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DESIGN-BUILD IN FRANKLIN, MICHIGAN
FRANKLIN HOMES, BUILT TO THE VILLAGE'S STANDARD.
Designed, sourced & built under one roof.
Franklin is the oldest thing in Oakland County that still looks like itself. Michigan's first National Register historic district, a village of about 3,100 on estate acreage, with private wells and a hybrid septic and pressure-sewer system. Renovating here means knowing the Historic District Commission's calendar and the Village's water rules before you draw anything.
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2014
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In-house design, source & build
Local design-build
The village that decided not to change is a harder place to build well.
Settled in 1825 and named for Benjamin Franklin in 1831, Franklin was a working village with mills, wagon shops and taverns before Detroit was much of anything, and it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. It became Michigan's first entry on the National Register of Historic Places in November 1969, and the district was expanded in 2005 to roughly 150 buildings.
The historic district holds Greek Revival, vernacular, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare and Craftsman houses spanning 1830 to 1930. Outside it, the village is estate residential, with lot minimums running to nearly three acres and more than twenty homes on parcels of three acres or more.
Both halves demand something. Inside the district, the Commission reviews everything you can see from the street. Outside it, the well and the septic field decide what you can add.
What we build in Franklin
Services
01 - Kitchens
Custom cabinetry in period homes and estate houses, detailed to suit the age of the building.
$110,000 – $300,000+
02 - Bathrooms
Primary suites and guest baths. Adding one is a septic question here before it is a design question.
$70,000 – $200,000+
03 - Additions
Additions designed for Historic District Commission review, placed to the rear and subordinate in scale.
$250,000 – $900,000+
04 - Whole-home
Full renovations of 19th-century village homes and estate properties.
$600,000 – $2,000,000+
Ranges shown are typical for Franklin. Full tier-by-tier pricing is on each cost guide.
building in FRANKLIN
What Building Here Actually Involves
01
THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION HAS REAL AUTHORITY
Franklin’s ordinance requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for any construction, addition, alteration, repair, moving, excavation or demolition affecting a resource’s exterior appearance. The Commission is seven residents appointed by Village Council, meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7pm, applies the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and reviews within 35 days. Applications are an original plus fourteen copies, due roughly two weeks before the meeting. Interior work is not reviewed.
02
THE DESIGN GUIDELINES ARE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN REPLACE
Windows must be preserved in original location, size, design, material and pane configuration, with repair preferred over replacement, which effectively rules out standard vinyl replacement windows in the district. Original wood siding, brick, stone and shingles are to be retained, and painting unpainted masonry is inappropriate. Additions go to the rear or a non-visible elevation, subordinate in scale and clearly differentiated from the original.
03
THERE IS NO MUNICIPAL WATER. THE VILLAGE RUNS ON PRIVATE WELLS
Every home in Franklin draws from a private well. The Village Council formed a Water Sub-committee in 2020 and publishes well-water guidance, and water quality is an ongoing local topic. Any project affecting water supply, or any well within the work area, has to be planned around from the start.
04
WASTEWATER IS SPLIT BETWEEN SEPTIC AND A LOW-PRESSURE SEWER
The Village Council sits as the Wastewater Board and approves connections to the pressure sewer system, which Oakland County’s Water Resources Commissioner maintains. Grinder pump stations must meet both Village and County standards, and sewer plans go through the Village Engineer before County and State construction permits. Homes on septic must hold an operating permit renewed every three years.
05
A VILLAGE OF 3,100 WITH A FULL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW APPARATUS
Franklin issues separate building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, plus tree, wetlands, floodplain, soil erosion, site plan, culvert, driveway, right-of-way and fence applications, and the Historic District application. The Building Official is part-time, as are the trade inspectors, so inspection scheduling is a genuine constraint on a fast-tracked job.
Requirements change. Confirm current specifics with Auburn Hills Community Development before relying on any of the above. Tree and woodland exemptions for occupied single-family lots in particular should be confirmed per parcel.
where we work
WHERE WE WORK IN FRANKLIN
Franklin has almost no platted subdivisions it is estate parcels and the historic village core. We also build throughout Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham and Beverly Hills.
FRANKLIN VILLAGE HISTORIC DISTRICT
THE VILLAGE CENTER
FRANKLIN ROAD
WELLINGTON ROAD
FRANKLIN CIDER MILL
ROUGE RIVER CORRIDOR
SCENIC DRIVE
MILL POND
FOURTEEN MILE
straight answer
Two questions decide a Franklin project.
Is the house in the historic district, and can the septic take what you want to add? Everything else follows from those two answers.
Inside the district, assume Commission review for anything visible from outside, on a monthly meeting cadence with a fourteen-copy submission, that is weeks of schedule, and it shapes the design rather than just delaying it. On septic, adding a bedroom is a different application from adding a bathroom, and the field may simply not support what you had in mind.
We establish both before design, not after. And a note worth making: demolition by neglect is enforceable here, and the Commission can do the repair work and levy the cost as a special assessment. If you own a deteriorating historic house in Franklin, waiting is not a free option.
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Old Woodward
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Good to know
FRANKLIN faq
Is my house in the historic district?
The district runs from Fourteen Mile Road south to Scenic Drive, bounded by the Rouge River on the east and extending several hundred feet west of Franklin Road roughly 150 buildings, about 100 of them contributing. We confirm the specific address with the Village rather than working from the map.
Can I replace my windows?
Inside the district, only with windows matching the originals in design, pane configuration and materials, and repair is preferred over replacement. Standard vinyl replacements are not appropriate. This surprises people, and it is better to know before you have had someone quote the job.
How long does Historic District Commission approval take?
The Commission meets monthly and reviews within 35 days, with applications due about two weeks before the meeting. Practically, plan on several weeks minimum, and design with the review in mind rather than submitting something that has to be redrawn.
Will my septic system limit what I can add?
It might. Adding a bedroom increases sewage flow and brings Oakland County's Health Division into it, generally with a soil evaluation. Some properties can connect to the Village's low-pressure sewer instead, which requires Wastewater Board approval and a grinder pump meeting Village and County standards. We look into this first.
Does interior work need Commission approval?
No. The Commission reviews exterior appearance. Interior renovation is not subject to design review, though it still needs the standard building and trade permits.
Are you licensed and insured in Michigan?
Yes — licensed Michigan residential builder, Lic. 2102213502, fully insured, with our office on Old Woodward in Birmingham.
Planning a renovation
in FRANKLIN?