Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Tremron Home Additions & ADU: The West Palm Beach Owner’s Guide
An addition or ADU built with Tremron block in West Palm Beach typically runs $45,000 to $130,000 installed for a full home addition, and $90,000 to $220,000 for a permitted detached ADU. That price includes foundations, framing, rough-in, finishes, and the block or structural work itself, tied to a written scope before we start. Most homeowners discover the “part” itself, meaning the masonry, lintels, tie-downs, or foundation anchoring, is failing after storm season, which is when wall cracks, door binding, and moisture at the base of Tremron walls start showing up in Northwood Village, Flamingo Park, and the neighborhoods off Village Boulevard.
We’re an independent West Palm Beach contractor, not affiliated with Tremron, but we build with and repair Tremron block every week, and we know where it works and where it fails in Florida’s clay-heavy, high-moisture soil.
Key Takeaways
- Installed cost for a full Tremron-based home addition in West Palm Beach: $45,000 to $130,000.
- Installed cost for a detached Tremron ADU: $90,000 to $220,000, driven mostly by site work, foundation, and utility runs.
- The part that usually fails first isn’t the block: it’s the lintel over a door or window, the grout in a bond beam, or the anchor strapping where the wall meets the roof diaphragm.
- Written price before work starts, every time. No numbers that move at the door.
- 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the masonry, framing, or any installed part fails within a year, we correct it at no charge.
Which Tremron Models This Applies To
Tremron makes dozens of concrete block and paver lines. For structural home addition and ADU work in West Palm Beach, the relevant product families are the structural CMU blocks in 4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch, and 12-inch widths, plus their split-face block used for exterior veneer. What matters is the block’s compressive strength rating (typically 1,900 to 3,000 PSI depending on the mix) and whether the original build used standard-weight or lightweight block. Lightweight block shows up in a lot of older West Palm Beach additions, and it’s more prone to moisture wicking and surface spalling than standard-weight.
If you’re matching existing block on a repair or a bump-out, you need to measure the actual module, not the listed nominal width. A “4-inch” block is really 3-5/8 inches. An “8-inch” block is 7-5/8 inches. Off by a quarter inch and your new wall steps out of plane with the old one. When we work on a Tremron-block structure, we match the actual coursing height (8 inches nominal with 3/8-inch mortar joint) and we check whether the original mason ran stack bond or running bond, because that changes the tie-in detail.
On the OEM-versus-aftermarket question for Tremron specifically: there is no “OEM part” to buy here the way there is with a cabinet hinge or a faucet cartridge. What matters is the compressive strength, absorption rate, and dimensional accuracy of the replacement block, and whether the mortar and grout meet ASTM C270 and the Florida Building Code for the application. We order block from the same Tremron-family plants that supply West Palm Beach builders, but we’re not restricted to one source. The spec comes first.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Tremron Home Addition or ADU Is Failing
- Stair-step cracks running through the block joints, not the block itself. In West Palm Beach, this is usually differential settlement from our clay-loam soil expanding and contracting with seasonal saturation. The joints crack first because mortar is weaker than the block. If the crack runs clean through the block faces, that’s a structural issue, not a cosmetic one.
- Sagging or cracked lintels above doors and windows. A lintel carries the weight of the block wall above an opening. Lintels fail from undersizing, missing bearing (should be at least 4 inches on each side), or, near the coast, rust from salt air when unprotected steel was used.
- Doors and windows that bind, stick, or won’t latch. When a wall moves, the rough opening distorts. You’ll notice it most in the morning after a heavy rain. The threshold that closed fine in March jams by August. That’s soil movement, not humidity warping the jamb.
- Efflorescence or spalling at the base of an exterior Tremron wall. White chalky deposits mean water is moving through the block and carrying salts. Spalling means the face is popping off. Both point to a missing or failed moisture barrier, poor drainage at grade, or capillary rise from a slab with no vapor barrier.
