Fast, Reliable New Detached ADU Across Hurst
A new detached ADU in Hurst typically runs $185,000-$265,000 all-in, from soil testing through final inspection, when the lot allows a rear-yard build. But on many Hurst ranch lots, the more honest answer starts with a different number: your rear setback may not leave legal room for a detached footprint at all. That’s where we come in. Ellery ADU Studio has designed, permitted, and built detached ADUs across Hurst since 2015, and we know the Unified Development Code well enough to tell you on the first site visit whether your rear yard can hold a detached unit, or whether your attached garage slab is the practical path. Call (971) 497-2402 to schedule a free site evaluation. We’ll bring a tape measure, a copy of the setback table, and a straight answer.
Why Ellery ADU Studio Is Hurst’s Preferred New Detached ADU Company
Hurst isn’t Colleyville. The lots are tighter, the homes are older, and the city’s Unified Development Code treats a detached ADU as a separate structure with its own setback obligations. We’ve spent enough hours inside Hurst’s permitting office to know which projects sail through and which ones stall at plan review. That local knowledge shows up in our drawings before you pay for them. We scope the site constraints first, then draw the ADU around them.
Our Hurst clients receive a written price before any work starts. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1, and it applies to every detached ADU we quote in Hurst, no exceptions. You also get a documented photo record on every visit, from the initial site walk to the final inspection. If the finished ADU isn’t built to the permitted drawings, our 365-Day Done Right Promise puts the correction in writing before we break ground. Nadia Ellery, who leads the studio, reviews every detached ADU permit set that leaves our office. That’s not a courtesy. It’s how we keep our plan-review rejection rate low.
We answer the phone. A live person picks up 24 hours a day at (971) 497-2402. When a Hurst homeowner calls with a setback question or a slab concern, they talk to someone who can discuss Hurst’s UDC, not a voicemail queue.
Our New Detached ADU Services in Hurst
Custom Built ADU
A custom detached ADU on a Hurst lot means designing around what the UDC allows, not just what you want. We start with a survey and a setback analysis. On a Shady Brook Drive project, our crew scoped a new detached ADU for a homeowner whose ranch lot had only 8 feet of usable rear yard, less than Hurst’s 15-foot rear setback allowed. We pivoted to the attached two-car garage slab, but a test core revealed a 3.5-inch pour with no vapor barrier. The slab had to be demolished and repoured before framing. That’s the difference between a drawing that looks good and a permit set that actually passes. We quote the slab work before you commit, not after the concrete saw comes out.
Prefab ADU Installation
Prefab panels from Abodu, Cover, and Dvele can cut on-site framing time on a Hurst detached ADU, but the site work doesn’t change. Crane access on a tight ranch lot off Precinct Line Road is a real constraint, and the prefab set still has to meet Hurst’s foundation and utility requirements. We coordinate the prefab system within our single design-build contract. That means one written price, one permit set, one crew accountable when the crane shows up and the panel doesn’t line up. We’ve specified all three brands for Hurst projects and we know which ones handle Tarrant County’s wind exposure requirements without requiring panel redesigns.
Modular ADU
A modular ADU arrives in sections and gets set on a Hurst-approved foundation. The schedule sounds simple until you factor in Blackland Prairie clay. Hurst sits on expansive soil that moves between wet and dry seasons. A modular unit’s foundation has to be engineered for that movement, or the marriage line between modules opens up within two years. We include a soil report and a post-tension or engineered slab in every modular ADU quote for Hurst. We don’t bid a modular ADU without one, and we won’t let you sign a contract from a factory rep who ignores the soil question.
Studio ADU
Studio ADUs in the 400-600 square foot range are the most common detached build we design in Hurst, usually as a rear-yard unit where the lot allows it, or as a garage conversion where it doesn’t. A 500-square-foot studio ADU in Hurst typically runs $165,000-$210,000, depending on whether the existing garage slab can be reused or must be replaced, and whether the home’s electrical service needs a panel upgrade. We’ll tell you that number in writing before you pay for drawings.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Hurst
We specify and coordinate prefab and modular systems from Abodu, Cover, and Dvele for Hurst projects, along with James Hardie siding where the UDC’s fire-resistance requirements apply. Our Hurst clients don’t buy these systems piecemeal. One contract covers the prefab package, the site work, the foundation, and the utility hookups. When a Hurst homeowner asks whether a Cover unit or a Dvele unit fits their rear setback, we can answer from actual plan reviews we’ve run through Hurst’s building department, not a brochure.
