Transform your home
We take on a limited number of projects every year, which means the conversations we have are unhurried and without obligation. If you've been thinking about adding on, we should talk.
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Home Additions
You picked the neighborhood for a reason. An addition lets you stay — with more room, more light, and a home that finally fits.
Four generations · Family-run since 1940 · LEED-certified builds available
Home Additions in Greater Cincinnati
You’ve thought about moving. A bigger primary suite. A real mudroom. A proper office. A place for your parents, or your college kid, or both. But every time you scroll the listings, nothing feels like where you are. The schools are here. The walk is here. Your neighbors are here. The yard the kids grew up in is here.
A thoughtful addition is almost always a better answer than starting over somewhere else. The trick is making it feel like it was always there — matching rooflines, siding profiles, trim details, and window proportions so close that no one could tell you what’s new.
We’ve been adding onto homes across Greater Cincinnati since 1940. We’ll come walk the house, study how it’s actually used, and show you what’s possible.
What homeowners are adding
Every home is different. These are the projects we build most often in Hyde Park, Indian Hill, Mariemont, and the surrounding neighborhoods we work in.
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Primary suite additions
A real primary bedroom, a spa-scale bath, a walk-in closet that holds both wardrobes. Most often built to the rear or above an existing one-story wing. It's the single most requested addition we do, the one with the strongest resale story, and the one clients tell us they should have done five years sooner.
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Second-story additions
For one-story homes with tight lots or mature trees that won't give you room to spread out, we go up. That requires honest structural and foundation analysis before design begins — and careful staging so the rest of the house stays livable while the roof comes off. Done well, it doubles your square footage without adding a square foot of footprint.
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In-law and multigenerational suites
A self-contained bedroom, bath, and often a small sitting area or kitchenette — for aging parents, returning adult children, or long-term guests who deserve real privacy. We've built plenty of these with separate entrances and zoned HVAC so everyone gets what they need.
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Sunrooms and four-season rooms
Light-filled rooms that connect the house to the yard. Properly insulated, conditioned, and framed to last — so you actually use them in February, not just June. Skip the prefab approach; a custom-built sunroom reads as architecture instead of an attachment.
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Family room and great room expansions
Opening up a cramped back of the house with a larger, better-lit gathering space. Usually paired with a kitchen refresh so the new volume and the old floor plan flow together. Ceiling heights, sightlines, and natural light — planned together.
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Home offices and studios
Purpose-built, acoustically insulated, carefully wired for how you actually work in 2026 and beyond. Often above a garage, over a bump-out, or tucked into an underused corner of the lot. A room you'll choose to be in, not tolerate.
Renovations & Additions
Dennis Ott Custom Home Renovations is the perfect choice for homeowners looking to elevate their living spaces through expertly executed renovations and remodeling projects.
Detached garages. Pool houses. Covered porches. Carriage houses with finished space above. The same craft and architectural integrity, on a smaller footprint.
If you’re considering one of these, we should be in the conversation early — siting, grading, and approvals are easier to plan than to fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a home addition cost in Cincinnati?
For a well-built addition in Greater Cincinnati, budget roughly $300 to $600 per square foot, depending on finish level and whether it’s an over-garage, ground-floor, or second-story build. A primary suite addition typically runs $200K to $500K. We’ll give you an estimate after walking the property with you.
Is it better to add on or move?
If you love the lot, the schools, and the neighborhood — and most of our clients do — adding on is almost always the better answer both financially and emotionally. Moving costs that rarely show up on a spreadsheet (closing fees, staging, realtor commissions, moving costs, the emotional toll of leaving) often exceed what a well-built addition actually requires.
How long does a home addition take?
Plan on 4 to 9 months of construction, preceded by 2 to 3 months of design and permitting. Second-story addition projects sit at the longer end. Sunrooms and smaller ground-floor additions are faster.
Do I need permits for a home addition in Cincinnati?
Yes — every township and municipality in Greater Cincinnati requires permits for additions. Mariemont, Wyoming, and parts of Hyde Park and Indian Hill have additional exterior design review. We handle all of it, including the meetings and the paperwork.
Can I stay in my home during the addition?
For most additions — primary suites, sunrooms, over-garage rooms — yes. We seal off the work zone, keep dust controlled, and schedule around the rooms you actually need to live in. For larger scopes that touch mechanical systems or the kitchen, we’ll plan around whichever option works best for your family.