Fast, Reliable Garage Conversion ADU Across Hurst
A garage conversion ADU in Hurst typically runs $145,000-$215,000 all-in, drawings through final inspection, with slab replacement and electrical upgrades being the two line items that move the number. Most of the ranch homes here were built between the late 1950s and early 1980s, which means the garage slab and the 100-amp panel are almost always the first things we examine. If you’re weighing a garage conversion on your lot in Hurst, call (971) 497-2402 and we’ll walk the property, check the slab, and put a written price in front of you before any work starts.
Why Ellery ADU Studio Is Hurst’s Preferred Garage Conversion ADU Company
We’re a design-build studio, not a broker between an architect and a builder. The drawings, the permit set, and the construction are one contract at one written price, which removes the pointing match that derails most ADU projects. In Hurst specifically, that matters because the city’s Unified Development Code is strict about what triggers review. Nadia Ellery founded the studio in 2015, and the team has designed, permitted, and built 900+ ADUs since, each with a documented photo record at every visit and a written price before work began.
Hurst customers see the same thing on every project: a permit set that names the specific slab condition, panel rating, and utility separation, then a written scope that locks those numbers under Haven Standard Clause 1. We’ve worked in Shady Oaks, along Pipeline Road, and through the neighborhoods off Precinct Line Road long enough to know which 1970s ranch layouts hide what behind the drywall. That local familiarity shows up in the quote before it shows up in the change order.
Our Garage Conversion ADU Services in Hurst
Every Garage Conversion ADU we build in Hurst starts with the same question: what’s under the slab and behind the panel? The answer usually determines which path makes sense.
Attached Garage Conversion
Most homes in Hurst were built with the attached garage sharing a wall and roofline with the main house, which makes this the fastest and least expensive conversion path. We open the shared wall only after the permit set is approved, and we tell you upfront whether the existing slab will pass or needs replacement.
Detached Garage Conversion
Fewer Hurst lots have detached garages, but when they exist, they sit at the rear of the lot against the setback line. Hurst’s rear setback rule frequently leaves zero room to expand the footprint, so we convert within the existing structure and separate utilities to the new unit. Any new water or power line to a detached garage gets buried deep enough for Tarrant County freezes.
Carport Conversion
A carport conversion in Hurst is less common because the original slab almost never has a vapor barrier and was often poured thinner than garage slabs. Plan on a slab replacement line item. The upside is that most carports sit on the side of the house, which can make the plumbing run to a new bathroom shorter and more affordable.
Garage Partition & Bathroom Add
This is the workhorse service in Hurst. A homeowner keeps half the garage for parking and tools, and we build a wall, add a bathroom, insulate, and finish the converted half as a JADU or studio. The partition wall is load-bearing in some 1970s layouts, and we check that before we draw, not after demo. We also handle Garage JADU conversions under the same single contract.
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
When a Hurst client wants a prefab or modular system, we specify and coordinate it within the same written contract. We’ve worked with Abodu, Cover, and Mighty Buildings on projects across Tarrant County, including in Hurst, and we order the units once the permit set is locked. The pricing on those units goes in the written quote the same way framing lumber does. No side negotiation, no builder blame gap.
Common Garage Conversion ADU Problems We See in Hurst Homes
- 3.5-inch slabs without vapor barriers. Hurst’s Unified Development Code rejects these for habitable use, and the fix is a full tear-out and repour. We find this on most homes built before 1990, and we write the slab replacement into the initial quote whenever the permit set is for a conversion.
- Maxed 100-amp electrical panels. The original panel on a 1970s Hurst ranch is usually already at capacity. Hurst inspection will stop work until a 200-amp service upgrade is permitted, so we price that upgrade from day one, not after the walls come down.
- Blackland Prairie clay movement. Tarrant County’s expansive clay shifts with moisture, and cracked slabs are common. We check the slab elevation and cracking pattern during the first visit and specify engineered or post-tension replacement where the soil report warrants it.
- Shallow water lines to converted garages. February 2021 taught every Hurst homeowner what a hard freeze does to an uninsulated line. Any water service to a detached or attached conversion gets buried and insulated to code depth, and we show you that line item in the written scope before signing.
