Home Additions in Elm Grove, WI
T And J All In Remodeling designs and builds home additions for Elm Grove’s postwar colonials and ranches, from rear family rooms and bump-outs to second stories, sunrooms and in-law suites. Owners Teli and John Karampetsos draw each one for the village Building Board, whose approval comes before any permit.
Board package prepared · Setbacks checked · Fixed written price
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Village limits
Elm Grove Addition Limits: Building Board, Setbacks, Coverage
An addition changes what neighbors see, so the Village of Elm Grove reviews it more closely than interior work. Every addition goes before the Building Board ahead of any permit, and its size is capped by yard setbacks and by how much of the lot is already under roof and pavement.
Building Board
Decision first
The village states that all addition projects need Building Board approval before any permit, and the Board sits on the first and third Tuesday.
Yards
50 / 25 / 20 ft
Single-family districts keep building 50 feet back from the street, 25 feet from the rear line and 20 feet from each side.
Lot coverage
20% footprint
Most village districts cap building footprint at 20 percent of the lot and hard surfaces at 30 percent, while RS-4 allows 25 and 40.
Which wall
Which Additions Fit an Elm Grove House and Lot?
Most village houses date from the 1950s and 1960s and sit on lots of 15,000 square feet or more, so yard space is rarely the limit. The real questions are which wall faces the room you need and whether the Board will accept where the new roofline meets the old one.
Rear of the house
Rear family room additions
A family room, primary suite, office or larger kitchen on its own foundation, usually off the back where the 25 foot rear yard leaves the most room. T and J pours the footings, frames against the existing wall and carries the roof pitch and siding across so the addition reads as original.
Typical spot
Behind the house, into the rear yard
Foundation
Slab, crawlspace or basement
Seam
Roofline and siding matched
Inside the setbacks
Bump-out additions for closed kitchens
A few feet added to a kitchen, bath or breakfast nook, cantilevered off the floor joists or set on a short foundation. In a village colonial with a closed kitchen, a rear bump-out can make room for an island while staying well clear of the 20 foot side yards.
Depth
A few feet, one wall
Carried by
Joists or a short foundation
Suits
Closed postwar kitchens
No new coverage
Second stories on village ranches
Where a single-story ranch has used up its footprint allowance, a second floor adds space without adding coverage. An engineer confirms the existing foundation and walls can take the load, the village’s 36 foot height limit is checked, and a stair is fitted into the plan below.
Load
Engineer-checked
Height
Under the 36 ft limit
Suits
Ranches at their footprint cap
Year-round light
Sunroom additions
A glass room facing the back yard and the mature trees many village lots carry. Four-season versions get insulation and heat that meet the energy code so they work in January, and three-season versions skip both. Because glazing, frame color and roof shape all show from outside, the Board sees material samples before it decides.
Season
Three or four
Board review
Glass, frame and roof samples
Heat
Ducted or ductless
Family nearby
Sewered in-law suites
A parent or adult child gets a bedroom, a bathroom and a sitting room, and sometimes a kitchenette and a private entry. Village homes drain to public sanitary sewer, so the plumbing plan centers on reaching the existing stack or lateral, and the village’s sewer lateral form is added if the lateral is altered.
Rooms
Bedroom, bath, sitting room
Extras
Kitchenette, own entrance
Plumbing
Tied to the sewer lateral
Back door
Driveway entry additions
A small entry off the driveway or garage with a bench, lockers, a closet and a tile floor for snow and salt. On a village lot the added footprint and any new walk count toward the hard-surface limit, so both are measured on the survey.
Storage
Bench, lockers, closet
Floor
Tile or LVP for winter boots
Often with
Laundry or half bath
Picture it
Picturing an Addition on an Elm Grove House
Each tile shows one addition type. Only the family room is a finished T and J project, built in Hartland. The other four photos illustrate the type and were not taken in Elm Grove, and the gallery holds more completed work.
Family room addition
Open living room addition, Hartland
Primary suite
Bedroom suite with ensuite bath and closet
Kitchen bump-out
Island and seating gained from a few feet
Four-season sunroom
Glass-walled room facing the trees
In-law suite
Kitchenette and sitting area by its own door
Browse completed additions and remodels from across the county in the T And J gallery.
Village line items
What Drives the Cost of an Elm Grove Addition?
Every addition is priced on its footprint, foundation, roof tie-in and plumbing. Elm Grove adds its own line items, including a stamped survey, Board drawings and, when village staff or the Board request one, a grading and drainage plan reviewed by the village’s consulting engineer, with review costs billed back to the owner.
