Renovating a home in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills: permits, historic districts and cost

Remodeling a house in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills isn’t the same job as remodeling one in Canton or Ypsilanti. The homes are older or bigger, the finish expectations run higher and the approval process can take longer than the construction itself. I’m Connor Wright, owner of Wright’s Renovations, and our crews work across Oakland County out of our Ypsilanti shop. If you’re planning a project, our pages for renovation in Birmingham, Michigan and home remodeling in Bloomfield Hills cover the services we offer in each city.

This post is about what changes when the job is in one of these two cities. I’ll cover Birmingham’s historic district review, the Bloomfield Hills building department, the housing stock you’ll find on each side of Woodward and the things that push budgets up. None of it should scare you off. It just needs to be on the calendar before the first wall comes down, and it belongs in the plan from the first meeting.

Why renovating in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills is different

The two cities sit next to each other, but they feel like different places to build. Birmingham is a walkable downtown surrounded by tight lots, mature trees and streets full of 1920s houses. Bloomfield Hills is mostly large lots, long driveways and estate homes, with pockets of mid-century modern design. Both cities run their own building departments, and both expect the finished work to match the neighborhood. That’s true across Oakland County renovation projects, but it’s sharper here.

The biggest difference from other suburbs is time. In most of our service area, a remodel’s longest phase is construction. In these two cities, approvals can stretch longer, especially when a project touches the exterior, the footprint or a historic property. A design review board that meets monthly can add about 30 days if a submittal misses a deadline. Planning around those dates is half the job, and it’s why we start the approval conversation in the first meeting.

Birmingham historic district rules and design review

Birmingham has designated historic districts, and exterior work on properties inside them goes to the city’s Historic District Commission. According to the City of Birmingham’s historic review page, that review covers changes affecting the exterior appearance of a historic or non-contributing resource in a district. Examples include facade repairs, demolition, lighting, screening walls and changes to mechanical equipment. Interior work usually stays out of that process.

The commission reviews plans against the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. One of those standards says deteriorated features should be repaired rather than replaced wherever possible. In practice, that means original windows, trim, brick and slate get a hard look before anyone proposes new material. Our page on historic home renovation covers how we approach repair versus replacement, and the same thinking applies here.

How the historic review timeline works

The city says a complete application goes to the next available slot on the commission’s agenda, at least two weeks after submission. Owners within 300 feet get notice at least 15 days before the meeting, and revised plans are due at least two weeks before the meeting where they’ll be heard. Some smaller changes may qualify for administrative approval instead. Decisions can be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals. All of that has to fit ahead of your construction start date.

For homeowners, the practical takeaway is to design the exterior first and submit early. We draw the exterior changes, gather material samples and photos of existing conditions and build the submittal before we finalize interior selections. That keeps the review clock running while you’re still picking tile. Our article on challenges of renovating historic Michigan homes goes further on what reviewers tend to ask about.

Building permits in Birmingham

Outside the historic districts, Birmingham projects run through the regular building department at City Hall on Martin Street. The city accepts permit applications online through BS&A, and inspections happen at stages throughout the work. Zoning still matters on every lot. Setbacks, lot coverage and height limits decide how big an addition can be, and a variance request adds a hearing to the schedule. Our overview of home renovation permits in Southeast Michigan explains the general sequence.

As a design-build firm, we pull the permits and schedule inspections as part of the job. That includes building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, plus any tree, grading or erosion requirements that come with exterior work. For additions, our page on addition permits in Michigan lists what reviewers usually want to see. Decks can follow a separate approval path in some cases, so we check before we draw.

The Bloomfield Hills building department

Bloomfield Hills runs its own building and planning department. The city’s building department page notes that each trade permit, including electrical, plumbing and heating, is pulled separately. The permit must be posted on site with plans available at every inspection, and a person responsible for the work has to be present. The city also strongly recommends that the permit be issued to a licensed builder when one is supervising the work.

Site rules matter more here because the lots are large and the houses sit back from the road. The city notes that accessory equipment, such as air conditioning units and generators, isn’t allowed in the required side yard, and setbacks come from the zoning ordinance. A plot plan may be needed even for equipment moves. Bigger projects can bring tree and grading approvals, utility locates and structural review if beams or bearing points change. Expect weeks, not days.

Some Bloomfield Hills properties also raise utility questions you won’t see in Birmingham. Older estates may still be on a private well or septic system, and an addition or a new bathroom can change what that system has to handle. We ask about it during the first walk-through, because the answer can affect where an addition goes and whether the county health department needs to weigh in before the city issues a permit.

Housing stock across both cities

The houses here range widely, and each type brings its own set of renovation questions. Knowing which one you’re living in tells me a lot about what’s behind the walls before we ever open one. It also tells me which details your neighbors and the review boards will expect to see preserved. Here’s how I’d break down the main types we see on both sides of Woodward.

Tudors and colonials near downtown Birmingham

The streets around downtown Birmingham are full of 1920s and 1930s houses. Tudor-style homes bring steep rooflines, half-timbering, leaded glass and plaster interiors. Center-entrance colonial homes have symmetrical fronts, original trim and smaller kitchens tucked at the back. Many started as small cottages and were added onto over the decades, so floors don’t line up and old framing meets new. Plaster, knob-and-tube remnants and undersized drains are common finds.

