From garage conversion to fully detached accessory dwelling unit. Design, Miami-Dade NOA product approvals, permits, construction, and certificate of occupancy — all under one licensed GC contract, built to the state's toughest wind code.
Representative example finishes for illustration — not a specific completed project.
Our ADU & Garage Conversion Work
How it works
ADUs involve zoning review, NOA-compliant drawings, structural engineering, multiple permit departments, and a final CO inspection. We manage the entire process under one contract — you don't project-manage it.
We review your lot, zoning jurisdiction (unincorporated county vs. one of Miami-Dade's 34+ cities), setbacks, utility connections, and flood elevation before you spend a dollar on drawings.
Architectural drawings, HVHZ structural engineering, and Miami-Dade NOA product selection for every window, door, and roofing component. Permit fees included in written scope.
Foundation, framing, roofing, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, flooring, kitchen or kitchenette, bathroom — all trades coordinated under our GC license.
Final inspections across all trades, CO issued by the correct jurisdiction. You receive a completed, legal dwelling unit with a certificate of occupancy — ready to rent or move family in.
What we build in Miami-Dade
Garage conversions are the fastest and most cost-effective ADU option in Miami-Dade. Detached ADUs on larger lots in Kendall, Homestead, and unincorporated areas offer more flexibility and rental income potential. We build both to HVHZ standard.
Convert your existing attached or detached garage into a legal, permitted living space. We handle the floor leveling, insulation upgrade, mini-split HVAC, electrical panel sub-feed, plumbing rough-in for a kitchenette and bathroom, and CO application. Most efficient ADU path in Miami-Dade.
A standalone dwelling unit built on your lot — separate from the main house. New foundation, HVHZ-rated structural system, its own utility connections, kitchen, bathroom, and CO. Best option for maximizing rental income or creating a fully independent living space for family.
Already have a builder but need help getting through Miami-Dade's RER permitting process or a city building department? We provide architectural drawings, HVHZ engineering, NOA product documentation, permit submission, and project management through CO — without doing the construction ourselves.
Honest pricing
ADU costs in Miami-Dade run higher than most of Florida because every exterior product must carry a Miami-Dade NOA or HVHZ-rated Florida Product Approval, and land/labor costs in the county are among the state's highest. These ranges include design, permits, and CO — not just construction. We quote the total project cost in writing before you commit.
Convert an attached or detached garage into a legal ADU. Fastest path to a CO'd unit in Miami-Dade — existing structure, existing roof, existing footprint.
New detached ADU, 400–800 sq ft. New foundation, HVHZ-rated CBS construction, full mechanical systems, kitchenette or full kitchen, bathroom, and independent utility connections, NOA-approved windows and roofing.
800–1,200+ sq ft detached ADU with full kitchen, 1–2 bedrooms, 1–2 bathrooms, laundry hookup, and high-spec finishes. Designed for long-term rental income or a permanent family suite.
Miami-Dade County · What property owners need to know
ADU projects in Miami-Dade touch the state's strictest wind code, a patchwork of 34+ incorporated cities, and coastal flood review. A handyman or unlicensed contractor cannot legally manage this.
Miami-Dade sits in Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone with a 175 mph design wind speed — the highest in the state, higher even than Broward's 170 mph. Every window, door, garage door, and roofing product must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) from the County's Product Control Section. Using a non-rated product is a code violation that can block your CO at final inspection.
Miami-Dade County has 34 incorporated municipalities — Miami, Hialeah, Homestead, Miami Gardens, Coral Gables, Doral, and more — each running its own building department and zoning code, separate from unincorporated county areas reviewed by RER. The same ADU plan can face different setback and size rules depending purely on which side of a city line your lot sits. We confirm the correct reviewing authority before we ever submit.
Properties near canals, wetlands, or coastal flood zones often require review by Miami-Dade's Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) in addition to standard building permits — covering septic/well setbacks, flood elevation (base flood elevation plus freeboard), and king-tide resilience requirements that are more aggressive in Miami-Dade than inland counties. We identify DERM-triggering conditions during the feasibility step, not after drawings are paid for.
Detached ADUs require electrical service (new sub-panel or meter), water connection, and sewer tap. Florida HB 1339 now caps ADU impact fees at the single-family rate, but Miami-Dade's school impact fee and utility connection costs still apply on top of that — we include a full fee assessment in the written scope, not a rough estimate.
The certificate of occupancy is what makes an ADU legal to rent or occupy. Unpermitted "in-law suites" have no legal standing and create serious liability when you sell or insure the property — and are a frequent code enforcement target in dense Miami-Dade neighborhoods. Every ADU we build targets a CO at close-out.
