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We take pride in delivering quality craftsmanship and outstanding service. Explore our client reviews to see how we've transformed visions into reality and built lasting relationships along the way.
Dan was extremely easy to work with. He made our families emergency renovation process simple and was always available for questions. His company did fantastic work in a timely manner and Everything fell within budget. I would definitely recommend Dan for all your home remodeling needs.
From the beginning of the porch being knocked down. To the rebuilding of my new enclosed porch. Dan and his workers were amazing people. Very professional and courteous people. Beautiful job from start to finish.
Dan and his team just added on a 12×12 composite deck to a existing deck at my home. It came out amazing and we are so happy with it. Dan and his team were excellent and will be using them in future projects, thank you Dan
Best construction company!!! Very responsible and professional. Always on time, always ready to answer all questions!!! Highly recommend to anyone looking either to build a house, to do extension, build a porch or something else. They do free estimates and do the job quickly.
Dan’s Construction just completed a Trex deck with two sets of stairs for me. I am thrilled with the outcome! Dan was pleasant and efficient in overseeing our deck project, his crew worked tirelessly to complete their work, despite bad weather and the issue of trash on my site…
I came across Dan’s Construction by accident while searching the internet and I’m glad I did. I read the reviews and checked out the company and contacted for an estimate. He was quick and professional and reached out enthusiastic to work…
Dan is super nice and easy to work with. His team worked all day to get our roof replaced which had damage down to the rafters. He is knowledgeable, fair and trustworthy. I highly recommend this company and will definitely hire them for future projects.
We called after seeing a recommendation on Facebook and we are very happy we did. We had them build a covered pergola off our back sliders, and since we live in a log home, we wanted rough hewn lumber. Not only did they order the perfect stuff…
Dan and his team completed a full replace of the deck, staircase and balcony at my home. From the beginning Dan was knowledgeable and responsive to my inquiry including being quick to respond to any changes to material or additional items…
An addition that belongs to the house
Amherst additions come in two kinds. Near the common, on an antique colonial or a Victorian, proportion and district review govern everything that happens. Outside the center the mid-century and contemporary houses take a straightforward rear addition or a second story. Adding to a house in Amherst is as much a design problem as a building one. A rear addition or a sympathetic wing usually reads better than a second story on an antique, and the proportion matters more than the square footage. We design to what the house can carry visually as well as structurally, and the new living space is planned around the daylight the original was built for.
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Current structure behind an old finish
Behind the finish it is current code: foundation below the 48-inch frost line, sized headers, a continuous load path, and insulation and air sealing to today's standard. On an antique that often means correcting what the last addition did as well as building the new one. On an antique near the Amherst common we establish which review applies before design starts, because a drawing made without knowing that is usually a drawing made twice.
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Proportion, materials and detail
This is the whole job on a Amherst period home. Trim profiles, window proportion and light pattern, roof pitch, corner boards, the depth of a frieze. Get them wrong and it is visible from the sidewalk for the next fifty years, so we match them, and where a district review applies we build to what gets approved.
Zoning plus any district review
Two tracks run in parallel in Amherst: the zoning bylaw sets setbacks and coverage, and parts of town sit inside districts with additional review over anything that changes a street elevation. We identify which apply at the start, prepare the submission, and file the building permit with the Amherst Building Department.
Finishing the new living space
A shell is the easy half. The extra space only works if the layout, the daylight and the mechanicals are right, and on an older Amherst house that means being honest about what the existing heating and electrical will carry before the drywall goes up. We build the addition and finish it: a bathroom if it needs one, updated finishes that match the rest of the house rather than announcing themselves, insulation and windows that hold their heat, so the energy efficiency of the new part is not worse than the old. Done properly an addition is long term value rather than just extra square footage.
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One contractor, the whole project
An addition on an older Amherst home rarely stays inside its own footprint. The roof has to tie in, the siding has to run across, and once you are that far in it is usually cheaper to do the windows and doors at the same time. We are a full-service general contractor handling home remodeling and renovations of every kind, so roofing, siding, gutters, windows, doors, kitchen and bathroom remodeling and decks all come from the same crew on the same schedule. One contractor with one permit and one point of contact beats coordinating four.
Everything else we handle in Amherst
Roofing and siding through to kitchens, additions and new construction, all run by the same crew.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
We firmly believe in honesty and long term relationships with our customers. We strive for our best and guarantee 100% satisfaction.
Fully Licensed & Insured
We have a multi-million dollar insurance policy to protect you. You’re in safe hands with us! We’re excited to hear about your project.
