Room Additions in Stuart & Port St. Lucie

A room addition built around your home

Most Treasure Coast homes were built for a different family. A room addition gives you the space you need without leaving a neighborhood, a school zone or a waterfront lot you love. HBS Custom Renovation plans each addition from your existing house outward: rooflines, floor heights, windows, finishes and the way the new room connects to the old ones, so the result looks like it was always there.

We plan and manage additions for homeowners in Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Palm City, Jensen Beach and Hobe Sound. The owner answers the phone, and one team stays accountable from the first walk-through to the final walkthrough.

Additions we plan and deliver

• Bedroom and primary suites with a bathroom and closet, for growing families or a quieter owner's retreat.
• Family rooms and great-room extensions that open an older floor plan toward the backyard.
• Florida rooms: enclosed, finished rooms off the back of the house, built as true living space. For glass-walled rooms see sunrooms and enclosed lanais.
• In-law and guest suites with their own entry where zoning and your property allow it.
• Home offices and bonus rooms, including garage conversions where the lot cannot take a new footprint.

Permits, engineering and Florida code on the Treasure Coast

Every room addition needs a building permit. In unincorporated Martin County that means the Martin County Building Department; inside city limits it means the City of Stuart or the City of Port St. Lucie building department. Here is what shapes the design before anything is built:

• Wind design. Plans show the design wind speed for your parcel, and Martin County asks for the architect's or engineer's wind-load design on the permit documents. New windows and doors generally need impact-rated glass or approved storm protection.
• Setbacks, lot coverage and HOA rules. Zoning decides how far the addition can extend, and many Port St. Lucie and Palm City communities also need architectural review approval.
• Flood zones. If your home sits in a FEMA flood zone, the addition's floor elevation and the 50 percent substantial-improvement rule can change the plan, so we check this first.
• Septic. Many Martin County homes are on septic. Adding a bedroom or bathroom can require a Florida Department of Health review of the existing system.

Permits are pulled by the appropriately licensed contractor for each trade, and HBS coordinates those trades as part of your project. Who holds each permit is written into your scope before work starts. Structural work on an addition is designed by a licensed engineer or architect and permitted and performed by a Florida-licensed contractor; HBS plans the project with you and coordinates every party through the finish.

What a room addition costs

We do not publish a price per square foot, because two additions of the same size can differ a lot in cost. The main drivers are the foundation and slab, whether the roof ties into the existing roofline, plumbing for a new bathroom, windows and doors that meet wind requirements, HVAC capacity, and the finishes you choose. After the consultation you get a written scope and a clear price before work starts, with no surprise charges when the build is done.

Questions homeowners ask

How long does a room addition take?

Most additions take several months from first consultation to finish. Design, engineering and permit review usually come first and can take weeks to a few months on their own; construction follows once the permit is issued. You get a realistic timeline during the design phase and updates at every milestone.

Do I need an architect or engineer for an addition?

Usually yes. Permit drawings for an addition need structural and wind-load design, which is signed by a licensed design professional. We coordinate that work as part of the project so you are not managing it on your own.

Can you match my existing house?

That is the goal of a custom addition. We match roof pitch, stucco or siding texture, window style, floor height and interior trim wherever the materials are still available, and explain the options when they are not.

What is the difference between a Florida room and a sunroom?

People use the names loosely. A Florida room is usually a finished, enclosed room off the back of the house; a sunroom is mostly glass and can range from a screened room to a fully conditioned space. We help you choose based on how you will use the room.

Can I stay in my home during construction?

In most cases, yes. The addition is built outside the existing walls first, and the opening into the house is made near the end, so day-to-day disruption is limited.