What to Ask an ADU Contractor in Fort Myers Before You Sign Anything
Finding an ADU contractor in Fort Myers who will actually answer your calls a year after the final inspection is the real test. Most homeowners don’t know to ask the question that matters: “If I have a problem 18 months from now, who sends the crew?” At Groundwork Construction Co., the answer is us - the same Lee County-licensed contractor who signed your contract, backed by a 730-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Call (844) 638-7249 and you’ll get a live person, not a voicemail that disappears into a black hole.
Fort Myers has a problem other Florida markets don’t share. After Hurricane Ian, Lee County ran joint enforcement sweeps with the DBPR because unlicensed out-of-state crews flooded the area, took deposits, and vanished. Homeowners here got burned in ways that make a handshake agreement feel worthless. Derek Hollenbeck grew up in the Iona area and has watched this city rebuild through every cycle. The contractors who survive here are the ones who attach their name - and their license - to every project they sell. That’s not marketing. That’s just what accountability looks like.
Before we even talk floor plans, we walk your site in Fort Myers and answer the questions most ADU contractors skip: what flood zone you’re in, whether FEMA’s post-Ian advisory maps bumped your Base Flood Elevation up 2 to 4 feet, and what your setback requirements actually allow under Lee County’s current zoning. The Home Additions & ADU in Fort Myers market has changed, and building on a lot that sits in an AE flood zone without checking the elevation certificate first is a six-figure mistake waiting to happen.
The Real Cost of an ADU in Fort Myers: $90,000 to $220,000
For a full-scope attached or detached ADU built to Florida Building Code wind standards in Fort Myers, expect to invest between $90,000 and $220,000 for ADU Cost in Fort Myers, FL. The spread depends on square footage, foundation work, and whether your property sits in a flood zone that requires elevated finished floor framing. A 600-square-foot garage conversion on high-and-dry land east of I-75 lands on the lower end. A 900-square-foot detached unit with a kitchen, bath, and impact-rated windows closer to the Caloosahatchee pushes toward the top.
Here’s what shapes the number:
- Site prep and foundation: Post-Ian FEMA remapping raised BFEs on thousands of Fort Myers parcels. If your lot now requires 3 feet of fill or stem-wall elevation, that adds $15,000 to $30,000 before the first wall goes up.
- Permits and impact fees: Lee County plan review, building permit, and school/road impact fees run $6,000 to $12,000 depending on square footage. We include a printed permit cost estimate before you commit.
- Material grade: We spec from a curated brand portfolio - Kohler and Moen for fixtures, Delta for faucets, and the same cabinetry lines we use in our Home Additions & ADU projects. No supply-house leftovers.
- Wind mitigation: Fort Myers sits in a Wind-Borne Debris Region requiring 160+ mph design wind speeds. Impact windows, hurricane straps, and proper tie-downs are code here, not upgrades. We price them into the bid upfront.
Add a full kitchen or second bath and you’re past $150,000. That’s not an inflated number - it’s the reality of building to code in a post-Ian market where material costs and flood-zone engineering dictate the budget. We offer 0% financing for 18 months and $1,000 off projects over $10,000, so you don’t have to drain savings before the first inspection is signed off.
The Accountability Gap Most Fort Myers ADU Buyers Miss
National ADU companies that send a sales rep with a tablet and a render have no Lee County license on the line. An out-of-state crew that drives down for six months, builds four units, and disappears doesn’t worry about a Certificate of Occupancy that fails a year later. The enforcement sweeps Lee County ran after Ian proved the problem: unlicensed contractors took deposits and left homeowners holding non-compliant framing and no recourse.
Our license is attached to every project in Fort Myers. That’s why the 730-Day Done Right Promise is written into the contract, not mentioned by a salesperson hoping you’ll forget. If something isn’t right two years after we finish, we’re still the ones showing up. It’s one of the longest workmanship guarantees in residential construction, and it exists because the alternative is a homeowner standing alone in front of a code enforcement officer.
