Kitchen and family room additions
Connecting everyday living, entertaining and access to the outside — usually the reason the addition is being built.
Additions
Home Additions in New Jersey
New space that reads as part of the house, not attached to it.
An addition is an architectural problem before it is a construction one: new space has to belong to the house it joins. MRC plans and builds significant additions with attention to proportion, rooflines, materials, daylight and how the expanded home will actually function — on the design-build path or from your architect's drawings.
The approach
An addition that belongs to the home
Rooflines, materials, window patterns and interior connections coordinated so the new space looks considered from the street and works from the inside.
Primary suites and larger expansions
New rooms evaluated alongside structure, mechanical systems, circulation and the spaces they are joining.
Second stories and raised roofs
Where the footprint cannot grow outward, what the existing structure will carry and what the street will accept.
Worth knowing
Planning before the footprint is fixed
An addition is usually where the storage finally gets solved, and the pieces that do it — mudroom cabinetry, a bench by the door, shelving built into the new wall — are made by MRC's own carpenters rather than ordered in, so they are sized to the space that was just built rather than the space a catalog assumed.
Setbacks, lot coverage, grade, drainage and the approvals the work needs all shape what is possible — and they are property-specific rather than town-specific. Two houses on one street can face different constraints.
Reviewing the property, the proposed scope, the approvals and the investment together, before the footprint is fixed, is what stops an addition being redesigned after it has been drawn.
Details
Joining new work to old
The test of an addition is the seam. These two details are the kind of decision that makes one — a cedar bracket shaped to land on existing brick, and a gutter and leader run so the new roofline sheds water where the old wall begins.
Where the cedar lands on the brick: the bracket is shaped, not bought, and the downspout is run behind it. Mountainside exterior renovation 
A half-round gutter, a cast outlet and a round leader run down the corner board — the rainwater detail is the first thing a new roofline gets wrong and the last thing anyone looks at. Shadowlawn West, Westfield
… We had a unique space/layout to renovate, and were able to create a thoughtful plan to meet our needs, from aesthetics to functionality … Execution/project management/final product; all exceeded expectations including during a very volatile time …
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
Additions FAQs
Should we build out, build up or renovate the space we have?
That depends on the property, existing structure and what your home needs to do. We consider circulation, usable space, site constraints and the construction involved in each option. More square footage is not always the best answer to a layout problem.
How do you make an addition feel like part of the original house?
We look at rooflines, proportions, windows, materials and the connection between old and new spaces. Those decisions need to work together. An addition should improve how the home lives and make architectural sense from the street and the yard.
Why does an addition cost more than its new square footage might suggest?
The work often extends into the existing house. Structural connections, utility changes, roof transitions and renovations to adjoining rooms can be essential to the project. Pricing only the new area can leave out a substantial part of the scope.
When should zoning and approval requirements be evaluated?
Early, before the design becomes too developed. Your architect and project team should identify which property constraints and municipal reviews apply. Approval requirements depend on the parcel and proposed work; feasibility should not be assumed from a neighboring project.
Will an addition disrupt the rest of the home?
Usually, to some degree. Connecting the new space may require work to structure, utilities and adjoining rooms. We consider those connections during planning so the construction sequence and any occupancy limitations are understood.
Scope and investment
Plan the scope and investment
An addition's cost is driven by its size, its structural implications, the finishes and how it meets the existing house. Ground conditions and approvals can matter as much as square footage.
Tell us the town, the goals, where the design has got to and the investment you are anticipating.
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 · Whole-home renovations