The Rahway River shapes Cranford, the Venice of New Jersey. We design and engineer additions, second stories and renovations, including work in flood areas.
Cranford is a township of under five square miles in Union County, incorporated in 1871 and nicknamed the Venice of New Jersey because the Rahway River divides the town. The river is lined by the Rahway River Parkway, a greenway designed in the 1920s, and the Cranford station on the Raritan Valley Line reaches New York Penn Station in about 49 minutes. The Cranford Historic Preservation Advisory Board oversees historic sites such as the Crane-Phillips House.
Older homes near the river and on established streets often need careful structural work and flood planning before they can grow. Our architects and engineers work through both.
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.
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.
Homes near the Rahway River may fall in mapped flood areas, where additions and substantial renovations can trigger flood resistant construction requirements. We check flood mapping before design and engineer for any requirements that apply.
Older Cranford houses often have older framing and foundations. We evaluate them early so the design and budget hold up.
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.
We check current flood mapping before design and plan for any requirements that apply.
Often, yes. We check the existing foundation and framing first.
We deliver signed and sealed drawings and support you or your contractor in the permit submission.
See a fixed design fee in about two minutes, or book a consultation and we will visit your home.