Entries, porches and architectural detail
Scale, openings and detail coordinated with the character of the house rather than applied to it.
Exteriors & Outdoor Living
Exterior Renovations & Outdoor Living in New Jersey
How the house meets the street, the landscape and the spaces outside it.
An exterior renovation is worth approaching as one composition rather than a list of replacements. MRC plans and builds substantial exterior transformations — rooflines, entries, windows, trim and materials — and the outdoor rooms that extend a house into its site: terraces, pools, cabanas and pavilions.
The approach
A whole-home view of the exterior
Replacing isolated elements rarely resolves an elevation. Considering rooflines, entries, openings, trim and how the materials work together usually does.
Materials that work together
Cedar, stone, brick, copper and painted masonry evaluated for how they look together, how they weather and what they ask of you later.
Outdoor rooms connected to the house
Covered living areas, pools, cabanas and accessory structures planned against the architecture and the site, not dropped onto the lawn.
Worth knowing
What the site decides
Grade, drainage, access and the position of the house set the terms for anything built outside it. A sloping lot changes what a terrace costs well before it changes what it looks like.
Exterior work is also the most visible thing a house can do, which cuts both ways: the detailing that reads as considered from the street is the same detailing that is expensive to get wrong.
Details
Where the materials meet
An exterior is judged at arm's length as much as from the street. These are four places on two Westfield projects where materials had to be made to meet — and where the sequencing mattered more than the selection.
A cedar louvered shutter, hung off the siding rather than screwed flat to it — which is the difference between a shutter and a decal. Shadowlawn West, Westfield 
Three materials and a roof edge arriving at one corner. Flashing, counterflashing and the stone's coursing all had to be sequenced for it to shed water and still look like this. Shadowlawn West, Westfield 
The entry set back into the brick, with the arch carried by the door and its sidelights and the shutters hinged inside the reveal. Mountainside exterior renovation 
Stone laid by hand, course by course, around a firebox that had to be set true before any of it went up. Backyard Zen Resort, Westfield
The entire MRC team did an amazing job on my exterior renovation. This was a MRC x EMD project … beautiful design work coupled with beautiful custom construction, obsessive attention to detail, high quality work and custom finishes …
Two ways to begin
Start with us, or bring your architect’s plans
MRC Design-Build
Coordinated architectural planning and construction, so cost and constructability are tested against the design as it develops.
How design-build worksBuild From Your Architect’s Plans
Bring the drawings and engage MRC as your construction partner. Early scope review, construction input and budgeting help align the project before work begins.
Building from your plansAlongside either pathway
Optional EMD Construction Consulting & Furnishings
Michael Robert Construction and Ellie Mroz Design work together as MRCxEMD. EMD Construction Consulting and Furnishings are optional services available with either MRC Design-Build or construction from your architect’s plans. We also welcome collaboration with your existing architect and interior designer.
Construction Consulting
Interior design decisions that affect the build — cabinetry, kitchens and baths, lighting, plumbing, tile, flooring and finishes.
Furnishings
Furniture, window treatments, rugs, art and accessories, with procurement, installation and final styling.
Questions
Exterior and outdoor living FAQs
Does MRC take on substantial exterior-only projects?
Yes, when the project is a large-scale exterior renovation or outdoor living transformation. We evaluate the full scope and level of coordination involved. Isolated small repairs or minor exterior improvements are not standalone MRC services.
Where should an exterior renovation begin?
Begin with the architecture of the house and how the property is used. Rooflines, openings, materials and outdoor connections should form a coherent plan. Choosing individual finishes before resolving those relationships can produce an expensive collection of disconnected changes.
What needs to be planned for a pool house, cabana or covered outdoor room?
The intended use drives the plan. Structure, utilities, drainage, access, lighting and seasonal comfort need to be considered alongside the design. The project team should identify applicable approvals early and coordinate the outdoor work with the rest of the property.
How do we choose exterior materials that will age well?
We consider appearance, exposure, installation requirements and the maintenance you are willing to undertake. A material should suit the house and its location, not simply look good in a sample. Details and construction matter as much as the selection itself.
Scope and investment
Plan the scope and investment
Exterior cost is driven by the materials, the extent of the structural work behind them, and the site. Outdoor structures bring their own approvals and groundwork.
Tell us the town, the scope and the investment you have in mind.
Discuss Your Home
Tell us the town, the scope you have in mind, where the architecture has got to and the construction investment you are anticipating.
Or call 908 232 0134. How the process runs · Where we build · Exteriors in the portfolio