Metro Detroit Home Remodeling | Custom Edge Remodeling
Remodeling in Birmingham
Birmingham is a built-out city with no vacant land left, so almost everything here is a renovation, an addition, or a rebuild. A quarter of the housing predates 1950 and nearly a fifth went up after 2000 on lots where something older came down. We work on both.
Request a walkthrough →What We Find Behind Birmingham Walls
Four kinds of house cover most of the city, and which one you own changes the entire scope conversation.
Pre-War Houses
About a quarter of Birmingham predates 1950. Original plaster, knob-and-tube remnants, block or rubble foundations, and rooms sized for how people lived eighty years ago.
1950s and 1960s Homes
The largest block, at roughly forty-four percent built between 1950 and 1979. Sound structures where the mechanicals are now at the end of their service life.
Post-2000 Rebuilds
Nearly a fifth of the city, built on lots where an older house came down. Modern framing and systems, so the work here is almost always cosmetic or reconfiguration.
Additions on Older Houses
Extremely common in Birmingham. A 1930s front with a 1990s back, which means two structures, two framing systems and two eras of wiring meeting in the middle.
Six Things Birmingham Houses Have in Common
None of these are surprises to us. They are the things that decide what a Birmingham project actually costs.
A Published Review Timeline
Birmingham tells you to allow roughly two to three weeks for plan review. Most cities publish nothing at all. We build that window into your schedule from the start.
Licensed Trades, Every Time
Electrical permits must be applied for by a licensed contractor and plumbing permits by a licensed Master Plumber. Birmingham does not let a general contractor shortcut this.
Fees Paid Before Review
All plan review and engineering fees are due before the project goes in for review, and each trade permit carries its own application fee. It is a real line item and we show it to you.
Historic Districts Are Specific
Most Birmingham single-family housing is not in one. The residential districts cover particular neighborhoods plus a set of individual properties. We check your address rather than assuming.
Two Eras Meeting in One House
Where an addition joins original structure is where the surprises live. We open it up early rather than at the worst possible moment.
Tight Lots and Close Neighbors
Staging, dumpster placement and delivery access get planned before day one, because in this city there is rarely room to improvise.
We Pull the Permit, You Do Not
Birmingham's Building Department sits within Community Development on Martin Street. Plumbing, heating, refrigeration and electrical are separate permits from the building permit, and the city requires two folded sets of complete construction drawings plus a current builder's license with the application.
- →Two folded sets of complete construction drawings prepared and submitted
- →Current builder's license filed with the application
- →Plan review and engineering fees paid up front, as the city requires
- →Licensed electrical and Master Plumber applications handled for you
- →Two to three weeks of plan review built into the schedule, not discovered later
If your home sits in one of the designated historic districts, exterior work affecting appearance goes to the Historic District Commission, which meets the first and third Wednesdays. We confirm whether your scope needs that review before anything is scheduled.
Where We Work in the City
Birmingham is compact enough that Tim can be at your house the same week you call. We work across the city, from the older streets near the parks to the newer construction on the rebuilt lots.
Services for Birmingham Homes
Basement Remodeling
A finished basement is one of the lowest-cost square-footage additions available in this city. The job differs sharply between the pre-war stock and the post-2000 rebuilds.
See the service →Kitchen Remodeling
Opening a closed pre-war kitchen into the dining room is the most requested change we see here, and it is usually a structural question.
See the service →Bathroom Remodeling
Original baths in the older stock, and dated builder baths in the 1990s and 2000s houses. Two different projects with two different budgets.
See the service →Home Additions
Rear and second-story additions on tight lots, where setbacks and neighbor proximity shape the design more than the wish list does.
See the service →Wall Removal
Pre-war floor plans were built as separate rooms. Most of what people want here starts with finding out whether a wall is carrying load.
See the service →Whole House Renovations
Older Birmingham houses where the wiring, plumbing and heating all need attention at once and it makes sense to do them together.
See the service →Birmingham Homeowners Ask Us This
Anything not answered here, call Tim directly at
How long does Birmingham plan review take?
The city publishes it: roughly two to three weeks. That is unusually transparent, and we schedule around it rather than guessing.
Am I in a historic district?
Most Birmingham homes are not. The residential districts cover specific neighborhoods and a set of individual properties. We check your address before planning any exterior work.
Why are permit costs higher here?
Birmingham charges an application fee for the building permit and another for each trade permit, on top of permit and plan review fees, all payable before review begins.
My house is a 1930s front with a 1990s addition. Is that a problem?
Not a problem, but it is a known unknown. Where two eras meet is where framing, wiring and floor levels stop agreeing. We look there early.
Can you finish my basement?
Yes, and it is often the best value in a Birmingham house. What it costs depends entirely on whether you have a pre-war foundation or a post-2000 pour.
Where does the dumpster go?
Driveway, coordinated with your neighbors before day one. Birmingham lots leave little room to improvise, so we plan it rather than discover it.
Full service area across Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw and Monroe counties.
We Are Already in the Neighborhood
Tim walks the house, tells you what the structure and the mechanicals will allow, and gives you a straight answer before anyone talks about price. Free, about an hour.