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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.
4.9★
Google rating across over 100 reviews
5 year
Warranty on our workmanship
2014
Founded in Metro Detroit
100%
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.
$85,000 – $300,000+
02 - Bathrooms
Primary suites and guest baths. Adding one is a septic question here before it is a design question.
$30,000 – $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
Remodeling a Franklin Home: What to Expect
01
Every home here has its own character
Franklin mixes historic homes near the village center with larger homes on wooded lots built over the last several decades. An older home may have plaster walls, old wiring or framing that has moved over the years. A newer one usually needs a layout that fits how the family lives today. We plan for both during design so nothing turns into a surprise halfway through the job.
02
Know whether you're in the historic district
Much of the village center sits in the Franklin Historic District. Historic district review applies to exterior changes, so most kitchen, bath and basement work goes through normal permits. If your project touches windows, doors or anything visible from outside, we'll tell you early and plan the review into the schedule.
03
The Village runs its own permits
Moving plumbing, adding a bath, rewiring a kitchen or finishing a basement means building and trade permits through the Village of Franklin. We pull every permit and schedule every inspection for you.
04
Design comes first, and your home stays livable
Every project starts with one to three months of design development, so layout, cabinetry, finishes and pricing are settled before demolition. During construction we protect your floors, seal the work area for dust, run negative air, clean up every day and send you a written update every week.
05
One team from start to finish
Every trade except plumbing, electrical and HVAC is Maxwell's own crew, and our licensed partners handle those three. Your designer and project manager stay with you from the first sketch to the final walkthrough, and the work is backed by a five year workmanship warranty.
Requirements change. Confirm current specifics with Franklin 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.
4.8 stars
Average customer review
2014
Founded in Metro Detroit
Old Woodward
Our office, in Birmingham
100%
In-house design, source & build
Good to know
FRANKLIN faq
How long does a kitchen or bathroom remodel take in Franklin?
Most projects take 14 to 16 weeks of construction after one to three months of design. A single bathroom often takes less time. A kitchen with a new layout takes longer.
Do I need a permit to remodel in the Village of Franklin?
Yes, if the work touches plumbing, electrical, mechanical or structure. Cosmetic updates may not need one. We handle every Village permit and inspection as part of the project.
My home is in the historic district. Can I still remodel the kitchen or bath?
Yes. Interior remodeling generally doesn't go through historic district review. If the project changes the exterior, like a new window over the sink or a different door, we prepare what the Historic District Commission needs and build the review into the schedule.
Can we live in the house while you remodel?
Usually, yes. We seal off the work area, control dust and clean up daily. For a kitchen remodel we help you set up a temporary kitchen so daily life keeps going.
What does it take to finish a basement in Franklin?
Any basement bedroom needs a legal exit, called egress. You also need moisture control and permitted electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. We check walls, floors and ceiling height during design so the finished space feels like part of the house.
Do you provide interior design and cabinetry?
Yes. Our design team handles layout, finishes, lighting and fixtures, and we build with Dura Supreme cabinetry in the framed Crestwood and frameless Bria lines. You work with one team from design through installation.
Planning a renovation
in FRANKLIN?