# Custom Home Builder in Jackson, Michigan — Strouss Construction

> Custom homes, barndominiums, additions and pole barns in Jackson, Michigan from a fourth generation family builder working here since 1949.

Strouss Construction has been building in Jackson since 1949, and the fourth generation of the family runs the company now from right here in the county. We build new homes, barndominiums, garages, additions and commercial buildings, and the family and crew do the work themselves.

We know the difference between putting up a home on a 50 foot lot off West Michigan Avenue and setting one on ten acres out toward Sandstone or Rives, because we have done both for decades.

## Inside the City
The older neighborhoods are full of early century two stories, craftsman bungalows and postwar ranches on narrow lots, many near Ella Sharp Park and the streets off Michigan Avenue. Work there is usually an addition, a dormer, a kitchen and bath remodel, or replacing a sagging one car garage with something that actually fits a truck. Plaster, old framing and lot line setbacks decide what is possible, and city review applies inside the limits.

## Out in the Townships
Push past Summit, Blackman or Leoni Township and people are building on five and ten acre splits off old farm ground, on wooded parcels near Waterloo, or on lake lots at Clark Lake, Vandercook Lake and Gilletts Lake where a seasonal cottage comes down and a year round home goes up. Those builds start with a perc test, a well, a driveway and often a pole barn before the house.

## Where We Build Around Jackson
Downtown Jackson, Summit Township, Blackman Township, Vandercook Lake, Michigan Center, Spring Arbor Township

## What We Build in Jackson
- **New Homes & Barndominiums** ([details](https://stroussconstruction.com/services/new-homes-barndominiums.md))
- **Additions & Remodeling** ([details](https://stroussconstruction.com/services/additions-remodeling.md))
- **Garages & Barns** ([details](https://stroussconstruction.com/services/garages-barns.md))
- **Commercial Construction** ([details](https://stroussconstruction.com/services/commercial-construction.md))

## FAQ
### Do I pull permits through the City of Jackson or through the county?
It depends on which side of the city line your lot sits on. A project inside Jackson city limits is reviewed by the city. A build out in Summit, Blackman, Leoni or one of the other townships goes through that township's own building department, and the well and septic permits come from the county health department. We sort out which office applies before anything gets ordered, and we handle that paperwork ourselves.

### Can you build a barndominium or a pole barn outside the city?
Yes. Most of that work happens out in the rural townships west and north of Jackson, on acreage off the farm roads around Parma, Sandstone, Rives and Tompkins, where zoning allows a large post frame building and there is room for a drive and a turnaround. What matters most is the site. Grade, drainage, where the well and septic go, and how far power has to run all shape the plan.

### Do you build on the lakes around Jackson?
Yes. Clark Lake, Vandercook Lake and Gilletts Lake all have older cottages coming down and year round homes going up in their place. Lake lots are usually narrow with the buildable area squeezed between the road and the water, so setbacks, septic placement and equipment access get sorted before anything is drawn.

### Can you add on to an older home in town?
That is steady work for us. A lot of the housing inside the city went up before 1940, which means plaster walls, old framing and additions that were stacked on over the years. We open things up, see what is carrying the load, and build the new part to match the house instead of looking bolted on.

## Contact
Phone (517) 750-0031 · https://stroussconstruction.com/contact