Pricing for Garage Conversion ADU in Hurst, TX
A straightforward attached garage conversion in Hurst with a bathroom add typically runs $145,000-$185,000. A detached garage conversion on a rear lot with utility trenching and slab replacement runs $180,000-$215,000. A garage partition and bathroom add runs $95,000-$135,000. Carport conversions with a full slab repour and new utility runs land around $125,000-$165,000. The two line items that move a Hurst quote most are the slab and the electrical panel, and both are knowable before we quote. We write every Hurst project with a fixed price and no change orders unless you approve one in writing, per Haven Standard Clause 5.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hurst
Beyond Garage Conversion ADU in Hurst, our crews take projects in North Richland Hills, Bedford, Colleyville, and Haltom City. The slab and panel issues change block by block, and we quote each city’s code separately. If you’re just outside Hurst, call (971) 497-2402 and we’ll tell you which permit set applies to your address.
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 - Garage Conversion ADU in Hurst
Hurst’s Unified Development Code holds garage slabs to the same standard as habitable floor space, which means a 3.5-inch slab poured without a vapor barrier does not pass. Most Hurst garages built from the late 1950s through the 1980s sit on exactly that slab. Neighboring cities with newer housing stock inherited fewer of these, but in Hurst the slab replacement is often the first line item we write. Call (971) 497-2402 for a soil and slab evaluation, and we’ll put the number in writing before demo starts.
If your home still runs on an original 100-amp panel, yes, almost certainly. A garage conversion with a bathroom, kitchenette, and HVAC loads pushes past the panel’s rated capacity, and Hurst inspection enforces it. We saw this on a 1970s ranch in Shady Oaks where the panel was already maxed before we added a single circuit. We price a 200-amp upgrade in the original written quote so the permit inspection never stops your job. Call (971) 497-2402 for a line-item price on your specific home.
Hurst’s rear setback requirement leaves many older lots with too little clearance to expand a detached garage outward, which means the conversion has to happen within the existing footprint. That constrains the bathroom and kitchen layout, but it also keeps the project inside the original walls and avoids a variance hearing. We design to the setback as it exists on your lot, and the permit set shows the city exactly how the conversion stays compliant. For a free footprint review, call (971) 497-2402.
We write the allowance for it before we open the wall. On a Hurst conversion, the two most common finds are aluminum branch wiring from the 1960s and 1970s and rotted bottom plates from decades of slab moisture. When we find either, we write a change order with a fixed price and get your written approval before any demolition continues. That’s Haven Standard Clause 5, and it’s why our Hurst jobs don’t spiral. To see what allowances your house needs, call (971) 497-2402.
Yes, and in Hurst this is often the smartest move because it preserves parking while adding a rentable or family unit. We build a code-compliant partition wall, separate the HVAC, and run the bathroom plumbing along the shared wall to keep costs down. The slab under the converted half still has to meet the habitable standard, so expect a partial slab replacement if the original is 3.5 inches. Call (971) 497-2402 and we’ll measure the space, price the partition, and give you a written scope.
What Opening Up an Older Hurst Home Actually Turns Up
In Hurst, most garage conversions are built on existing slabs poured at 3.5 inches without a vapor barrier, a condition that triggers full slab replacement under the city’s Unified Development Code before the space can be approved for habitation. That’s the opposite of what homeowners expect when they hear “conversion,” and it’s the single biggest reason a Hurst remodel quote moves after the walls come down. The second one: the original 100-amp panel. Hurst inspection will not sign off on an ADU fed by a panel that’s already at capacity, so a 200-amp service upgrade becomes a hard line item. The third one is Blackland Prairie clay. It moves, it cracks slabs, and it punishes anyone who tries to skip the soil report. We handle all three the same way: inspection first, allowances written into the contract, and any surprise priced and approved in writing before we touch it.
On a 1970s ranch in the Shady Oaks area of Hurst, our crew opened the attached garage wall to add a bathroom and found the original 100-amp panel already maxed and the slab cracking from Blackland Prairie clay movement. We wrote a change order for a 200-amp service upgrade and post-tension slab replacement, each priced and signed off before any demolition continued. That’s how we run every Hurst job. The owner never stands in a torn-up garage looking at a number they didn’t approve.
This Hurst page is meant to give you the budgeting knowledge you won’t get on a generic ADU page: how to plan for 3.5-inch slab teardowns, 100-amp panel swaps, and Blackland Prairie soil corrections before your quote moves. Dispatch and scheduling for Hurst are coordinated from the studio’s Dallas-Fort Worth office, and crews work locally in Hurst throughout the Mid-Cities.
Contact Ellery ADU Studio in Hurst
Every Hurst project starts with a written price, per Haven Standard Clause 1, and a free second opinion on any written estimate you already have in hand. We don’t bid verbally and we don’t ask you to trust a handshake. Call (971) 497-2402 to schedule a site walk, get the slab and panel checked, and receive a written quote with the numbers locked in writing.
Written by Nadia Ellery, Owner at Ellery ADU Studio, serving Hurst since 2015.