VCS Construction and Remodeling is a garage apartment and ADU builder in Houston. Trey Seiter has built here since 2007 and brings over 20 years of hands-on experience. We design and build second units on lots inside Loop 610 and out. Each one is a complete small home with its own kitchen and bathroom.
Plenty of older Houston houses still have a separate garage out back. Owners either tear it down and build new, or add a story with an in-law space above. We handle both as a design-build contractor, with our architect and engineers or yours. Master plumbers and electricians rough in the new systems, and our crew does the finish work.
Tell us about your land and we’ll get right back to you.
Houston's older blocks were built with detached garages, and many still stand at the back of the lot. Some are sound enough to carry a second story. Others have shifted or rotted past saving. The right path starts with what your garage can hold.
If the garage is sound, we add a story with an apartment above it. One of our two engineers checks the foundation and framing first. Then our architect draws a unit that fits the lot and suits your house. You approve the plans before anything is built.
If the old garage is too far gone, we tear it down and build new. A fresh slab and frame often cost less than propping up a weak structure. New construction also opens up the layout, since we are not working around old walls. Either way, the finished unit is a full apartment with its own kitchen and bathroom.
Master plumbers and electricians rough in the new unit's plumbing and wiring. Interior designers help you pick the finishes, or you can bring your own. Then our crew does the finish work, from drywall to trim. For a garage turned into extra room that stays part of your house, see our garage conversion service.
Size sets the baseline. Houston allows second dwelling units up to 1,500 square feet, and bigger units take more material and labor. The count of wet rooms matters too, since kitchens and bathrooms carry the most cost per square foot. A studio over a garage prices very differently from a two-bedroom guest house.
Whether we reuse your garage is the next big factor. Adding a story only pays off when the existing foundation and framing can carry it. Our engineers make that call early, before you spend on design. Tearing down and starting fresh adds demolition and a new slab, but removes the unknowns.
Utilities move the number more than most people expect. The new unit can share the house's water and power, or get its own meters. Separate meters cost more up front and take extra steps with the utility companies. Trenching distance and the main panel's spare capacity matter here too.
Tight lots stretch the schedule. When a backyard has no alley access, material moves through a side yard by hand. Drainage rules also apply, so grading and gutters are planned rather than patched in later. Permit review through the city takes time as well, and we build that into the plan from day one.
Garage apartments are an old Houston habit. The Heights and Montrose grew up in the streetcar era, and backyard units have housed people there for generations. Those blocks still hold plenty of them, tucked behind the bungalows. Owners rebuild what time wore out, or add the second story their lot never had.
City rules favor you here. Houston has no zoning, and its 2023 code changes made second units easier to build. Deed restrictions are the real gate, since some subdivisions still prohibit a second unit. We check yours before design starts.
The uses are wider than the name suggests. We build mother-in-law suites for aging parents and guest houses for family who stay a while. Some owners set up a home office or a studio out back. Others finish theirs as a long-term rental unit.
We work about 15 to 20 miles around downtown Houston, inside Loop 610 and out. That covers the Heights, Montrose, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, and the East End, among others. Call (713) 828-3097 for a free design consultation. We will look at your lot and talk through both paths.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Houston, inside Loop 610 and out.
(713) 828-3097From the first call to the last pass of the rake, here is how it goes.
Tell us about the house and the project. We set a time to come see it, usually within a few days.
Trey looks at the space and the systems in person and talks through the plan. You get a real number before any work starts.
Drawings get done, permits get pulled, and the build starts on a set schedule. Trey reviews progress with you week by week.
Our own crew does the sheetrock, trim and paint, then walks the finished job with you. The project ends when you sign off on it.
Common questions about garage apartments / adus across Houston, inside Loop 610 and out. Don't see yours? Give us a call and ask.
We remodel kitchens across Houston, from Heights bungalows to postwar ranch homes. One contractor handles design, structure, trades, and finish work on every job.
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We remodel bathrooms across Houston, from 1920s bungalows in the Heights to newer homes outside the Loop. Our master plumbers and our own finish crew take each bath from demo to paint.
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We design and build home additions across Houston, from room additions to full second stories. One contractor takes your project from plans and permits through paint.
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We build custom homes from the ground up on lots across Houston, inside Loop 610 and out. Bring the lot, and our crew carries the build from dirt to finish-out.
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We convert Houston garages into gyms, home offices, man caves, and finished bonus rooms. Free estimates and design consultations at (713) 828-3097.
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We replace old galvanized supply lines with new PEX, usually in a few days. Then we repair and paint every wall we opened, one contractor start to finish.
View DetailsThe team that opens your walls is the team that closes them. Trades, sheetrock, tile, cabinets, trim and paint all run under one contract, so nothing falls between companies.
Repipes, sewer lines, water heaters and remodel plumbing stay in house. That is rare for a remodeling contractor, and it is why pipe problems do not stall our jobs.
An architect, two engineers and interior designers work with us on plans, or we build from your designer’s drawings. Permits and city inspections are handled for you.
Pier and beam bungalows, slab ranches on clay soil, galvanized pipe, cast iron drains, deed restrictions and flood maps. We have worked these streets since 2007 and plan for all of it.
A kitchen that needs to open up, a bath past its prime, an addition, or pipes that are done? Call or send the form. Trey comes to look at the house in person, and the estimate and design consultation are free.
Tell us about your land and we’ll get right back to you.
