Plan Your Home Addition With Confidence

Yes, and we have experience navigating the requirements that come with it. Columbus has several designated historic districts, including German Village, Victorian Village, Italian Village, Olde Towne East, and the Brewery District. Each one falls under the oversight of the Columbus Historic Preservation Office, and any exterior alteration or addition requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit can be issued.

That process involves submitting design plans to the local architectural review commission for approval. The commission evaluates whether the proposed addition is compatible with the surrounding historic architecture in terms of scale, materials, roofline, and setback. We prepare these submissions and attend review meetings on your behalf.

The goal is an addition that satisfies the commission and looks like it belongs. Many of the homes in these neighborhoods are Italianate, Queen Anne, or Victorian in style, and the detailing matters. We work with these styles regularly and know how to design additions that pass review without watering down what makes these homes special.

Columbus building permits are managed by the Department of Building and Zoning Services (BZS) at 111 N. Front Street. For a residential addition, you will need to submit an application along with scaled construction drawings through the city’s online Citizen Access Portal. Once submitted, a plan reviewer is assigned and has up to 30 days to issue an approval or request corrections. Most residential projects receive comments after the initial review, so expect at least one round of revisions before full approval is granted.

If your property is in an unincorporated area of Franklin County, the permit falls under the Franklin County Building Department instead, where the process and timeline differ slightly. Surrounding municipalities like Upper Arlington, Worthington, Westerville, and Dublin also run their own building departments with independent requirements.

We handle all of this for you. Diamond in the Rough prepares the drawings, submits the applications, manages reviewer comments, and schedules every inspection through final sign-off. You stay informed without having to manage the paperwork.

Our home base is in Sugarcreek, Ohio, about 90 minutes east of Columbus. We regularly take on projects in Columbus proper and throughout the surrounding metro, including Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, Bexley, Clintonville, Worthington, Westerville, Dublin, Hilliard, Grove City, and Reynoldsburg.

We work anywhere within roughly two hours of Sugarcreek, which also covers the Canton, Akron, and Cleveland markets. If you are unsure whether your location falls within our service area, request a quote and include your address. We will let you know right away.

Every project gets a dedicated project manager assigned before construction begins. That person is your direct line of communication for the entire build. They coordinate the schedule, manage subcontractors, handle any change orders, and keep you updated on progress without you having to chase anyone down.

This is not a call center or a rotating team. Your project manager knows the specifics of your home, your budget, and your priorities because they have been involved since the planning phase. It is one of the things our clients consistently highlight in their reviews, and it is a core part of how Diamond in the Rough operates.

Most Columbus homes can accommodate an addition, but the approach changes based on the home’s style and lot. The city’s housing stock is wide-ranging, and each type presents different opportunities.

American Foursquares and Sears kit homes are common in Clintonville and the neighborhoods north of campus. These were built on narrow streetcar lots, so rear additions and second-story expansions tend to make the most sense. The boxy proportions of a Foursquare actually make structural additions relatively straightforward compared to more ornate styles.

Victorian and Italianate homes in areas like Victorian Village and Olde Towne East have complex rooflines and decorative details that require careful matching. Additions on these homes are absolutely doable, but the design phase takes more time to get the proportions and materials right.

Mid-century ranches and split-levels are widespread in Upper Arlington, Westerville, and the outer suburbs. These are some of the most common candidates for bump-outs, sunroom additions, and second-story builds because the original floor plans were designed for a different era of living and often feel undersized by current standards.

The brick cottages and row-style homes in German Village have tighter lot constraints, but even there, rear additions and kitchen expansions are popular projects. We assess every home individually during the design phase to determine the best approach for the structure, the lot, and the neighborhood context.