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DESIGN-BUILD IN NORTHVILLE, MICHIGAN
NORTHVILLE HOMES, RENOVATED WITHOUT LOSING THE ORIGINAL.
Designed, sourced & built under one roof.
Northville has one of the most substantial historic districts in the region, roughly 119 acres and several hundred contributing buildings, with a preservation ordinance dating to 1974. Renovating here means designing for the Historic District Commission from the first sketch, not submitting and hoping.
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2014
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These houses were built between 1830 and 1968. The good ones still show it.
The historic district holds vernacular gable-front and upright-and-wing houses, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Foursquare, Bungalow, period revivals and Modernist work, a genuine cross-section rather than one era. Northville was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970 and listed on the National Register in 1972, with boundary increases in 2003 and 2007.
Outside the core, the housing runs from mid-century homes on tree-lined streets to postwar ranches toward the township line, plus new townhomes at The Downs on the former racetrack site.
The older houses share a set of problems: thick walls, boxed-in floor plans, tall ceilings, small kitchens and very small bathrooms. Solving those without erasing the architecture is most of the work.
WHAT WE BUILD IN NORTHVILLE
Services
01 - Kitchens
Opening up small original kitchens without stripping the detail that makes these houses worth owning.
$85,000 – $300,000+
02 - Bathrooms
Working within tight original footprints, with waterproofing and a flood-tested pan on every shower.
$25,000 – $200,000+
03 - Additions
Additions designed to Commission standards: subordinate in scale, clearly differentiated from the original.
$250,000 – $900,000+
04 - Whole-home
Full renovations of 19th and early 20th century houses.
$600,000 – $2,000,000+
Ranges shown are typical for Northville. Full tier-by-tier pricing is on each cost guide.
BUILDING IN NORTHVILLE
WHAT THE APPROVAL PROCESS ACTUALLY INVOLVES
01
THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION REVIEWS MORE THAN YOU WOULD EXPECT
Approval is required for construction, alteration, moving, exterior changes, exterior paint colors and demolition of buildings in the district. Specific items include paint color changes, roof replacement, new windows, new doors, masonry work, porches, new structures, tree removal, fencing, signage, and demolition or relocation. Landscape and site modifications count, not just the building.
02
THE CALENDAR IS UNFORGIVING
The Commission meets the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm. Submission deadlines are firm at 4pm, roughly three weeks ahead, and a late application rolls to the following month. There is also a Conceptual Review option; non-binding feedback before a formal submission, which is genuinely useful and which we use where a project has any ambiguity in it.
03
ADDITIONS HAVE TO READ AS ADDITIONS
The Commission applies the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and requires clear delineation between the historic portion and new construction, through different materials, window styles or rooflines, with the addition smaller in mass and scale than the original. Second-story additions are contemplated and have been approved. The point is not to hide the new work but to make it legible and subordinate.
04
THE TREE ORDINANCE IS NEW, AND IT HAS TEETH
Adopted September 2024. A protected tree is any tree 8 inches DBH or larger, with landmark and champion trees protected regardless of size. With construction, an application is required and the City Arborist inspects the property and may suggest alternatives to removal. Protective fencing at least four feet high must be maintained through construction until final occupancy. Penalties reach $500 per tree and replacement at twice the DBH removed. In the historic district, tree removal also needs Commission review, a double approval path.
05
NORTHVILLE REGULATES LANDSCAPED AREA, NOT LOT COVERAGE
R-1A and R-1B require a minimum 35 percent landscaped area, R-2 a minimum 25 percent, with 30-foot front yards and a two-and-a-half-story height limit. That is a different constraint from a coverage cap: paved patios and driveways eat directly into the requirement, so hardscape has to be planned alongside the addition rather than after it.
Requirements change. Confirm current specifics with Northville Community Development before relying on any of the above. Note also that the City's Historic District design guidelines were being updated as of 2024. This page covers the City of Northville; Northville Township is a separate jurisdiction with a different building department.
where we work
WHERE WE WORK IN NORTHVILLE
We build throughout the City of Northville and the surrounding communities. Northville Township is a separate jurisdiction, we confirm which applies at the first visit.
THE HISTORIC DISTRICT
ORCHARD HEIGHTS
CABBAGETOWN
BEALTOWN
YERKES AND HORTONS ADDITION
DOWNTOWN NORTHVILLE
MILL RACE VILLAGE
THE DOWNS
CADY STREET
RANDOLPH STREET
straight answer
Design for the Commission, or redraw for it.
In Northville's historic district the review is not a formality. Paint colors, windows, doors, roofing, porches, fencing and tree removal all come before the Commission, and the meeting calendar means a rejected submission costs a month.
So we design to the standards from the outset, and use the Conceptual Review process where a project has anything unusual in it. That is slower at the front end and considerably faster overall.
We don't reface cabinets and we don't paint them. We're the right fit when an old house deserves to be brought forward properly rather than modernized into anonymity.
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2014
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Old Woodward
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In-house design, source & build
Good to know
NORTHVILLE faq
Is my house in the historic district?
The district is substantial, roughly 119 acres with several hundred resources, centered on Main and Center Streets with Randolph roughly forming the northern boundary. The local ordinance boundary and the National Register boundary are not necessarily identical, so we confirm a specific address with the City rather than working from a map.
What needs Historic District Commission approval?
More than most people expect: construction and additions, exterior alterations, exterior paint colors, roof replacement, windows and doors, masonry, porches, fencing, signage, tree removal, and demolition or relocation.
How long does approval take?
The Commission meets monthly on the third Wednesday, with a firm submission deadline about three weeks prior. Miss it and you wait a month. We build that into the schedule and use conceptual review early where it helps.
Can I put on a second story?
Yes, second-story additions have been approved in the district. They need to be subordinate in mass and scale to the original and clearly differentiated from it in materials, windows or roofline.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree?
Since September 2024, yes for anything 8 inches DBH or larger. With construction involved, the City Arborist inspects and may suggest alternatives, and protective fencing must be maintained through to final occupancy. In the historic district, tree removal needs Commission approval as well.
Are you licensed and insured in Michigan?
Yes — licensed Michigan residential builder, Lic. 2102213502, fully insured, with our office on Old Woodward in Birmingham.
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