Home additions in Orlando — same house, more room, no horror stories.
Nobody adds onto a house for fun. A parent is moving in. The third kid came. You love your street and hate every listing on it.
I'm Johnny Kaplan. I own Kaplan Remodeling & Construction, I'm a licensed Florida General Contractor (CGC#1540583), and I live in Lake Mary. An addition is the most complicated thing most homeowners ever build, and it's where a bad contractor does the most damage. So we keep it plain: you talk to me, one written number, my own crew builds it.
The kitchen-table meeting
First visit, I walk the yard with you. Where the setbacks are. Where the septic or the utility easement sits. Which wall we can open without touching roof structure. Which direction is cheapest to build. Then I tell you whether the addition you're picturing fits the lot, the budget, or neither.
One clear number, in writing
Labor and construction come to you as one fixed price. Finish materials sit in an itemized allowance so you can shop without guessing. Choose above or below it and the difference is handled by a simple written change order before we order — the labor stays the same. On an addition that matters most, because there's more to hide in a vague number.
What's actually included
- Drawings and the engineering package your permit requires
- Survey coordination, zoning and setback review, HOA submittals
- Permit application, Notice of Commencement, every inspection
- Site prep, fill, compaction, termite treatment, footings and slab
- Block or frame walls, tie beam, trusses, roof structure
- Roofing, tie-in, flashing, soffit, fascia and exterior finish
- Windows and exterior doors with Florida product approvals
- Electrical, HVAC and plumbing, with capacity checks on existing systems
- Insulation, drywall, trim, flooring and paint
- 1-year workmanship warranty, plus all manufacturer warranties on materials
What it actually takes to add on in Central Florida
Tying new slab to old
An addition here starts with dirt. We strip organics, bring in clean fill, compact it in lifts, and treat the soil for subterranean termites — Florida requires that treatment and a certificate. The new footing is doweled into the existing one so the two move together, a vapor retarder goes under the slab, and the new floor meets the existing elevation. Cracks at the seam between old and new almost always trace back to fill nobody compacted properly.
Wind load and the continuous load path
This is what makes Florida additions cost what they cost. The structure has to carry hurricane wind loads from the roof into the ground in one unbroken chain: straps from truss to top plate, a poured tie beam over the block wall, rebar in grouted cells at corners and openings, anchors into the footing. The design wind speed comes off the code maps for your specific address — your engineer sets it, nobody guesses.
Windows and doors
Every exterior window and door needs a Florida product approval matched to the wind pressures on your wall. Inland Seminole County generally sits outside the wind-borne debris region, so impact glass usually isn't required here the way it is on the coast — but plenty of clients choose it anyway for the noise, the insurance credit and the sleep. We price both ways.
Roof tie-in
Where the new roof meets the old is where additions leak. We match pitch where we can, build a proper valley, run peel-and-stick underlayment at the tie-in and step the flashing correctly. One honest conversation to expect: shingles age. A ten-year-old roof won't match new ones, so often the right answer is re-roofing the whole plane rather than patching in a stripe you'll see forever.
Setbacks, lot coverage and the paperwork
Before anything gets drawn we check zoning: setbacks, maximum lot coverage and impervious area, easements, flood zone. Then the HOA, which in most Seminole County neighborhoods has its own review board and its own calendar. Once the permit is issued, Florida law requires a notarized Notice of Commencement on work above a set dollar threshold — recorded with the Clerk of Court and posted on the job before the first inspection. It protects you under the construction lien law.
The systems you already have
New square footage means new load. We run the numbers on your HVAC before assuming it can cover another room — often the honest answer is a separate zone or a mini-split rather than starving the rest of the house. Same with the panel. If you're on septic, adding bedrooms can trigger a health department capacity review.
Mother-in-law suites
A mother in law suite in Central Florida is usually a bedroom, full bath, sitting area and kitchenette with its own entrance. The design question is accessibility — curbless shower, wider doorways, grab bar blocking, no step at the entry. The zoning question is the kitchen: a full second kitchen can make the space a separate dwelling unit. We check that before we draw.
How long it takes
Plan on five to nine months from our first meeting to the day you move furniture in: three to six weeks for design and engineering, four to ten weeks for permitting and HOA review, three to five months of construction.
What drives the variance: how fast you make decisions, HOA calendars, county plan review and revision cycles, window lead times, and weather — summer afternoons cost real days once the roof is open.
What this actually costs
Additions cost more per square foot than the house they attach to. You're paying for foundation, structure, roof and systems all over again on a small footprint. These are typical Central Florida ranges, not quotes.
- Straightforward single-story room addition: commonly around $300 per square foot
- Addition with a full bath or kitchenette: generally $350 to $450 a foot
- Suite addition, 400 to 700 square feet: often $150,000 to $300,000 all in
- Second story: higher again — existing framing and footings usually need reinforcement
What moves it: plumbing count, roof complexity, whether we can tie into existing HVAC and electrical, window and door selections, site access for concrete trucks, and any impact fees on added living area.
Permits are my problem
We pull every permit this project requires and handle all inspections from start to finish. As a licensed Florida General Contractor (CGC#1540583), that's part of our job, not an add-on or an upsell.
Things people ask before hiring us
How much can I actually add?
Your lot decides. Setbacks, lot coverage limits and easements set the outside edges, and your HOA may tighten them. I check all of that before we spend money on drawings.
Do I need an architect or an engineer?
You need sealed structural documents, and we handle that. For most additions a designer plus a structural engineer covers it. For complex rooflines or second stories, an architect earns his fee.
Can we live here during construction?
Almost always. Most of an addition happens outside your existing walls. The disruptive stretch is opening the connecting wall and tying in the roof — usually two weeks. We seal it every night.
Will it look like it was always there?
That's the whole job. Matching stucco texture, roof pitch, soffit detail and window style is what separates an addition from a bolt-on. Where an exact match isn't possible — usually shingle color — I'll say so upfront.
Can my in-law suite have a full kitchen?
Sometimes. A full kitchen with a range can classify the space as a second dwelling unit — a zoning question, not a construction one. A kitchenette is usually fine.
What's a Notice of Commencement?
A notarized document recorded with the county before work starts. Florida law requires it above a set dollar amount and it protects you under the lien law. We prepare it, you sign it, we post it.
How do payments work?
Progress milestones tied to real completion, ending with a final payment when you're satisfied. The whole schedule is in the proposal before you sign anything.
Where do you build?
Seminole County and Central Florida: Lake Mary, Heathrow, Longwood, Sanford, Winter Springs, Oviedo, Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, Orlando.
Same house. Different life.
The cheapest hour you'll spend on an addition is the one where we find out whether it's realistic. Call me and I'll come look at the lot. Straight answers, one clear number in writing. I'd be glad to earn your business.
Talk to the owner, not a call center.
Kaplan Remodeling & Construction · Licensed Florida General Contractor CGC#1540583 · Lake Mary, FL