We provide HVHZ-compliant architectural drawings, manage the permit across whichever of the 34+ jurisdictions applies, coordinate all trades, and deliver the CO. You have one contract and one point of contact — not a separate architect, engineer, plumber, electrician, and framer you hired off Craigslist.
We bring the same feasibility-first ADU process we built across South Florida to Miami-Dade. Here is what shapes every project here.
The most common reason an ADU project stalls in Miami-Dade is discovering mid-design that a property's exterior products need Miami-Dade NOA approval rather than a standard statewide Florida Product Approval — or that a lot sits in unincorporated county versus one of 34 incorporated cities with its own, different rule set. We spend the first 1–2 weeks on feasibility — jurisdiction, zoning designation, lot coverage, flood zone, DERM triggers, and utility capacity — before anyone draws a line.
Impact fees and NOA-rated products are the other surprises that low estimates omit. Florida's HB 1339 now caps impact fees at the single-family rate, but HVHZ-rated windows, doors, and roofing systems cost meaningfully more than standard wind-borne-debris-region products used in most of the rest of the state. We identify every fee and every product requirement in writing before you sign — whether the project is in unincorporated Miami-Dade, the City of Miami, or any of the county's other 33 cities.
From Kendall to Homestead — Miami-Dade County is our largest South Florida market, backed by 10+ years of licensed GC experience in Florida.
Verified reviews from ADU and garage conversion projects across Miami-Dade County.
"We didn't know our windows needed Miami-Dade NOA approval, not just a regular Florida product sticker. D&Co caught that before it became a problem at inspection. CO in hand 8 months after we first called."
"Garage conversion in Hialeah. D&Co handled the drawings, the permit through the city, all the trades, and the CO. My parents moved in within 5 months. Knowing the full cost upfront mattered most."
"I rent the unit out long-term near Cutler Bay. The total project cost was $98,000. Two other contractors couldn't explain the DERM review for my canal-adjacent lot. D&Co walked me through it before we signed anything."
Common questions
The process, the cost, what needs an NOA, and what makes an ADU legal to rent in Miami-Dade.
ADU cost in Miami-Dade County ranges from $45,000 for a basic garage conversion to $200,000+ for a custom detached unit with HVHZ-rated construction and premium finishes. Our pricing includes design, NOA-compliant product selection, permits, construction, and CO — not just construction labor. The most common detached ADU project (400–800 sq ft) runs $75,000–$130,000 all-in.
Yes. Miami-Dade County (along with Broward) sits in Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, with a 175 mph design wind speed — the highest in the state. Every window, door, roofing product, and exterior component used on an ADU must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) from the County's Product Control Section, or a statewide Florida Product Approval explicitly rated for HVHZ use. This is stricter than ordinary wind-borne debris region rules used in most of the rest of Florida, and it changes which products a builder can legally use.
Only if it has a certificate of occupancy as a dwelling unit. An unpermitted conversion — even a beautifully finished one — cannot be legally rented and is a common code enforcement target in Miami-Dade. It also creates liability when you sell (must be disclosed) and may void your homeowner's insurance. We build every ADU through to CO so the unit is legal, insurable, and rentable from day one.
Design and drawings typically take 4–8 weeks. Permit review runs 4–14 weeks depending on whether the property sits in unincorporated Miami-Dade (reviewed by county RER) or one of the county's 34+ incorporated cities, each with its own building department. We manage this timeline and confirm the correct reviewing authority before we ever submit.
In unincorporated Miami-Dade, ADUs are generally reviewed under the county's AU, EU, and RU zoning designations, with RU-1 single-family districts requiring a minimum lot size around 7,500 sq ft and a typical ADU size range of roughly 400–800 sq ft. Incorporated cities such as the City of Miami, Hialeah, Homestead, and Miami Gardens each run separate zoning codes with their own size, setback, and lot-coverage rules. We confirm your specific jurisdiction and zoning designation before quoting — not after you've paid for drawings.
ADU projects in Miami-Dade typically include: impact fees (now capped at the single-family rate under Florida HB 1339, generally $5,000–$15,000 depending on jurisdiction), school impact fees (roughly $3,000–$5,000), utility connection fees ($4,000–$15,000), permit fees ($1,500–$4,000), and architectural drawings and HVHZ-rated engineering ($7,000–$20,000). All of these are included in our written total project cost — no surprises at permit issuance.
Yes. D&Co holds Florida Certified General Contractor license CGC1531095, which authorizes all phases of residential and commercial construction including HVHZ-rated ADU design-build projects. Dariceli Kunhardt has 10+ years in construction, development, and project management. All work is fully permitted and inspected under our GC license. Verify at the Florida DBPR website.
Ready to explore?
Tell us your lot, your goals, and your timeline. We'll review zoning, NOA requirements, and give you an honest picture of what's buildable before you commit to anything.
Prefer email? office@dandcohomes.com
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