Resources
Guides to Building a Custom Home in Michigan
Plain answers to the questions people ask before they build, drawn from what local towns themselves publish.
Building a home raises a lot of questions early on. These guides are here to make the first steps less of a mystery. You do not need to read them before you call us.
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What to Check Before You Buy a Lot
Nine questions worth asking before you sign, from which town a lot is really in to how it gets its water.
Read The GuideHow to Check a Michigan Builder's License
Where the state lets you look a builder up, and what it says to check before you sign.
Read The GuideTeardown and Rebuild: The Steps, in Order
Love the lot but not the house? What replacing an older home usually involves, from the first check to an empty lot.
Read The GuideWho Issues a Building Permit?
Sometimes the town, sometimes the county, sometimes both. How to tell, with local examples.
Read The GuideSoil Erosion Permits for a New Home
The permit behind the fabric fence around a building site: what it is, who issues it, and what happens after you move in.
Read The GuideWell and Septic, or Public Water and Sewer?
How a lot gets its water and handles its waste, and why it shapes where a home can sit.
Read The GuideBuilding Near a Lake or Wetland
What towns look at when a home is planned near water, and how to plan a lot around it.
Read The GuideBuilding Near a Floodplain
What a floodplain is, how to find out if a lot touches one, and what towns publish about building near one.
Read The GuideTrees and Building a New Home
How towns protect woodland, large trees and street trees, and how we plan a home around them.
Read The GuideHistoric Districts and New Homes
What a historic district usually means for a new home or a rebuild, and how the review works.
Read The GuideThese guides are general information, not legal advice or an official answer. Each city, township and village decides what is allowed on each property. We are always happy to check with them for you.
Find Your Town
Every town sets its own rules. We have a page for each town we build in, with what that town publishes.
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