- Gaps opening between the top of the wall and the roof framing, or visible daylight at the bond beam. In Florida, this is often a hurricane-strapping shortfall, not a block issue. The connection between wall and roof diaphragm is what keeps the building intact in a named storm. If you can see separation at that line, call a GC who knows West Palm Beach wind-load requirements before the next season.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a full Tremron-block home addition in West Palm Beach, plan on $45,000 to $130,000 installed. A detached ADU runs $90,000 to $220,000. The spread comes from the parts of the job people don’t photograph: site work, foundation, utility trenching, and the permit path. Here’s how a typical Tremron-based addition breaks down.
- Foundation and slab: $8,000 to $25,000, including excavation, formwork, rebar, and concrete for a monolithic slab or stem-wall foundation. West Palm Beach soil often requires over-excavation and engineered fill.
- Block masonry labor and materials (CMU walls): $9,000 to $28,000 depending on wall height, opening count, and whether the block is standard or split-face veneer over wood frame.
- Framing, roof structure, and hurricane strapping: $12,000 to $35,000. This is where the wind-load engineering lives, and it is non-negotiable in West Palm Beach.
- Rough-in and finishes (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall, flooring, painting): $20,000 to $55,000, driven by kitchen or bath scope and finish level.
Every line is written down before we start. If the price changes, you hear about it from a person, with a reason, before work proceeds. You don’t get a surprise invoice at the end. That’s The Garrison Standard: written scope, written price, and a signed one-year warranty called the 365-Day Done Right Promise in your hand at job close. If the work doesn’t hold for a full year, we come back and fix it at no charge.
DIY or Call Us?
Anything involving foundation movement, wall cracks, or load-bearing lintels is not a homeowner repair. A crack that looks like a weekend patch job is often a symptom of soil movement or a failed moisture barrier, and patching it hides the problem while the wall keeps moving. Working on an existing structural wall means understanding temporary shoring, load transfer, and Florida Building Code tie-down requirements. Guessing wrong can put a roof on the ground.
What you can safely do is track the crack. Mark the ends with a pencil and date it. Measure the width every couple of weeks. Take photos. That documentation helps us diagnose whether movement is active or settled. You can also check downspouts and grade: in West Palm Beach, water dumping at the foundation line is the cheapest cause of block-wall failure there is, and it costs nothing to redirect. For everything structural, call (728) 203-9809 and we’ll walk the job with you before you spend a dollar.
FAQs
A properly built, properly drained Tremron CMU wall lasts 50 to 75 years in Florida’s climate. The block itself will be there. What shortens that life is water: poor drainage, missing weep holes, no vapor barrier, and salt air near the coast all pull that number down fast in West Palm Beach. We regularly see 30-year-old walls needing structural repair not because the block failed, but because the drainage and flashing around them did. If your wall is showing spalling or efflorescence, call (728) 203-9809 for a site assessment. Estimates are free.
Yes, in most cases. If the movement has settled and the crack is in the mortar joints, we grind out the joints, install a crack-control system or re-point, and monitor. If the crack runs through the block faces or is wider than about 1/4 inch, you’re looking at wall replacement or structural remediation, not a patch job. The difference is whether the soil has stopped moving, which we determine by monitoring and sometimes by a foundation inspection. Call (728) 203-9809 to schedule a free estimate and we’ll tell you straight which camp you’re in.
A full home addition built with Tremron block typically takes 4 to 8 months from permit to final inspection in West Palm Beach. A detached ADU runs 6 to 12 months. The city’s permitting timeline, our hurricane-season wind-load engineering review, and utility trenching drive more of the schedule than the block work itself does. We’ll give you a written schedule with the written price, and we call you when the schedule changes, before anyone misses a day. Call (728) 203-9809 if you’re planning work and want real dates, not promises.
We stock common 8-inch and 6-inch CMU, mortar, grout, rebar, anchor bolts, and hurricane ties on our trucks and at our yard, so we don’t have to wait on a supply house for routine structural work. Specialty block like split-face, scored, or color-matched pieces gets ordered to spec from our Tremron-family suppliers, which usually adds a few days. If you’re matching an existing wall, we’ll pull a core sample or measure the existing module so the new block blends. Call (728) 203-9809 and we’ll check stock while you’re on the phone.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co – West Palm Beach at Bradford Remodeling Co West Palm Beach, serving West Palm Beach and nearby areas.
