Grand River Builders Inc

Grand River Builders Inc West Michigan's leader in historic building restoration.

Specializing in carpentry, slate, tile, cedar, and copper roofing, masonry, and architectural sheet metal.

Progress update at Hackley and Hume Historic Site After months spent crafting, fitting and priming components for the po...
06/12/2026

Progress update at Hackley and Hume Historic Site

After months spent crafting, fitting and priming components for the porch in our shop in Grand Rapids we have now moved on to installation on site in Muskegon. The old porch was removed, the new porch framed, and flooring has been installed and primed. Exact replica sections of the original porch were recently transported and are now being installed on site.

Repairs were recently completed on these two dormers. Cedar shakes and trim pieces were replaced as needed and new coppe...
06/04/2026

Repairs were recently completed on these two dormers. Cedar shakes and trim pieces were replaced as needed and new copper flashing was installed. The inset dormer also received a brand new copper flat roof and sidewalls in the window well.

Small brick column repair at an East Grand Rapids residence. After the old mortar was removed and the remaining masonry ...
05/27/2026

Small brick column repair at an East Grand Rapids residence. After the old mortar was removed and the remaining masonry soaked, we made test batches of different mortar blends to find the best match. The new mortar was put into place, the joints were struck flat and then the edges were scraped back just a bit to add a shadow around the bricks. We then brushed the work area and scrubbed it vigorously with a weak acid blend.

Restoration work was recently completed on this bridge in Harbert, MI. Old, rotting timbers were removed, new oak timber...
05/19/2026

Restoration work was recently completed on this bridge in Harbert, MI. Old, rotting timbers were removed, new oak timbers were purchased, cut to size and hewn at our shop, then transported to the site and fitted in place and stained.

A built in gutter project in Grand Rapids’s Heritage Hill Historic District. The old gutters were removed, repairs were ...
05/13/2026

A built in gutter project in Grand Rapids’s Heritage Hill Historic District. The old gutters were removed, repairs were made to the framing of the gutters and then brand new copper liners were made in our shop. The new liners were brought to the site, installed, and soldered in place. Downspouts were added, and shingles reinstalled to the bottom of the roof.

Restoration of the belltower of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Muskegon. The architectural sheet metal elements were remov...
05/07/2026

Restoration of the belltower of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Muskegon. The architectural sheet metal elements were removed, brought back to our shop and replicated out of copper. After building a work platform around the top of the belltower, the old flat roof was removed and a new copper flat roof was installed and soldered. The new sheet metal elements were installed and finally everything was painted.

Much needed repairs to the steeple of a former church building in Grand Rapids. Fresh carpentry as well as a new standin...
04/27/2026

Much needed repairs to the steeple of a former church building in Grand Rapids. Fresh carpentry as well as a new standing seam roof.

Replacing a hundred year old slate roof in East Grand Rapids. The old slate was removed. Deck repairs were made as neede...
04/14/2026

Replacing a hundred year old slate roof in East Grand Rapids. The old slate was removed. Deck repairs were made as needed and fresh slate installed.

Copper was used for the flashing, chimney crickets, and hip shingles, as well as for the new gutters. In addition repairs were made to the trim and dormers including new soldered flat roofs for all three dormers.

Copper makes an excellent, long lasting, waterproof, and aesthetically appealing solution to a variety of difficult trou...
04/06/2026

Copper makes an excellent, long lasting, waterproof, and aesthetically appealing solution to a variety of difficult trouble spots such as this.

As our work on the Hackley and Hume Historic Site in Muskegon continues we are pleased to offer these glimpses of the po...
04/02/2026

As our work on the Hackley and Hume Historic Site in Muskegon continues we are pleased to offer these glimpses of the porch skirting and the arches.

Great care was taken in replicating the elements exactly as they originally were. During this process we noted that some of the elements we took off this porch did not exactly match photographs we were able to find from the 19th century. The discrepancies have now been corrected as we have striven at every step to return this structure to its original state.

Sometimes a little bit of research goes a long way.

Address

1627 College Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, MI
49507

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 3pm
Tuesday 7am - 3pm
Wednesday 7am - 3pm
Thursday 7am - 3pm
Friday 7am - 3pm

Telephone

+16164549337

Website

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