Additions & Garages

Home additions and garages in Southwest Michigan

An addition is one of the hardest kinds of construction to get right, because the new structure has to meet the existing house exactly. Roofline, foundation, floor heights, siding, and trim all have to line up, or the finished house reads as two buildings stuck together. Build Rite Construction has been adding on to homes across Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana since 2009, with our own insured crew and one fixed-cost budget agreed before work starts.

What we build

• Garages. Attached and detached garages, including two-story garages that add usable space above rather than only parking below.
• Living-space additions. Added bedrooms and baths, expanded kitchens, and reworked main floors for houses that have simply run out of room.
• Porches and three-season space. Screened and covered space that extends how much of the year the house actually gets used.
• Structural tie-in. The foundation, framing, and roof work that joins new construction to an existing house so the two behave as one building.

Making an addition look like it was always there

The difference between a good addition and an obvious one is in the transitions. We match rooflines and pitches to the existing house, carry siding and trim profiles across the seam, and align window heights and sight lines so the addition reads as original construction. Inside, floor heights and ceiling planes are planned so you do not step up or down between the old house and the new one. The same crew that builds our custom built-in woodwork handles the trim and millwork where the two structures meet.

Our process, step by step

• Consultation. We walk the house and the site with you, look at what the existing structure and lot will actually allow, and talk honestly about what is realistic before anything is drawn.
• Design. We plan the addition in-house or alongside your architect, working out the structural tie-in and the exterior match at the same time as the layout.
• Fixed-cost budget. Before work begins we turn the plan into one fixed-cost budget. You approve it, and that is the number we build to.
• Build. Our crew stages the work to keep the existing house weather-tight and livable while the new structure goes up, and keeps the site clean.
• Handover. A detailed walkthrough and space that is genuinely finished.

Additions on shoreline and Harbor Country lots

Adding on near the lake brings the same constraints as building new there: setbacks, dune regulations, and drainage on a high water table. We handle those on our custom home builds, and an addition on a shoreline lot is planned the same way, around what the site and the regulations actually permit.

Where we build

We build additions and garages throughout Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana, including Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, Stevensville, and the Harbor Country communities from New Buffalo up through Sawyer and Harbert.