# Custom Home Builder in Napoleon, Michigan — Strouss Construction

> New homes, barndominiums, additions and pole barns in Napoleon, Michigan, from the Wolf Lakes to the acreage on the township section roads.

Napoleon sits about ten miles southeast of Jackson, where M-50 crosses Austin Road and the township spreads into farm ground, section roads and lake frontage. Strouss Construction has built in Jackson County since 1949, and the fourth generation still works the jobs.

Almost no two Napoleon lots are alike. A small older lot near the corner and a ten acre parcel out past Wolf Lake Road are two different builds, with different utility questions, different driveway approaches and different ways to sit a house on the ground.

## On the Lakes
Around Big Wolf Lake, Little Wolf Lake and Ackerson Lake the lots are narrow and deep and fall toward the water. Many of those neighborhoods are tied into the Wolf Lake sewer system, which changes the math on a teardown and rebuild compared with a lake lot that still carries its own septic. Near the corner of M-50 and Austin Road, older homes on smaller lots usually call for an addition, a rebuilt garage or a whole house remodel instead of starting over.

## Out on the Section Roads
Most new construction happens on the acreage out Wolf Lake Road, Napoleon Road and Clark Lake Road. Out there you are usually on a private well and a septic field, power may need to be pulled in, and a barndominium or a house with a large attached shop is often what people actually want. The ground rolls as you move south toward Columbia Township and the Irish Hills, so grade, glacial soil and drainage get sorted before we set a footing depth.

## Where We Build Around Napoleon
Downtown Napoleon at M-50 and Austin Road, Big Wolf Lake and Little Wolf Lake, Ackerson Lake, Wolf Lake Road and Napoleon Road, Clark Lake Road and the Columbia Township line, Norvell Township

## What We Build in Napoleon
- **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
### Can we put up a barndominium on acreage in Napoleon Township?
Yes, and it is one of the more common asks out on the section roads. The things to settle first are the zoning on your parcel under the Napoleon Township ordinance, the well and septic approval through the county health department, and the driveway approach, which goes through the county road department or through MDOT if you are tying into M-50. After that we lay out the shop and the living space as one building.

### We have an older cottage on Wolf Lake. Does an addition make sense or should we tear down and rebuild?
Both happen along the Wolf Lake shoreline. It comes down to the foundation under the old cottage, how much buildable room is left after the shoreline setbacks on a narrow lot, and whether the lot is on the Wolf Lake sewer or still on its own septic. We can walk the property, look at what is actually holding the house up, and give you a straight answer before you spend money on drawings.

### Our driveway would come off M-50. Does that change anything?
It changes who signs off on it. A driveway onto a county road goes through the county road department, but M-50 is a state highway, so a new approach there is an MDOT permit. We have been through both processes and handle the application as part of the site work.

### Who issues building permits in Napoleon?
Zoning and the building permit run through Napoleon Township for parcels in the township, and the well and septic approvals come from the county health department. We tell you up front which office your parcel answers to and carry the paperwork ourselves.

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