Least structure
Bump-Out
One wall pushed out
- Cantilever or short footing
- Clear of the side yards
- Board drawings still needed
- Kitchen, bath or nook
Ground floor
New footprint
Room Addition
One new room
- Footing and foundation inspections
- Survey with impervious totals
- Roofline and siding drawn to read as one house
- Original wall cut open only after close-in
Structure checked
Second Story or Suite
A full level
- Engineer-checked load path
- Kept under the 36 ft height
- Bath tied into the sewer lateral
- Phased so you can live at home
Set a budget first
Multiply your planned square footage by the guide’s Wisconsin per-square-foot ranges and bring that number to the lot walk.
Board-ready materials
Elm Grove Addition Materials for Frost and Board Review
An addition has to stand up to Wisconsin frost and snow, and in this village it also has to satisfy the Building Board, which rules on exterior appeal before a permit. Materials are chosen for both jobs.
Concrete Footings Below Frost
Poured below the frost line and inspected at footing and foundation stage.
Engineered I-Joists
Long, flat spans so new and old floors meet level.
LVL Headers and Beams
Span the opening cut through the original back wall.
Roof Trusses
Pitch set so the Board sees one roofline.
Wrap and Flashing
Lapped over the joint between old and new walls.
Matched Siding and Trim
Profile, color and trim read as one house.
Energy-Code Windows
Sized for light and egress, with cut sheets for review.
Ductless Mini-Split
Conditions the new room when the existing furnace cannot take more ductwork.
Foundation options compared
Foundation
Cost level
Space below
Where it fits
Slab on grade
Lowest
None
Sunrooms and mudrooms off a ranch
Crawlspace
Moderate
Room to run pipes and ducts
Additions meant to sit flush with the main floor
Full basement
Highest
Extra finishable space
Colonials already on a basement
Matching the existing foundation type keeps old and new floors at one height. On lots near Underwood Creek, grades and drainage are checked before a basement is chosen.
Village housing
Elm Grove Colonials, Capes and Ranches: Addition Options
Elm Grove incorporated in 1955, the median village house dates to 1962, and about half were built between 1940 and 1969. Detached single-family homes make up roughly three in four dwellings, so most additions join a postwar colonial, cape or ranch.
Postwar Colonials and Capes
The largest group, built in the 1950s and 1960s. A rear family room or a primary suite over a new basement usually works, with the addition roof pitched to match the main gable.
Village Ranches
Single-story homes on wooded lots. Spreading out uses the footprint allowance quickly, so a second floor or a modest rear room is often the better fit.
1970s and Later Homes
A little over a third of the stock, including replacement houses. Plans are larger, so additions are usually sunrooms, mudrooms or suites.
Pre-1950 Homes
About one in five houses, from the commuter decades before the village incorporated. Older foundations are checked for load before anything is added.
District Setback and Coverage Limits
RS-1 through RS-4 share the same yard setbacks, but lot size and coverage limits differ, so T And J confirms your district with Zoning and Planning before drawing.
Village approvals
Elm Grove Addition Permits and Building Board Approval
An addition enlarges the footprint, so the village asks for a stamped survey showing footprint and impervious area before and after, scaled elevations of all sides, floor plans of the affected rooms drawn at no less than 1/8 inch to the foot, and a landscaping plan with species, count and size.
The Building Board approves every addition before Zoning and Planning issues a permit. The full package, 14 copies on 11×17 sheets plus a digital set, is due at least 21 days before a first or third Tuesday meeting. The code of conduct sign and a DPW-approved culvert also come before the permit. T and J files all of it.
Required
Building Board approval
Exterior appeal judged before any permit.
Required
Stamped parcel survey
Footprint and impervious area, before and after.
Required
Building and trade permits
Structure, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.
Required
Code of conduct sign
Purchased before the permit issues.
If requested
Grading and drainage plan
Reviewed by the village’s consulting engineer.
If needed
Driveway, culvert or sewer lateral
Right-of-way work or an altered sewer lateral.
The build
Elm Grove Addition Steps, Board to Final
The Board calendar sets the earliest start, so drawings and the survey are finished before anything else. After approval the order is foundation, shell, systems and finishes, with the village inspector signing each stage.
Free site visit · Board package prepared · Stages paid as they finish
First visit
Lot, house and district
John measures the house, walks the yards against the 50, 25 and 20 foot lines, and asks about any past water from Underwood Creek.
