From garage conversion to fully detached accessory dwelling unit. Design, permits, construction, and certificate of occupancy — all under one licensed GC contract. Built for Lee County code.
Representative example finishes for illustration — not a specific completed project.
Our ADU & Garage Conversion Work
How it works
ADUs involve zoning review, architectural drawings, 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, setbacks, utility connections, and HOA restrictions before you spend a dollar on drawings. We tell you what's buildable before anyone gets excited about floor plans.
Architectural drawings, structural engineering, and permit submission. We manage the back-and-forth with the Building Division, Zoning, and any required HOA approvals. 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 county. You receive a completed, legal dwelling unit with a certificate of occupancy — ready to rent or move family in.
What we build in Lee County
Garage conversions are the fastest and most cost-effective ADU option in Lee County. Detached ADUs on large lots offer more flexibility and rental income potential. We build both.
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 Lee County.
A standalone dwelling unit built on your lot — separate from the main house. New foundation, full mechanical systems, 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 the Lee County permit process? We provide architectural drawings, engineering, HOA approval coordination, permit submission, and project management through CO — without doing the construction ourselves.
Honest pricing
ADU costs are driven by structural complexity, existing condition of the space being converted, utility connection distance, and finish level. 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 Lee County — existing structure, existing roof, existing footprint.
New detached ADU, 400–750 sq ft. New foundation, CBS or frame construction, full mechanical systems, kitchenette or full kitchen, bathroom, and independent utility connections.
750–1,200+ 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.
Lee County · What property owners need to know
Lee County's accessory dwelling rule caps unit size as a percentage of your home, not a flat number — and Cape Coral's sewer conversion program makes the utility question bigger here than almost anywhere else in Florida.
Unincorporated Lee County's Land Development Code Sec. 34-1177 allows one accessory apartment or ADU per single-family residence, with living area capped at 60% of the principal home's square footage and one extra off-street parking space required on-site. Full ADUs (as opposed to accessory apartments) are also subject to Lee Plan density limits and impact fees. We run this math against your actual house before quoting a design.
Cape Coral is mid-way through one of the largest utility-extension programs in the state, converting thousands of septic lots to municipal sewer in phases. Whether your lot already has a sewer stub or is still on septic changes your ADU's utility scope and cost substantially — and the city's assessment schedule for unconnected lots is a cost most quotes miss entirely. We check your parcel's utility-extension status before writing your scope.
Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, and Estero each run independent building departments and zoning codes, separate from unincorporated Lee County review — and gated communities in Estero, Bonita Springs, and Cape Coral's canal-front neighborhoods commonly layer HOA restrictions on top of city code. We confirm jurisdiction and pull your HOA's CC&Rs before any design work starts.
Lee County's southwest Gulf Coast location puts ultimate design wind speeds in the 160–180 mph range depending on exposure and proximity to the coast — among the highest outside the official HVHZ counties. Impact-rated or shuttered openings are required by code on every ADU we build here. We spec the correct product rating for your address, not a one-size-fits-all number.
An unpermitted unit can't be legally rented, has no standing at resale, and can void your homeowner's insurance — and Lee County Code Enforcement actively cites unpermitted accessory structures. Every ADU we build targets a CO at close-out, and the project isn't done until it's in your hands.
LDC compliance, utility-status research, permit submittal, trade coordination, and the CO — all under one contract with one point of contact, instead of a separate architect, engineer, plumber, electrician, and framer you sourced yourself, now available across Lee County.
We bring the same feasibility-first ADU process we built in South Florida to Lee County. Here is what shapes every project in this county.
LDC Sec. 34-1177's 60%-of-home size cap is the first filter in unincorporated Lee County — a project that pencils out as an 800 sq ft unit on paper might only be legal at 500–600 sq ft once we run it against your actual house. We do that math in the feasibility step, before any design work starts.
Utility status is the other variable that swings cost. Cape Coral's phased septic-to-sewer conversion means your lot's connection cost depends entirely on whether sewer has reached your street yet — a detail generic online estimates can't account for. We check your parcel's utility-extension status and put the real number in writing, whether you're in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, or Estero.
From Fort Myers to Bonita Springs — Lee County is our Southwest Florida market, backed by 10+ years of licensed GC experience in Florida.
Verified reviews from ADU and garage conversion projects across Southwest Florida.
"Dariceli told us upfront that our HOA would need to approve before any drawings were started. We got approval first, then permitted, then built. CO in hand 7 months after we first called. The process was exactly what she described."
"Garage conversion in Cape Coral. D&Co handled the drawings, the permit, all the trades, and the CO. My mother moved in within 4 months. The biggest thing was knowing the full cost upfront — no surprises on impact fees or utility hookups."
"I rent the unit out to seasonal tenants near Fort Myers Beach. The total project cost was $81,000. I had two other contractors tell me they 'couldn't guarantee a CO.' D&Co was the only one who built it into the contract. That mattered more than the price."
Common questions
The process, the cost, what needs a permit, and what makes an ADU legal to rent in Lee County.
ADU cost in Lee County ranges from $40,000 for a basic garage conversion to $180,000+ for a custom detached unit with 2 bedrooms and premium finishes. Our pricing includes design, permits, construction, and CO — not just construction labor. The most common detached ADU project (400–650 sq ft) runs $65,000–$110,000 all-in.
Only if it has a certificate of occupancy as a dwelling unit. An unpermitted conversion — even a beautifully finished one — cannot be legally rented. 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 by Lee County Department of Community Development or the relevant city takes 4–12 weeks depending on scope complexity and jurisdiction. Some municipalities like Cape Coral have separate planning review for canal-lot properties before building permit submission. We manage this timeline and track the permit status — you're not waiting on hold with the county.
Depends on your CC&Rs or condo docs. Many HOAs and communities in Lee County restrict or prohibit ADU construction — either by requiring architectural committee approval, specifying exterior material requirements, or prohibiting external dwelling units entirely. We review your governing documents as part of the feasibility step before any money goes to drawings. Building without approval creates a covenant violation with real legal exposure.
Setback and size limits vary by jurisdiction and zoning designation. Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Estero, and unincorporated Lee County each have different rules on lot size, setbacks, and maximum ADU square footage relative to the main dwelling. We review your specific parcel rules before quoting — not after you've paid for drawings.
ADU projects in Lee County typically include: impact fees ($5,000–$18,000 for new construction), sewer tap or septic fees ($3,000–$12,000), permit fees ($1,500–$6,000), and architectural drawings and engineering ($6,000–$18,000). All of these are included in our written total project cost — no surprises at permit issuance. Contractors who quote "just construction" without addressing these fees are giving you an incomplete picture.
Yes. D&Co holds Florida Certified General Contractor license CGC1531095, which authorizes all phases of residential and commercial construction including 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 and give you an honest picture of what's buildable before you commit to anything.
Prefer email? office@dandcohomes.com
More from D&Co — Lee County