Bernardsville's Somerset Hills estates and turn of the century neighborhoods call for careful design and serious engineering. We plan both under one contract.
Bernardsville is Somerset County's northernmost borough, set high in the Somerset Hills. After the Civil War, wealthy New Yorkers came first as summer visitors and then as year round residents, building grand estates on the hills once the Gladstone Branch rail line made a daily commute possible. That history still shapes the borough, from its large hillside properties to the Olcott Avenue neighborhood of Colonial Revival homes near downtown.
Estate renovations and additions on hilly sites bring their own engineering demands: long spans, tall rooms, old framing and stone foundations, retaining walls and drainage. Our engineers evaluate the existing house and the site first, then design the new work alongside the architecture.
Licensed architects and professional engineers on one team, one contract and one set of signed and sealed drawings. See all of our services.
Rear, side and wraparound additions for kitchens, family rooms and primary suites, with the existing house evaluated by our engineers.
New floors over ranches, capes, garages and one story wings, with foundations and framing checked and reinforced as needed.
Whole house and partial renovations, wall removals and open plans, basements and attics, with structure and systems designed in house.
Ground up single family homes and teardown rebuilds, from site planning to sealed construction drawings.
Decks, covered porches, pergolas and garages engineered for footings, ledgers and loads.
Beam replacements, foundation fixes and engineer's letters for homeowners, buyers and insurers.
The Olcott Avenue Historic District, about 28 acres listed on the National Register in 2009, is a planned turn of the century residential neighborhood. For homes in and around it, we pay close attention to rooflines, porches, window patterns and materials so an addition fits the house and the street.
In New Jersey, most additions and structural renovations need zoning approval from the town before the construction permit, and the construction permit itself is reviewed under the state Uniform Construction Code. When a design needs relief from a setback, coverage or height limit, it goes to the town's land use board for a variance hearing.
On the larger hillside properties, slopes and drainage often decide where an addition or a new house can sit. We study the topography early and design footings and retaining walls for the actual site.
However your project is approved, we deliver signed and sealed drawings to you, support you and your contractor through the permit submission and answer the building department's review comments in house. Read how a project moves from consultation to close out on our process page.
Yes. We document the existing house, often with LiDAR scanning, and design the renovation and its structure to tie into the original building.
Usually. We design footings, retaining walls and drainage for the site so the addition is buildable and priced correctly.
Yes, from site planning through sealed architectural and structural drawings.
See a fixed design fee in about two minutes, or book a consultation and we will visit your home.