Mid-century ranches and modern homes

Farther out, both cities have mid-century ranches, split-levels and true modern homes. Bloomfield Hills in particular has houses built on a structural grid with exposed beams and walls of glass. Our page on mid-century home renovation covers the quirks. Ceilings are often tongue-and-groove decking with no attic above, so there’s nowhere to hide new wiring or ducts. Any work on the deck from above involves your roofer, and replacement windows have to match thin original frames.

Estate homes in Bloomfield Hills

The traditional estate homes in Bloomfield Hills carry plaster crown molding, quartersawn oak paneling and slate roofs. Trim profiles often have to be milled to match, because nothing off the shelf will line up with what’s there. Our custom millwork and trim carpentry work handles that kind of matching. These homes also tend to have multiple mechanical systems and long runs between rooms, which adds coordination time to any kitchen or bath project.

Finish expectations and what drives cost up

Finish levels in these two cities typically sit at the top of the market. Clients ask for natural stone, inset cabinetry, plaster-ready walls, heated floors and integrated lighting control. Each of those adds cost and lead time. Our comparison of luxury versus midrange renovation in Michigan breaks down where the money goes, and the luxury home renovation services page shows the scope we take on at that level.

Additions follow the same pattern. Across Southeast Michigan, home additions generally run $200 to $400 per square foot, and projects here tend to land toward the upper end because of finish level, foundation work and matching existing materials. A luxury home addition or a primary suite addition often includes a full bath, custom closets and new exterior details. A full primary bath remodel elsewhere in our area runs $16,000 to $35,000 and up, and Birmingham baths with stone and custom glass can go well past that.

Older structure is the other cost driver. Opening a wall in a 1920s Tudor can mean new framing, updated wiring and plaster repair before any finish goes up. Our Birmingham bathroom remodeling page covers how we handle that in baths specifically. Line-item budgets make these costs visible early, so you can decide whether to keep the original plaster, skim it or replace it with drywall.

Tight lots, parking and neighbors in Birmingham

Birmingham’s downtown neighborhoods have narrow lots and limited street parking. There’s often no room for a dumpster in the driveway, and a material delivery can block the street. We plan staging before we start: where the dumpster sits, where crews park, when deliveries arrive and how to protect the neighbor’s yard and trees. Putting a dumpster or lift in the street may need city sign-off, so we check before we schedule. That planning costs a little and saves a lot of goodwill.

Neighbors are part of the project in a city this close-knit. Historic review notices go out to owners within 300 feet, so your neighbors may know about your plans before your crew shows up. Some subdivisions in Bloomfield Hills and nearby West Bloomfield also have homeowners associations with their own architectural review. If you’re in one, we’ll ask for the HOA rules early, because their approval can sit on top of the city’s.

Scheduling a remodel in these cities

The calendar here starts earlier than most people expect. Design and approvals can take longer than construction, so a project you want finished by fall may need to start design in winter. Exterior work and foundations also face Michigan’s construction season, since concrete and masonry don’t like freezing temperatures. Our Michigan home renovation timing tool helps you back into a start date from the season you want to finish.

Our shop is about 40 miles from Birmingham and about 45 from Bloomfield Hills, so we schedule crews in blocks and coordinate deliveries carefully. The construction timeline itself is covered in our renovation construction timeline guide. If you’ll live in the house during the work, our notes on living through a renovation in Michigan are worth reading. We also work in nearby Royal Oak and Troy.

How design-build helps with review and approvals

When the same team designs and builds, the drawings that go to the review board are the drawings we’ll build from. There’s no handoff between an architect and a contractor where details get lost or prices jump. You can read more about our design-build approach and how it shortens the back-and-forth. In both cities, that continuity matters, because a change after approval may need to go back to the commission or the building department.

We’re a licensed Michigan residential builder, license #262100679, and we keep line-item budgets on every project. You’ll see your selections, schedule and progress photos in JobTread throughout. If your project includes older parts of the house, our guide to plaster wall repair in Michigan homes explains your options. For other historic styles, start with our historic home styles overview.

Frequently asked questions about renovating in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills

Do I need historic district approval to renovate in Birmingham?

Only if your home is in one of Birmingham’s designated historic districts and the work affects the exterior. The Historic District Commission reviews changes like facade repairs, demolition, lighting and mechanical equipment against the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Interior remodels generally don’t go through that review, though they still need regular building, electrical and plumbing permits from the city.

How long does historic review take in Birmingham?

The city places a complete application on the next available commission agenda, at least two weeks after submission. Owners within 300 feet get notice at least 15 days before the meeting. If the commission asks for revisions, updated plans are due at least two weeks before the next hearing. Plan on several weeks, and submit exterior plans before interior selections are final.

Who pulls permits in Bloomfield Hills?

Homeowners can pull their own permits with a homeowner’s affidavit, but the city strongly recommends the permit go to a licensed builder when one supervises the work. Each trade permit is pulled separately. On a design-build project, we pull the permits, post them on site and schedule inspections, with a responsible person present at each one as the city requires.

Why do renovations cost more in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills?

Finish expectations run higher, the homes are older or larger and the approval process adds design time. Matching original trim, plaster and stone takes custom work. Tight Birmingham lots add staging and parking costs, while large Bloomfield Hills homes bring long mechanical runs. Line-item budgets show where each dollar goes so you can choose where to spend.

Plan your Birmingham or Bloomfield Hills remodel

The best time to call is before you’ve finalized a design, so we can build approvals into the schedule. Our consultation is $250, and the fee is waived for job sites within a one-hour drive of our Ypsilanti headquarters. We’re in the office Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at (734) 540-0347. Check out our Portfolio to see our work, or Contact us today to start planning.