Common New Detached ADU Problems We See in Hurst Homes
- Rear setbacks that kill the detached footprint. Hurst’s UDC requires a 15-foot rear setback for a detached ADU on most residential lots. On ranch homes built between the late 1950s and early 1980s, the usable rear yard often tops out at 8 to 12 feet. We measure before we draw, because paying for a design that can’t be permitted is a line item nobody wants on their credit card.
- Existing garage slabs that fail habitation inspection. Hurst inspectors check slab thickness and vapor barrier before approving any conversion for habitable use. We routinely find 3.5-inch pours with no vapor barrier in attached garages from the 1960s and 1970s. The fix is full slab replacement, not a skim coat. We’ll test a core during the site evaluation and tell you the answer on the spot.
- 100-amp panels and single-zone HVAC. Original electrical service on most Hurst ranch homes is 100 amps, which is not enough for a detached ADU with a kitchen and its own HVAC. Even a studio ADU with a mini-split can trip the main. We quote panel upgrades and service line replacements in our written price, because Hurst’s final inspection will fail without them.
- Utility lines that freeze at the wrong depth. The February 2021 hard freeze exposed shallow utility laterals across Tarrant County. For any detached ADU serving Hurst, water and sewer lines must be buried to the city’s required depth or insulated. Some contractors bid without this line item and then ask for a change order when the trench is open. We don’t. It’s in the written scope, per Haven Standard Clause 5.
Pricing for New Detached ADU in Hurst, TX
Here’s the straight answer for Hurst’s market. A custom detached ADU on a compliant lot runs $185,000-$265,000 all-in, from drawings through final inspection. A studio ADU runs $165,000-$210,000. A 1-bed or 2-bed detached ADU runs $205,000-$295,000, depending on square footage, foundation type, and whether the home needs a panel upgrade. Prefab and modular units from Abodu, Cover, or Dvele generally land within the same range once Hurst site work, foundation, and utility hookups are included.
What moves the number in Hurst specifically: soil corrections for Blackland Prairie clay, rear setback compliance, garage slab replacement, and electrical panel upgrades. We price all of it in writing before work starts. Bring us any written estimate you already have, and we’ll give you a Free Second Opinion. Call (971) 497-2402 to schedule a free site evaluation and get your written price.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hurst
Our Hurst crew also schedules site evaluations in North Richland Hills, Bedford, Colleyville, and Haltom City. If you’re weighing a detached ADU in one of those cities, the setbacks and soil reports differ enough that a Hurst quote won’t simply transfer. Call (971) 497-2402 and we’ll route you to the right local evaluation. For more on our full process, see our New Detached ADU service overview.
Serving Hurst, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hurst 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 - New Detached ADU in Hurst
In many cases, no, and the reason is the rear setback. Hurst’s Unified Development Code requires a 15-foot rear setback for a detached ADU, and most 1960s-1980s ranch lots in Hurst don’t have 15 feet of usable rear yard behind the main home. If your lot doesn’t clear that setback, the attached garage becomes the viable conversion target. We measure this on the first site visit, before you spend money on drawings. Call (971) 497-2402 to schedule that visit.
You’re looking at a full slab demolition and repour before framing can start. Hurst inspectors will not approve a garage slab for habitable use if it’s 3.5 inches thick with no vapor barrier, which is common on homes built between the late 1950s and early 1980s. Our crew tests a core sample during the site evaluation, so you know the answer before the contract is signed. The slab replacement line item goes in the written price, not a change order.
Because Hurst sits on expansive clay that moves significantly between wet and dry seasons, and a slab that isn’t engineered for that movement will crack within the first two years. A soil report tells us whether you need a post-tension slab, deeper piers, or moisture-conditioned fill. We include soil testing in every detached ADU quote for Hurst and we don’t pour a foundation without the engineer’s letter in hand.
Most likely yes. Original Hurst ranch homes from the 1960s-1980s typically have 100-amp panels, and once you add a kitchen circuit, an HVAC mini-split, and lighting for a studio ADU, you’re over capacity. Some Hurst inspectors will also require a service line replacement if the existing line predates current burial depth requirements. We quote the panel and service work in your written price, so there’s no surprise when the electrician opens the wall.
Tarrant County and the City of Hurst enforce minimum separation distances between a habitable structure and both septic drain fields and private wells. The exact distances depend on your property’s plat and the system’s permit history, which is exactly why a detached ADU on any Hurst property with septic or well service requires a site-specific review before you commit to a footprint. Call (971) 497-2402 and we’ll pull the records and give you the answer in writing.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio, serving Hurst since 2015.