ADU pricing · Florida · 2026
How much does an ADU cost in Florida?
Built the usual way, a Florida ADU runs about $84,000 to $300,000+, depending on size, finishes, site work and contractor. Sidesuite is $99,999 for the finished home, appliances included, plus installation quoted for your lot. Here's what's actually in that number, and what most other ADU quotes leave out.
What an ADU costs in Florida, line by line.
Added up from the table below, a Florida ADU costs about $84,000 to $300,000+, and the range is real. A typical Florida stick-built ADU runs through three cost stacks: hard construction, soft costs (permits, design, engineering), and site work. The cheap end is a garage conversion. The expensive end is a custom-architect, two-story detached cottage.
| Item | Typical Florida range |
|---|---|
| Construction (shell + interior) | $60,000 – $220,000 |
| Architecture & engineering | $8,000 – $25,000 |
| Appliances | $3,000 – $10,000 |
| Permits (city/county) | $1,500 – $6,500 |
| Site prep & foundation | $8,000 – $25,000 |
| Utility connections | $3,000 – $15,000 |
| All-in total | $83,500 – $301,500 |
The Sidesuite line
| The home: finished, appliances included | $99,999 |
| Installation: billed separately, quoted for your lot | ~$30,000 est. |
| Your total | $99,999 + installation |
That is before lot-specific costs (permits, site prep, utility tie-ins), covered below.
The $99,999 covers the finished home.
- Size. 401 sq ft with 1 bedroom and 1 bath. Also built as a 352 sq ft (11′ × 32′) model for cities that cap backyard homes at 400 sq ft or less.
- Kitchen. A full kitchen, appliances included.
- Design. Mid-century modern, with '70s interiors and minimal drywall.
- Accessibility. Can be made ADA compliant.
- Timeline. 15 weeks from order to installed.
What's billed separately
Installation. It varies by location, so it's quoted for your lot. The estimate is around $30,000.
What lot work costs on a typical Florida ADU
These are the lot-specific costs on any ADU build in Florida. Budget for these on top of the home and installation until your site-plan quote says otherwise:
- Permit fees, paid to your city/county. Typically $1,500–$6,500 in Florida.
- Site preparation: clearing, leveling, foundation pad. $8,000–$25,000 depending on lot.
- Utility connections: water, sewer/septic tie-in, electrical service. $3,000–$15,000 depending on distance from existing connections.
Realistically, a Sidesuite on a normal Florida lot is $99,999 for the home plus installation (estimated around $30,000, quoted for your lot), before the lot costs above. Check My Lot is the free, instant first step.
Some impact fees can be waived.
Florida lets counties and cities waive impact fees for affordable housing, but it doesn't require them to. Where a waiver or exemption exists, it isn't automatic: the unit has to be approved as affordable housing, and you sign a covenant that keeps the rent within the local limits for years. Most of these programs were written for housing developers, so ask early whether a single backyard home can use them.
- Florida Statute 163.31801(11) lets a county, city or special district waive impact fees for affordable housing; each one decides for itself. Water and sewer connection fees fall outside that law (163.31801(12)), so don't count on the utility-connection line above coming down.
- Florida Statute 163.31771, the ADU statute, counts each ADU a city or county allows under it toward the affordable-housing part of its comprehensive plan. More on what it requires.
- Miami-Dade County. Ask the County's Impact Fee Section (786-315-2670) whether your unit can be exempt. The affordable-housing exemption takes a 15-year affordability covenant with the County, and the code leaves out units priced over $75,000 unless a government assistance program approves more, so ask whether a Sidesuite qualifies. It doesn't cover the school impact fee. Cities can charge their own impact fees: the City of Miami defers its fees for certified affordable units rather than waiving them. Miami-Dade's impact-fee exemptions.
- Broward County. Start with an Affordable Housing Certification Letter from the County's Housing and Urban Planning Division (954-357-4900). A rental needs a recorded covenant of at least 20 years, signed by you and any mortgage lender. The County's own road and park impact fees have been suspended since October 1, 2024, so the waiver that still matters is the one for the school impact fee, which the School Board approves. Broward's affordable-housing fee waivers (PDF).
- Other counties, including Hillsborough, Palm Beach and Orange, set their own rules. Check with your county's impact-fee or housing office.
Common ADU cost questions.
What does the $99,999 cover?
The finished home: 401 sq ft with 1 bedroom, 1 bath and a full kitchen, appliances included. Installation is billed separately: it varies by location, is estimated around $30,000 and is quoted for your lot.
What's the cheapest ADU you can build in Florida?
A garage conversion can come in under $50,000 if the garage is already insulated and on a slab. But you're trading a garage for a small unit, and the resale and rental economics rarely beat a detached, purpose-built ADU like Sidesuite.
Are permits really that variable?
They are. Florida permit fees are calculated as a percentage of valuation plus flat impact fees, so the same ADU can carry a different permit total in Miami-Dade than in Hillsborough or Orange County. See Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville for city-specific numbers.
How does the price compare to traditional builders?
A comparable 350–450 sq ft Florida stick-built ADU from a local general contractor is priced line by line, as in the table above, so it depends on finish level, metro and lot. Sidesuite is $99,999 for the finished home plus installation, estimated around $30,000 and quoted for your lot, before lot-specific costs (permits, site prep, utility tie-ins).
One price for the home. Installation quoted for your lot.
Check My Lot is free and instant. We check zoning, the lot and the city's rules. Reserving is $999, fully refundable, and charged only after your address passes.