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. 407 sq ft (11′ × 37′) with 1 bedroom and 1 bath. Also built as a 352 sq ft (11′ × 32′) model for cities that cap backyard homes under 400 sq ft.
- Kitchen. A full kitchen, appliances included.
- Design. Mid-century modern, with '70s interiors and minimal drywall.
- Colors. Four colorways: orange, blue, red and butter yellow.
- 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 fees can be reduced or waived.
Florida is actively pushing housing supply, and many of the state's local incentive programs reduce or waive impact fees — which typically include water and sewer connection fees — when an ADU is rented to an affordable or workforce-housing tenant. The mechanics vary by jurisdiction, but the cost stack on your build can drop by several thousand dollars.
- Florida Statute 166.04151 lets cities offer incentives such as reduced impact and water/sewer fees in exchange for affordable units.
- Florida Statute 163.31771 — the ADU enabling statute — explicitly allows cities to count rental ADUs toward affordable-housing obligations when rents are capped at a percentage of area median income (AMI).
- Local programs — Miami-Dade impact fee waivers, Hillsborough County's Affordable Housing Incentives Program (AHIP), Palm Beach County's Workforce Housing Program, and Orange County's affordable-housing impact fee deferral all reduce or waive connection fees for qualifying rentals.
Common ADU cost questions.
What does the $99,999 cover?
The finished home: 407 sq ft (11′ × 37′) 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.