Onsite Estimates
We offer completely free quotes and consultations with no strings attached. We will walk you through every and any question you may have about the project.
Common questions about home additions in Amherst
Do I need zoning approval as well as a building permit in Amherst?
Often, yes. Amherst's zoning bylaw sets the side and rear setbacks, how much of the lot you may cover and how high you may build, and those decide the footprint before anything is designed. Where an addition will not fit inside them the route is a special permit or a variance, which means a hearing and a timeline rather than a refusal. The building permit itself is filed with the Amherst Building Department.
Can my house take a second story?
Sometimes, and it is a structural question rather than a design one. A second story puts new load on the existing foundation and walls, so those get assessed before anything is drawn. On housing of Amherst's era it is frequently straightforward, but we confirm it rather than assume it.
Will adding a bedroom affect my septic?
If the property is not on town sewer, yes, and it is the first thing to settle. Under Title 5 an added bedroom is a septic capacity question for the board of health before it is a building question at all, and the answer can change the design or the cost. A good share of Amherst is not on sewer, so we check this before design work starts.
What does an addition cost in Amherst?
On a Amherst period home the cost driver is matching the original, plus the approvals. Windows, trim and roofline that have to be right are not the place to save. We price it at the house, because matching an original is the part that varies. The estimate is free and itemized so the allowances are visible.
Can we live in the house while you build?
Usually, yes. Most of an addition goes up outside the existing walls, and we do not break through until the new shell is closed in. The disruptive stretch is the few days around that opening and any work on the kitchen or a bathroom, and we tell you in advance when those fall.
How long does the whole process take?
District review has to be finished before we can build to it, so the approvals set the schedule rather than the crew does. The build itself is the predictable part; design and approvals are where the range comes from, which is why we start those first.
Talk it through with someone who has built here before
Tell us what you are planning and we will tell you what it takes. The estimate is free and there is no obligation.
Licensed in Massachusetts and Connecticut · Fully insured · BBB accredited · Over 20 years
More about home additions in Amherst
Adding to a period home in Amherst
Amherst is home to UMass, Amherst College and Hampshire College, and a housing market shaped by all three. Housing runs to antique colonials and Victorians near the common, with mid-century and contemporary homes outside it, and on those houses an addition is judged on proportion long before anyone asks about the square footage.
A rear addition or a sympathetic wing almost always reads better on an antique than a second story does, because it leaves the original mass and roofline intact. Getting the trim profiles, window proportion and roof pitch right is the difference between an addition and an extension, and it is visible from the sidewalk permanently.
Amherst's housing market is shaped by UMass, Amherst College and Hampshire College, so accessory and in-law space is a more common brief here than elsewhere in the county. That is a zoning question at least as much as a building one, and it is worth putting to the town early rather than designing around an assumption.
How the season shapes the build
An addition in Amherst has one deadline the calendar sets for us: get the shell closed in and weathertight before the cold. That makes the start date matter more than it does on most jobs, because a foundation poured in May and a foundation poured in September lead to very different winters.
Interior finish carries the cold months and is the right work for them. We would rather give you a date that holds than the earliest one we can say out loud.
Zoning and permits in Amherst
Work in Amherst is permitted by the Amherst Building Department under the Massachusetts State Building Code, and the contractor doing it has to hold a Home Improvement Contractor registration as well as a construction supervisor license. We hold both, and we file in our name, which is what puts the code responsibility on us rather than on you.
An addition runs two approvals in parallel, and the zoning one is the slower half. Setbacks, lot coverage and height come from Amherst's bylaw, and where the design cannot meet them the route is a hearing for a special permit or a variance. We establish which case you are in before design work starts, because it changes both the drawing and the timeline.
Parts of Amherst also sit inside districts with additional review, which can govern windows, siding and anything that changes a street elevation. Where that applies we prepare the submission and build to what gets approved.
Why Amherst homeowners choose us
We are a family-run construction company of more than 20 years, working out of Ludlow and serving Amherst, MA every week. The same team that quotes the job runs it, which is the practical reason the quality holds. We hold the Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor registration and the Construction Supervisor License, are licensed in Connecticut, carry liability and workers compensation insurance, and are BBB-accredited with an A rating. Reviews come from Hampshire County homeowners you can look up, and the quote is free, written and itemized.
Where else we build home additions
We build home additions across Hampshire County, including Springfield, Chicopee, Westfield and Holyoke. For everything else we do in Amherst, see our Amherst page. Not sure whether we reach you? Call +1 (413) 351-5125 and ask, it is a short conversation.