As the season of thankfulness arrives, it’s natural to pause and appreciate the spaces that shape our daily lives. For one Ann Arbor family, gratitude takes the form of a newly expanded home — a place transformed through design, collaboration, and care.
Rochman Design Build’s Arborview Blvd. addition project is a striking example of how thoughtful design can honor the past while creating room for the future. The original 1950s two-story home, located in the city’s historic Old West Side, had good bones and deep sentimental value — but like many older homes, it no longer fit the way its owners wanted to live.
A Home That Grows with You
When the homeowners reached out to Rochman Design Build, they weren’t looking to start over. They wanted to enhance what they already loved — preserving their home’s charm while making it more functional for modern life.
The design team created a two-story addition that seamlessly blends with the home’s existing structure. Downstairs, the once-tight kitchen opened up into a light-filled space with a large central island, a window bench, and a custom wine hutch that makes entertaining a joy. A mudroom with built-in storage now offers an organized transition between indoors and out. Upstairs, a new primary suite provides a full bath and walk-in closet — a welcome retreat that didn’t exist before.
What could have been a simple expansion became something much deeper: a reimagined home that makes everyday living easier, warmer, and more connected.
Gratitude in the Details
There’s something inherently thankful about a project like this — not just in the result, but in the process itself.
For Collaboration: The relationship between homeowner and design-build team was rooted in trust and shared vision — the kind of partnership that makes remodeling not just successful, but rewarding.
For Craftsmanship: Every finish was chosen with care — from the Nantucket gray island contrasting with crisp white cabinetry, to the structural steel beam that opened the main level for better flow.
For Sustainability: Even unseen decisions, like roof design ready for future solar panels, reflect gratitude for both the present and the planet.
For Continuity: Rather than moving, the family stayed rooted in the neighborhood they love — a choice that honors community and history.
Thankfulness at Home
The Arborview project is a reminder that home design isn’t only about square footage or finishes — it’s about how space supports the way we live. A larger kitchen means more family meals. A functional mudroom means less daily chaos. A well-planned addition means the chance to stay in a neighborhood that already feels like home.
In that sense, thankfulness is built right into the walls — gratitude for the team that listened, for the craftsmanship that endures, and for the home that now fits life more beautifully than before.
As we head into the holidays, it’s worth pausing to look around our own spaces with appreciation. Whether your home is one you’ve recently reimagined or one still full of future plans, it remains the backdrop to so much we’re thankful for.
For Rochman Design Build, the Arborview Blvd. home is more than a project. It’s a reflection of what happens when design, intention, and gratitude come together under one roof.