Remodeling and Home Building in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Working in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor is the second location Praxis Building Group works from, and it presents a different construction problem from western Oakland County. A large share of the housing here predates 1940, much of it sits on tight lots with mature trees and limited access, and a meaningful number of properties fall inside locally designated historic districts.

None of that makes the work harder in principle. It makes it work that rewards knowing what you are opening before you open it. A 1915 house in the Old West Side is not a 1985 subdivision colonial with older finishes. It is a different structure, with different framing, different wall assemblies and different systems.

Older Homes and What They Actually Contain

The conditions found in Ann Arbor's older housing stock are consistent enough to plan for.

Balloon framing appears in many houses built before the 1930s, where studs run continuously from sill to roof rather than platform by platform. That changes how loads travel, how fire blocking is handled, and what happens when a wall is opened. It also creates continuous cavities that make running new mechanicals easier in some directions and impossible in others.

Plaster over wood lath is the norm rather than drywall. It is heavier, significantly messier to remove, and it makes wall thickness and trim reveals different from modern construction. Whether to repair plaster or convert to drywall is a real decision with cost and character implications.

Knob and tube wiring and ungrounded two wire circuits are common, sometimes still energized in portions of a house that was otherwise updated. Galvanized steel supply piping is similarly common and restricts flow long before it leaks.

Foundations in the oldest houses may be stone or rubble rather than poured concrete or block, with limited headroom and moisture characteristics that affect what a basement can reasonably become.

Original millwork, stair parts, doors, hardware and hardwood floors are frequently better than anything available new at a comparable price. Identifying what is worth protecting before demolition is part of the job.

Site Access and Staging

Ann Arbor's older neighborhoods were platted before large vehicles and modern construction staging. Lots are narrow, driveways are often single width, street parking is regulated, and mature trees limit where a dumpster or a material delivery can go.

This affects real things: how material reaches the back of a house, whether a concrete truck can get close enough, where debris accumulates, and how much of a project is carried by hand. It is a planning input, not an obstacle, but it is one that a contractor unfamiliar with the neighborhood will underestimate.

Tree protection is also a genuine consideration. Mature trees are part of what these neighborhoods are, and excavation, staging and grade changes near root zones need to be planned rather than improvised.

Rental and Investment Property

The university presence means a substantial share of Ann Arbor housing is rental or owned by investors, and that changes what a renovation is for.

Rental renovation is scoped differently from owner occupied work: durability over trend, standardized specifications that can be repeated across units, turnaround time that fits between leases, and a clear line between what improves the property and what simply spends money on it.

We work with investors, property managers and buyers taking on houses that need significant work before they can be occupied. Production style renovation, where the same specification is applied across multiple properties on a schedule, is within scope and is a different discipline from custom remodeling.

Permitting and Historic Review

Building permits in the City of Ann Arbor are issued by the city, and properties in surrounding townships such as Scio, Pittsfield and Ann Arbor Township go through their own jurisdictions. The requirements are not identical, which matters when a property address does not match the municipality that actually reviews it.

Ann Arbor maintains locally designated historic districts with a review process for exterior changes. If a property falls inside one, exterior work including siding, windows, roofing visible from the street and additions may require review in addition to a building permit. That review has its own schedule and its own criteria. Confirming whether a property is inside a district is one of the first things worth checking, because it shapes both the design and the timeline.

We handle permitting and coordinate any required review as part of preconstruction rather than treating it as an afterthought.