Derek Hollenbeck learned the trade at Lorenzo Walker Technical College in Naples and spent two decades running crews across Lee County before starting Groundwork. He’s built a reputation here on a simple premise: show up on time, be straight about costs, and leave the job site cleaner than you found it. “We don’t just break ground - we build something worth standing on.” That’s not a slogan. It’s what happens when a contractor stakes his name on the work.
If you call (844) 638-7249 at 2 a.m. because you have a question about your project, a live person answers. That’s not an answering service. It’s our commitment to the kind of responsiveness Fort Myers homeowners stopped expecting from construction companies. Background-checked, uniformed technicians arrive at every job - not a crew in an unmarked van you’ve never seen before.
How We Take an ADU From Lot Check to Final Walkthrough
The ADU Design & Permitting process starts before the permit hits the county. Here’s what happens when you call us about building an ADU on your Fort Myers property:
1. Site feasibility review. We pull your flood zone map, check Lee County setback requirements, verify lot coverage limits, and look at access for equipment and materials. If your property sits in an AE zone with a BFE that post-Ian advisory maps just raised by three feet, you’ll know before we draw a single line.
2. Upfront ADU Permit Cost in Fort Myers, FL estimate. No vague line item that says “permits - TBD.” We give you a written estimate of what Lee County plan review, building permit, and impact fees will cost based on your project’s square footage and scope.
3. Material selection from brand-name partners. You choose finishes from Kohler, Moen, Blanco, and Delta - not whatever the local supply house had on the shelf that week. The same brands we use in our home remodels apply to your ADU.
4. Fixed price before permit submission. The number you see is the number you pay. No-hassle upfront pricing means the bid doesn’t change unless you change the scope. That’s paired with financing that makes a $150,000 ADU build manageable without liquidating your savings.
FAQs
A detached ADU in Fort Myers costs $90,000 to $220,000 depending on square footage, foundation requirements, and material grade. Flood zone elevation, impact-rated windows, and Lee County impact fees are the largest variables. A garage conversion starts around $30,000. Call (844) 638-7249 for a free estimate that accounts for your specific lot conditions.
Yes, Lee County requires a building permit, plan review, and compliance with Florida Building Code wind standards for any ADU, whether attached, detached, or a garage conversion. Unpermitted work can stall a home sale and trigger code enforcement. We handle the full permit package and include the cost estimate upfront.
A standard detached ADU takes 4 to 8 months from permit submission to final inspection, depending on Lee County’s plan review queue and weather windows. Post-Ian permit volume has stretched timelines across the county, but we sequence the site prep and foundation work so you’re not waiting on a permit for weeks with an empty lot.
Converting an existing detached garage or pool house is usually $30,000 to $80,000, which is less than a new detached ADU. But if the existing slab isn’t elevated to meet current FEMA BFE requirements in a flood zone, the engineering retrofits can close the gap quickly. We’ll tell you honestly which route costs less after a site review.
Yes, and bundling an ADU with a main house remodel often saves on permitting, site mobilization, and material ordering. Since we’re a full-scope contractor - kitchens, baths, roofing, windows, driveways, and additions - you’re not coordinating two crews with two schedules. Call (844) 638-7249 and we’ll scope both projects in one site visit.
Start Your ADU Project With a Contractor Who Answers the Phone
If you’re searching for ADU contractors near you in Fort Myers, you’ve already seen the options. National builders with no local license. Crews that appeared after the storm and may not be here next year. The question isn’t who can build an ADU - it’s who will still answer your calls when something needs attention. Call (844) 638-7249 today for a free estimate. A live person picks up, any hour, and Derek’s team will walk your property and give you a fixed price that accounts for every inch of Fort Myers reality.
Written by Derek Hollenbeck, Owner & General Contractor, Groundwork Construction Co. of Fort Myers, serving Fort Myers, FL.
What Our Customers Say
"He told me one part of what I wanted was a bad idea structurally and offered an alternative instead of just taking the money."
- Angela Wong"Change orders were written down and priced before the work happened, every single time. No surprise at the end."
- Keisha Robinson"The schedule he gave me at the start was accurate to within four days on a three month job. Anyone who has done a renovation knows how unusual that is."
- Laura Bennett