At no charge
Design
Drawings and one price
Elevations from every side, floor plans and structure are drawn, then the whole addition is priced as one written figure.
Nothing paid up front
Approvals
Board, survey, permits
The Board package goes in three weeks before a meeting; permits and the code of conduct sign follow approval.
Filed by T And J
Shell
Footings to roof
Footings and foundation are inspected, the frame is tied to the house, and roof, wrap and siding close it in.
One in-house crew
Finish
Systems, rooms and opening
Wiring, plumbing and insulation are inspected before drywall, then trim and flooring go in, and the original wall comes down at the very end.
Walked with Teli and John
Google reviews
4.9
4.9 average from 60+ Google reviews of T And J remodeling projects across Waukesha County and southeastern Wisconsin.
Nearby
Additions in Towns Around Elm Grove
T and J’s Georges Avenue headquarters in Brookfield is a few minutes from the village, so the same crew stays on an Elm Grove addition from footings to final. Neighboring communities run their own permit offices and zoning, so the checks change once you cross the village line.
Brookfield
The City of Brookfield borders most of Elm Grove, and additions there follow city zoning and permits rather than village rules.
Wauwatosa and West Allis
Wauwatosa sits just east across 124th Street, with West Allis to the southeast, each with its own city permit office.
Pewaukee, Delafield, Hartland, Oconomowoc
Pewaukee, Delafield, Hartland and Oconomowoc lie west along I-94 from the Brookfield headquarters, and each applies its own addition rules.
Visit or call
Visit T And J’s Brookfield Headquarters
T and J’s headquarters is at 985 Georges Avenue in Brookfield, off I-94, about 4 miles from Elm Grove. Addition planning starts at your house, since John needs to measure the lot and see where the new roof meets the old one.
T And J All In Remodeling
Brookfield, WI 53045
Monday to Friday
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday
Closed
Water emergencies
24/7
Board questions
Answers for Elm Grove Owners Planning an Addition
Call (262) 352-9525 with your address and John can talk through your lot.
Does every Elm Grove addition need Building Board approval?
Yes. The village’s additions guidance says every addition needs Building Board approval before any permit is issued. The Board judges whether the exterior is compatible with neighboring homes in scale, proportion and materials, and its decision is reported in writing. T And J draws to that standard.
How far ahead do addition plans go to the village?
The complete package, a digital set plus 14 copies on 11×17 sheets, is due to the Zoning and Planning Administrator by 4:30 PM at least 21 days before a first or third Tuesday meeting. T And J builds that lead time into the schedule from the first visit.
How close to the lot line can an Elm Grove addition go?
In the RS-1 to RS-4 districts the house must stay 50 feet from the street, 25 feet from the rear line and 20 feet from each side line. T And J checks those distances on your updated survey before design starts.
How much of my lot can the house and addition cover?
Most single-family districts cap the building footprint at 20 percent of the lot and all hard surfaces at 30 percent, while RS-4 allows 25 and 40. Driveways and patios count, so the survey totals both before and after.
Does Underwood Creek affect building on my lot?
It can. The village zoning code includes floodway and floodplain fringe overlay districts, and Underwood Creek flooded parts of the village repeatedly until the 2003 to 2007 flood project. John confirms with the village whether your parcel falls in an overlay before an addition or basement is drawn.
Can a village ranch take a second story?
Often, if the structure allows. A second floor adds space without adding footprint, which matters on a lot near its coverage cap. An engineer checks the foundation and walls, the house must stay under the 36 foot height limit, and the Board reviews the new elevations.
Do I need a septic evaluation to add a bedroom here?
Generally no. Village homes are on public sanitary sewer, so the Waukesha County septic evaluation for added bedrooms applies to septic properties, not sewered Elm Grove homes. If the sewer lateral is altered, T And J files the village’s lateral disturbance form.
How long do I have to finish once the permit issues?
Village code requires work to start within 60 days of the permit and finish within 24 months, with grading and landscaping done within six months after occupancy. A long phased addition is planned around those limits.
Beyond additions
Elm Grove Remodeling Beyond Additions
Book the walk
Start Your Elm Grove Addition With a Lot Walk
John walks the lot against the village setbacks, looks at how the roofline could tie in, explains the Building Board step and sends one fixed written price. The lot walk is free, and starting requires no deposit.
Elm Grove Addition Request
Requests get a reply from John the same working day.
No deposit · No obligation · Details stay with T And J
