Can you match 50-year-old brick on my Conway home?

Exact matches are rare — brick colors and textures change over decades — but complementary matching is a solved problem. We source the closest available brick and use design details like soldier courses, shutters, and trim to make the transition look intentional. Most visitors cannot tell where the old house ends.

What is the best addition for a 1970s Conway ranch?

The rear great-room expansion, often combined with opening the kitchen. It fixes the two biggest problems of the era's floor plans — the chopped-up living space and the isolated kitchen — in a single project, and Conway's lots have the room for it.

My Conway home is near Lake Conway. Are there extra rules?

Lakefront lots can have shoreline setbacks and, in low areas, flood-zone requirements. These typically restrict the lake side of the lot — which just means the addition goes toward the street or sides. We check flood maps and setbacks at the consultation.

Should I convert my garage or build a new addition in Conway?

If you need a bedroom or office and rarely use the garage for cars, conversion ($20,000–$42,000) is the value play. If you need significant space or want to keep the garage, a rear addition gives you real new square footage. Many Conway families do both over time — convert first, add later.

Home Additions in Conway, FL

Ask Orlando builders where the easiest additions happen, and Conway comes up fast. The 1960s and 1970s brick ranch homes in this southeast Orlando community — the neighborhoods around the Conway chain of lakes, along Hoffner Avenue, Curry Ford Road, and Conway Road — sit on generous lots with simple structures and straightforward rooflines. No hills, no historic review boards, no 50-foot bungalow lots. Just solid block-and-brick houses with room to grow in every direction. If you live in Conway and need space, the physics are on your side.

Conway's Housing: Brick Ranches Built to Last

The Conway ranch is a Central Florida classic: brick veneer over concrete block, 1,500 to 2,200 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, a two-car garage, and a low-pitched gable or hip roof. Built from the 1960s through the early 1980s, these homes have aged remarkably well structurally — the brick needs little maintenance, the block walls are strong, and the simple roof framing ties into additions cleanly.

The floor plans, though, are pure 1970s: a formal living room at the front that nobody uses, a closed-off kitchen, small bedrooms, and a family room (if you are lucky) that the whole household shares. Conway families typically want the same three things: a real great room, a proper primary suite, and a kitchen connected to where everyone actually gathers.

The Conway Rear Expansion: One Project, Three Wins

The most transformative Conway project is the full rear expansion — a 400-to-700-square-foot addition across the back of the house that simultaneously delivers a great room, opens the kitchen, and often includes a new primary suite or bedroom. Because Conway lots are generous, this big-footprint approach is practical in a way it is not on smaller city lots:

Rear family-room additions: 400-to-600-square-foot great rooms with vaulted ceilings and glass facing the backyard — the new heart of the home.
Master suite additions: Bedroom, walk-in closet, and full bath added to the rear or side; the old master becomes a generous guest room or office.
Kitchen expansions: Bump-outs of 150 to 250 square feet that open the closed 1970s kitchen into the new great room — often designed as one combined project.
Detached garage additions: Two-car or oversized garages on lots with the room — for the boat, the workshop, or the classic car.
Enclosed Florida rooms: Many Conway homes have covered patios or Florida rooms that convert beautifully to conditioned living space.

Lake Conway Considerations

Homes on or near the Conway chain of lakes enjoy waterfront living and waterfront rules: shoreline setbacks, and in some cases flood-zone elevation requirements, govern the lake side of the lot. The practical effect is that lakefront Conway additions expand toward the street or along the sides — which, given the generous lots, is rarely a real constraint. We verify flood maps and setbacks at the consultation.

Permits and Code Notes for Conway

Most of Conway is unincorporated Orange County, with pockets inside Orlando city limits. Either way, the permitting story is the same: single-story block-and-brick additions are among the most routine residential permits in the county.

Routine permitting: Site plan, floor plans, and structural details under the Florida Building Code — typically 4 to 6 weeks.
Brick matching: The one craft challenge in Conway is matching 50-year-old brick. We source complementary brick and use design details — soldier courses, contrasting trim — so the addition looks intentional even when the brick is not identical.
Panel upgrades: 1960s–70s panels are often 100-amp and near capacity. A 200-amp upgrade is common and sensible with an addition.
HOAs: Most of Conway's original subdivisions have light or inactive HOAs, but newer pockets have active review. We confirm before designing.

Honest Cost Ranges for Conway Additions

Rear family-room addition (400–600 sq ft): $70,000 to $130,000
Master suite addition: $60,000 to $115,000
Kitchen bump-out (150–250 sq ft): $40,000 to $80,000
Detached two-car garage: $45,000 to $85,000
Florida room enclosure: $25,000 to $55,000

Conway runs $150 to $250 per square foot — the sweet spot of the Orlando market — because the construction is straightforward and site access is easy. The combined kitchen-plus-great-room rear expansion ($110,000 to $200,000) is the highest-impact project per dollar in the neighborhood.

The Kitchen-Great Room Combo: Conway's Highest-Impact Project

If there is one project that defines the Conway addition market, it is this: a rear addition that simultaneously delivers a great room and a new open kitchen — fixing the two worst features of the 1970s ranch in a single build. Here is how it works.

The addition extends 400 to 600 square feet across the rear: the new great room with vaulted ceiling and glass facing the backyard. Then we open the wall between the original closed-off kitchen and the new space — with a properly engineered beam carrying the load, sized by a Florida-licensed engineer and inspected at every stage. The original kitchen gets remodeled in place to serve as the open kitchen for the whole main floor: new cabinets, new island, sightlines straight through to the backyard.

The result transforms how the house lives. Instead of a dark kitchen isolated from a small family room and a formal living room nobody enters, the home gets one flowing main living space — kitchen, dining, and great room in a single volume, with the backyard as the backdrop. It is the floor plan Conway buyers are actually looking for, which is why this project returns so well at resale.

Budget $110,000 to $200,000 for the combined project, depending on kitchen finish level and addition size. Done as one project it takes 4 to 6 months of construction — versus 7 to 9 months and significantly more money as two separate projects. On Conway's generous lots, with simple tie-ins and easy access, this is the best value transformation in the neighborhood.

How Long Does a Conway Addition Take?

Single-room additions: 3 to 4 months of construction. Full rear expansions: 4 to 5 months. Design runs 3 to 5 weeks; permitting 4 to 6 weeks. Most Conway families go from first consultation to move-in in 6 to 8 months.

Start With a Free Consultation

Walk us through the house and the backyard. We will show you what your lot can hold, how the brick will tie in, and what the project really costs — no guesswork. Request your free consultation today.