Godloves Home Improvements works on homes in Cranbury. We’re based in Hamilton, and owner Charles Godlove has been doing this work since 2005. Cranbury is just over the Mercer County line in southern Middlesex County, bordering East Windsor, Plainsboro, South Brunswick and Monroe. It’s a small township, about 13 square miles with about 3,800 people, and its historic village is the heart of it.
The Cranbury Village Historic District
Cranbury Village has kept much of its 18th- and 19th-century character. Its historic district covers about 175 acres and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, with 177 contributing buildings.
The township also designates the district locally, and its Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) reviews exterior work there. Here’s what that means for homeowners:
- Exterior changes need a Certificate of Approval. Additions, alterations, new construction and changes to how the house looks are reviewed by the HPC.
- Some work can be a minor application. Windows, doors, roofs, siding, trim, shutters and gutters may qualify if they follow the township’s design guidelines.
- In-kind repairs and painting are treated differently. Repairing a feature with matching materials, or just painting, generally doesn’t need HPC review. The township still suggests checking first.
- Interior work isn’t reviewed by the HPC.
The HPC meets monthly at Town Hall on North Main Street, and there’s no fee to apply. We’ve worked on century-old homes that needed Historical Society approval, so we know how to plan a project around review.
Older Homes Need a Careful Hand
In a village house that’s 150 or 200 years old, what you can’t see matters most. Framing may have settled or been changed over the years. Original trim and molding are worth keeping or matching. We build beyond code minimums instead of just aiming to pass inspection, and we treat a historic house as something to preserve, not just update.
Beyond the Village
Not every Cranbury home is historic. Outside the village there are newer homes, farmland and the warehouses along Route 130. Newer homes often have builder-grade finishes ready for an upgrade, and we bring the same care to them.
Getting Started in Cranbury
Godloves Home Improvements is fully licensed (NJ HIC #13VH01205600) and insured, and we accept cash, check and all major credit cards. Call (609) 468-3863 between 7 AM and 8 PM, or use the form below to tell us about your Cranbury home. We’ll set up a free estimate and help you plan for any review your project needs.
