Additions
Design, drawings, and permits for an addition in Lancaster and Chester County, PA
An addition starts on paper, so it helps to be clear about how that part works. Here is how it works with us: who draws it, what it costs to draw, who owns the drawings when they are done, and how the permit goes with your township. None of it is complicated, and knowing it up front makes the first meeting easier.
Who Draws It
We work with a partner architect or designer, or with the architect or designer you already use. Many clients come to us with plans in hand, and we build from them. If you have an idea and a napkin sketch, we bring the designer in, and the drawings come out of a conversation between the three of us about how you live.
What the Drawings Cost, and Who Owns Them
Design and drawings carry a fee, because they are real work that takes time, and the fee is separate from the construction proposal. The drawings are yours. If you take them to another builder afterward, that is your right, and they are still yours.
Permits and Zoning
Every addition needs a permit under the state building code, and most townships want a zoning review of setbacks and lot coverage first. We are there for every step of it: the application, the drawings the township asks for, the zoning questions, and the inspections along the way. In most townships the permit itself is in the homeowner’s name, as the owner of the property, and we handle everything around it with you. Second stories, in-law suites, and garages almost always get a closer review, and a bedroom added on a septic system gets a septic review as well.
What Happens First
- A site visit: we measure, photograph, look at the foundation and the roofline, and talk about what you want.
- A conversation about zoning: setbacks, coverage, septic, and anything that would change the plan before it is drawn.
- Drawings, with the designer, to the point where they can be priced and permitted.
- A written proposal, and the permit application with it.
Projects
Related Work
Questions
Questions We Get
Do we need an architect?
For a second story or anything structural, the township wants stamped drawings and an engineer, and we arrange that. For a simple one-story addition, a designer’s drawings are often enough. We tell you which on the first visit.
Can we use our own architect?
Yes, and many clients do. We build from your drawings and work with your architect through the job.
Who pulls the permit?
In most townships it is in the homeowner’s name, as the owner of the property, and we are with you for every step of it: the application, the drawings the township asks for, and the inspections. It depends on the job and the township, and we will let you know which on the first visit.
Process
How We Work
- We visit, measure, and talk through the scope before anything is priced.
- You get a written proposal, and we build to it.
- Where the work needs a permit, we walk you through it every step: the application, the drawings the township asks for, and the inspections.
- We are on site from the first day to the last, and the house stays clean while we work.
- We walk the finished job with you, fix anything on the list, and clean up.
Additions
More Kinds of Additions
Service area
Where We Work
Based in Christiana, we work across Lancaster County and Chester County.
Lancaster County
- Christiana
- Gap
- Quarryville
- Strasburg
- Lancaster
Chester County
- Parkesburg
- Coatesville
- West Chester
- Kennett Square
- Downingtown
- Malvern
- Chester Springs
- Frazer
Dalton and his crew worked on our kitchen and 1st floor remodel. Framed out new mudroom, pantry and office space and installed new electrical throughout. Very professional and great to work with!
— Samantha GordonKitchen and first-floor remodel5 stars on Google
Ready to Talk About an Addition?
Every great project starts with your vision for your home. Tell us what you’re thinking. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours.