ADU Builder in St. Petersburg, FL
In-house carpenters, open-book Time & Materials pricing, and St. Pete permit experience — for detached ADUs, attached in-law suites, and garage conversions.
ADU construction in St. Petersburg means navigating city zoning districts (NS-1, NT-1 through NT-4, and NSM), lot-size minimums, setback requirements, parking replacement, and the Pinellas County impact-fee schedule — before a shovel hits dirt. Revolution builds detached backyard ADUs, attached in-law suites, and garage conversions across Pinellas County using 20+ W-2 carpenters on payroll, open-book pricing, and a single superintendent running your project from permit to certificate of occupancy.
What We Actually Build on an ADU
Three scopes, all handled by the same in-house crew: detached backyard ADUs on a new slab-on-grade or stem-wall foundation with separate utility service; attached in-law suites tied into the main-house structure, panel, and plumbing; and full garage conversions with insulation, HVAC, a sub-panel, and egress-compliant windows to Florida Building Code.
- Detached ADUs up to the district's maximum ADU size (typically 800–1,000 sqft depending on lot)
- Garage conversions with insulation, HVAC, panel upgrade, and egress-compliant windows
- Attached suites tied to the existing structure and utility service
The St. Petersburg Building Department permit workflow runs through zoning-district verification across NS-1, NT-1, NT-2, NT-3, NT-4, and NSM, plus setback and lot-coverage math, owner-occupancy overlay checks, parking replacement when a garage converts, Pinellas County impact fees, and FEMA Base Flood Elevation compliance when the lot sits in an AE or VE zone. Typical schedules run 6–10 months for a garage conversion and 9–15 months for a detached ADU from permit to certificate of occupancy.
For the full cost-and-permit primer, read our complete ADU cost and permit guide.
Why Revolution, Not a Paper Contractor
Lead with labor: 20+ W-2 carpenters on Revolution's payroll — not a rotating subcontractor roster assembled per job. Time & Materials pricing at a 30% markup, open-book, with weekly budget reports means you see every invoice, every hour, and every material receipt as the project unfolds. One superintendent owns the project from pre-construction through certificate of occupancy — the single point of accountability from permit to final punch list.
For an ADU specifically, T&M matters more than on a production build. ADUs frequently hit surprises — existing foundation conditions on garage conversions, unmarked utilities on detached builds, and zoning-interpretation calls that shift scope mid-permit at the St. Petersburg Building Department. A fixed-bid contractor either pads the bid to absorb those risks or eats the surprise with a change-order fight. Revolution's model surfaces every change and prices it at cost plus 30% — not at whatever the fixed-bid allows. The crew that pulls your permit is the same crew framing your walls.
Who an ADU in St. Pete Is For
Three use cases drive most of the ADU work in Pinellas County. Multi-generational — an aging parent or adult child who needs independence plus proximity, usually with aging-in-place fixtures, a zero-threshold shower, and wider doorways. Long-term rental income — a 30+ day rental on a single-family lot where short-term is not permitted, typically with a separate electrical meter, a private entrance, and its own address-linked mailbox. Waterfront guest quarters for the Coastal Visionary profile — a detached guest ADU behind the primary residence on a Snell Isle, Venetian Isles, or Tierra Verde lot, with impact-rated windows, finishes that match the main house, and foundation math worked to the parcel's Base Flood Elevation.
Tell us the lot, the use case, and what you're picturing — we'll schedule a walkthrough and scope the ADU from there.
