Special Addition: Local Architect, Construction Company Team Up

At a time when homes for sale are staying on the market longer than usual, two local companies are teaming up to provide alternate plans for older individuals looking for new digs.

Mother-in-law suites were once the rage, but in the last few decades, when older people have become more independent, the trend faltered out.

Now, in the middle of a recession, the additions are being built onto more and more homes to accommodate the extended family, not only to save money, but also to keep family closer.

Fumo & Associates of Cinnaminson—an architecture company most noted for the expansion in 1990, the original restaurant and the very office center they sit in along Route 130—is teaming up with local construction company Deck the House Builders, run by Dave Alven of Palmyra.

Expansion and additions are usually the first thing to go out of people's budgets during tough economic times, but these two groups are making it work.

“I approached these guys about getting back into working together,” Alven said. “Times are tough. We brainstormed the idea of in-law suites.”

Friends since high school, Alven, and brothers Rich and Vince Fumo, are using the design/build method, where the designer and builder work hand-in-hand on the project.

“This is a team approach,” Rick Fumo said.

The client can work with both groups to work on a project that meets his or her specific needs and budget.

“It’s very harmonious,” said Vince Fumo. “It’s a one-stop shop.”

The process is simple. The client works with Fumo & Associates on a design for the in-law suite. Typically, it includes bedroom, bathroom, living area and sometimes, even a small kitchen. Separate entrances to the unit are sometimes desired, or even a laundry room.

The client is involved in the process and once a design is finished, Alven and his crew come in. The groups also sub-contract out plumbers, electricians and more so everything is done all at once.

“While we’re designing,” Vince Fumo said, “[Alven] can give his construction input in. It’s a fairness to the client so they can get exactly what they want.”

Alven just recently finished up an addition for an 82-year-old man who moved back in with his daughter and her husband after falling in his home where he was living alone.

It’s still living independently, Alven said, but with that added security.

“With the addition, they can still have that acceptable level of independence,” Vince Fumo said. “It’s important for both parties. They still have the comfort of being in the house with somebody but not dangerously alone.”

Alven has been concentrating his business on in-law suites and the Fumo brothers both agree this business is going to continue to boom.

“Once people hear about it, they say, ‘Hey, maybe this is a good idea,’” Vince Fumo said.

The companies can build over a garage or an existing floor plan.

“We an turn anything into livable space,” Alven said.

Designs can be as low as $40,000 and go up to as high as $80,000. The average addition takes 10 to 12 weeks.

Call Deck The House at 856-829-1590 or Fumo & Associates at 856-829-3221 for more information.