ADU or home addition? Four situations that decide it
An addition makes your house bigger. An ADU adds a separate dwelling on the same property. They cost roughly comparable amounts per square foot, they take similar amounts of time, and they are not interchangeable. The choice usually comes down to four questions, and the first one can settle it before the others matter. First: […]
How to verify a Florida contractor’s license in under five minutes
Ask for the license number, look it up on the state’s DBPR portal, and confirm the status reads active and unexpired. In Pinellas County there is a second step: state-certified contractors are also required to register with the county before working there, so a valid state license alone does not mean the contractor is authorized […]
What a kitchen remodel costs in St. Petersburg, and why the estimates you find disagree
Most full kitchen remodels in St. Petersburg land somewhere between $35,000 and $80,000 in 2026. Cosmetic refreshes start around $15,000. Projects that move walls, replace systems or use custom millwork run past $100,000. If you search for this number you will find figures ranging from roughly $6,000 to over $150,000, and the spread is not […]
Can you build an ADU in Tampa? Start with your address
In most of Tampa, the answer is no, at least not the kind of ADU you can rent to a stranger. The city permits conventional accessory dwelling units in a short list of designated areas. Outside those areas, a second unit is only allowed as an Extended Family Residence, which carries a different set of […]
The 49% rule in St. Petersburg: what it means before you start a remodel
If your home sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area in St. Petersburg and the cost of your planned work reaches 49% or more of the structure’s market value, the city treats the project as a substantial improvement. At that point the entire building has to be brought into compliance with current flood regulations, not […]