that hold up in Texas heat and the occasional freeze-thaw cycle North Dallas sees. That includes Boxabl for quick-deploy structure options, Plant Prefab for efficient panelized builds, and James Hardie siding for durable, low-maintenance exteriors that stand up to Dallas summers. Because we’re local, we stock common replacement parts and materials for North Dallas jobs, so a missing flashing or a specific trim profile doesn’t stall your project for a week. If you’re considering a Tuff Shed as the shell for your garage apartment, we’ll tell you honestly whether that shell is worth building into or whether you’re better off with stick framing from the start.
Common Garage Conversion Contractor Problems We See in North Dallas Homes
- Thin slabs that can’t be built on. Many North Dallas garages have 3-inch slabs that were poured for parking, not living. That means a structural topping or full replacement before flooring, which adds cost and time. We check slab thickness before quoting a price.
- Missing the separate water meter requirement. Dallas code requires a separate water meter or backflow preventer when a garage apartment gets a kitchen or bathroom. Skipping it stops final approval. We catch it early and price it into the written estimate.
- HOA rules that override city code. Preston Hollow and Bent Tree often restrict detached garage apartments even when the city allows them. An unapproved conversion can lead to a lien or forced reversal. We handle architectural review as part of our scope.
- Uneven permit timing across jurisdictions. A single North Dallas street can fall under Dallas, Richardson, or unincorporated county rules. The permitting path changes by address, not by zip code. We verify jurisdiction before we quote.
Pricing for Garage Conversion Contractor in North Dallas, TX
Here’s where North Dallas pricing actually lands. A basic attached garage conversion with new drywall, insulation, electrical, and flooring starts around $85,000. A full garage apartment with kitchen, bath, separate entrance, mini-split HVAC, and permit costs typically runs $125,000 to $165,000. High-end finishes, structural slab replacement, or trenching new sewer lines can push a detached build past $200,000. The variables are slab thickness, utility distance, and HOA restrictions. We give you a written line-item price before work begins. No price changes at the door. Call (361) 204-4652 for a free estimate in North Dallas.
We Also Serve Cities Near North Dallas
Lodgewick ADU Dallas serves homeowners across the metro, including Dallas, Plano, Garland, and Richardson. If you live just outside North Dallas but your property sits in an adjacent city, call us anyway. We’ll tell you whether your address falls in our service area and walk you through the permit path for your specific jurisdiction.
Serving North Dallas, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the North 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 North Dallas
The process starts with a phone call and a site visit, then a written line-item price. After you approve, we pull permits and handle the Dallas Development Services review, including zoning verification if you’re adding a second dwelling unit. Then comes demolition and slab assessment, followed by framing, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, finishing, and the final inspection. You’ll get a written schedule before we start, and a live person answers our phones if you have questions at any point.
Garage conversion permit fees in North Dallas typically run $1,800 to $4,200. That covers the building permit, plumbing and electrical sub-permits, and the plan review time. It does not cover zoning verification fees, which are separate, or any HOA filing fees. We itemize every permit fee in our written quote, so you know what you’re paying before work begins. Call (361) 204-4652 and we’ll walk you through the exact numbers for your address.
Preston Hollow and Bent Tree are the two neighborhoods where we see the strictest architectural review committees for detached garage apartments. These HOAs sometimes restrict conversions even when the city allows them. We start the HOA review conversation in the first week, get the written approval on file, and don’t start demolition until that document exists. It keeps homeowners safe from liens and forced reversals.
The price changes only if the scope changes. If we open a wall and find termite damage, that’s a written change order you approve before we proceed. If you decide mid-build to add a bathroom or upgrade finishes, that’s also a written change order. Our fixed price covers the work we quote. We don’t show up and tell you the number jumped. That’s the whole point of The Kingswell Guarantee: written price first, every time.
Most North Dallas garage conversions take 8 to 14 weeks after permits are issued. Attached conversions run 8 to 10 weeks, detached garage apartments run 10 to 14 weeks. Delays come from long lead times on custom windows or doors, HOA review schedules, or supply hold-ups on specific brand materials. We build the schedule realistically from the start and tell you about any delay the moment we know about it. Call (361) 204-4652 for a straight answer on your project’s timeline.
Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU Dallas. Lodgewick ADU Dallas is the ADU company of the Kingswell family, specializing in garage conversions, garage apartments, and accessory dwelling units across North Dallas and the surrounding metro.
