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DESIGN-BUILD IN NOVI, MICHIGAN
NOVI HOMES, UPDATED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE WOODLAND.
Designed, sourced & built under one roof.
Novi has the newest housing stock in our service area with a median build year of 1993 and the most protective woodland and wetland ordinances. Renovating here is less about what is behind the plaster and more about what is behind the house.
4.9★
Over 100 reviews
5 year
Warranty on our workmanship
2014
Founded, and building here since
100%
In-house design, source & build
Local design-build
The constraint here is outside the walls, not inside them.
Novi built steadily from 1970 through 2019, with the largest single share of its housing from the 2000s. Village Oaks, North Hills and Meadowbrook Glens came first in the 1970s; Greenwood Oaks, Chase Farms and Mystic Forest in the 1990s; Island Lake and Churchill Crossing since. Colonials and ranches dominate, with cape cods and contemporaries throughout.
These are not houses with knob-and-tube behind the walls. They are well-built homes of the last thirty-five years whose kitchens, baths and finishes have simply reached the end of their first life.
What does complicate work here is the land. Novi protects woodlands and wetlands more aggressively than the state does, and both reviews carry their own fees and their own timelines.
What we build in NOVI
Services
01 - Kitchens
Reworking 1990s and 2000s kitchens with custom cabinetry and layout changes.
$85,000 – $300,000+
02 - Bathrooms
Primary suites and guest baths, with waterproofing and a flood-tested pan on every shower.
$20,000 – $200,000+
03 - Additions
Additions planned around regulated woodlands, wetland setbacks and a 25 percent coverage cap.
$250,000 – $900,000+
04 - Whole-home
Full renovations of subdivision homes built well and dated by finish rather than structure.
$600,000 – $2,000,000+
Ranges shown are typical for Novi. Full tier-by-tier pricing is on each cost guide.
building in NOVI
What Building Here Actually Involves
01
NOVI PROTECTS WETLANDS THE STATE DOES NOT
Wetlands over five acres or within 500 feet of a water body are regulated by both the state and the City. Smaller wetlands are protected by the City alone. That means a wetland on your property that EGLE would not touch can still stop a project in Novi. A wetland review fee of $575 applies where it does.
02
THE WOODLAND ORDINANCE STARTS AT EIGHT INCHES
A Woodland Use Permit is required to remove protected trees. The threshold is 8 inches DBH inside a regulated woodland and 36 inches outside one. Regulated woodlands must remain in their natural state, they cannot be cleared for lawn or have groundcover disturbed. Replacement runs up to four trees per tree removed, and where there is no room, payment goes into the City’s Tree Fund. Woodland review is a further $575.
03
YOUR PLANS GET AN ARCHITECTURAL SIMILARITY REVIEW
Novi reviews one set of plans to ensure a home is neither grossly dissimilar to, nor substantially similar to, immediately adjacent dwellings. This is unusual and it is specific to Novi. It rarely stops a project, but it is a real review step that no neighbouring community applies.
04
ATTACHED GARAGES ARE CAPPED AT 850 SQUARE FEET
Section 4.19 caps attached garage area at 850 square feet, alongside a 25 percent maximum lot coverage and a 35-foot height limit. On a garage expansion or a garage-and-bonus-room addition, that cap is usually the first thing to check.
05
HOA SIGN-OFF IS AN EXPLICIT PERMIT REQUIREMENT
Novi’s residential permit checklist requires plans signed by the homeowners association where one exists. Unlike communities where HOA approval is a private matter running alongside the permit, here the City asks to see it. Start that conversation early.
Requirements change. Confirm current specifics with Novi Community Development, Planning, or Forestry before relying on any of the above.
where we work
WHERE WE WORK IN NOVI
We build throughout Novi and the surrounding communities. Northville, Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield.
VILLAGE OAKS
NORTH HILLS
MEADOWBROOK GLENS
WHISPERING MEADOWS
CARRIAGE HILL
ORCHARD RIDGE ESTATES
GREENWOOD OAKS
CHASE FARMS
MYSTIC FOREST
ISLAND LAKE
CHURCHILL CROSSING
BRISTOL CORNERS
straight answer
Find the woodland line before you draw the addition.
In Novi, the regulated woodland boundary and the wetland edge often determine where an addition can physically go, and both carry review fees and review time. A footprint that works on paper can be impossible once the woodland map is laid over it.
So we check both at the survey stage. If the site is clear, Novi is a straightforward place to build. If it is not, you learn that while the design can still move.
We don't reface cabinets and we don't paint them. We're the right fit when a well-built house deserves new cabinetry and a better plan, not a refresh.
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
NOVI faq
Is there a woodland on my property?
Novi publishes a regulated woodland map, and the answer changes what you can build. Inside a regulated woodland, any tree of 8 inches DBH or more needs a Woodland Use Permit; outside one, the threshold is 36 inches. We check this before design.
Novi says I have a wetland but the state does not. How?
Novi regulates wetlands the state does not. Smaller wetlands that fall below the state threshold are still protected locally. It surprises people, and it is one of the more consequential differences between Novi and its neighbours.
What is the architectural similarity review?
Novi reviews plans to ensure a home is not grossly dissimilar to, or substantially similar to, immediately adjacent houses. It is unique to Novi among the communities we work in. It rarely changes a design, but it is a genuine review step.
How big can my garage be?
Attached garages are capped at 850 square feet. That is the constraint most garage additions hit first, before lot coverage or setbacks come into it.
Does my HOA need to sign the plans?
In Novi, yes, where an association exists the city's own permit checklist asks for HOA-signed plans. We build that step into the schedule rather than discovering it at submission.
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 NOVI?