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Lakefront kitchen in Commerce Township with white cabinets and a dock view through French doors

Oakland County · about 40 min (25 mi)

Kitchen Remodeling in Commerce Township, MI

Lake houses on Commerce, Long and Union lakes, and the subdivisions in between.

  • ★ 5.0 on Google (28 reviews)
  • MI Residential Builder #2101209269
  • CMKBD · CAPS · CLIPP designer
  • Serving since 2020

Kitchen remodeling in Commerce Township splits between the lakes and the subdivisions. Houses on Commerce, Long and Union lakes range from rebuilt cottages to large newer homes, while subdivisions from the 1990s onward fill the land between them and along Haggerty and M-5. The township was first settled as a resort area, and that history still shows in narrow lake lots, add-on rooms and kitchens wedged between the view and the garage.

Our studio in Pinckney is about 40 minutes (25 miles) away, so Commerce visits are booked by appointment and each one is planned around a stage of the work. Nick Vanderhovel handles the design personally and stays involved through installation.

Proud Lake, Union Lake Road and who issues the permit

Commerce Township takes in Proud Lake Recreation Area and a long run of the Huron River, and its main roads, Union Lake Road and Commerce Road among them, link the lake neighborhoods. The township runs its own building department, and the Village of Wolverine Lake inside its borders is a separate local government. Confirm which office covers your address and its current requirements before booking work.

For township addresses, the Building Department at 2009 Township Drive takes the residential building application and issues electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits separately, so a kitchen with a moved sink, a new range circuit and a relocated vent usually involves several permits and inspections. The township also points out that when a homeowner pulls a permit for a hired contractor, the department has no hold over that contractor. That is one reason we prefer the licensed contractor doing the work to pull it.

M-5 ends inside the township; a longer route was shelved, partly because so many lakes sat in its path. Lake streets are mostly reached on two-lane roads, which we account for when scheduling deliveries and dumpsters.

Nick holds Michigan builder license #2101209269 in his own name, along with his kitchen and bath design certification from the NKBA.

Kitchen NV

10094 Kress Rd, Pinckney, MI 48169

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Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5 p.m. · Design consultations by appointment

Typical drive from our Pinckney base: ~40 min (25 mi).

Forty minutes from Pinckney, one planned meeting at a time

After an initial call, Nick comes out to the house, asks a long list of questions about how you live there, and measures the kitchen. On lake homes he also notes the deck and dock entry, window heights and where wet traffic comes in, because those set the layout.

Design work runs under a retainer and ends with drawings, renderings and a pricing presentation. Selections follow with samples seen in your own lake light, then the cabinet order through Kitchen NV and a build by partner contractors, with Nick on site for key milestones.

Lake-side entry with bench and towel hooks next to a Commerce Township kitchen
A lake-side entry with bench, hooks and durable tile planned next to the kitchen.

Rebuilt cottages and newer subdivisions around the lakes

Many lake lots in Commerce once held small seasonal cottages. Some were winterized and expanded, leaving kitchens with low ceilings and awkward additions; others were torn down for larger houses with open kitchens facing the water. Both share a constraint: the lake wall is glass, so storage has to live elsewhere, and the kitchen becomes the hallway between deck and house.

In the expanded cottages, the kitchen often straddles the original structure and a later addition, so the floor may step or slope where they meet and the ceiling height changes mid-room. We check what sits under the floor — crawl space, slab or a later basement — before planning a sink or island move, since that decides how plumbing and venting can travel.

Away from the water, 1990s and 2000s subdivisions have open plans with builder cabinets and modest islands, the same story as much of western Oakland. Those kitchens are usually a re-plan within the existing footprint. The township runs water and sewer service through the same department; where a house is still on a private well, it needs room for treatment equipment and a fixture plan that suits the water.

Expanded cottage kitchen in Commerce Township joining an old section and newer addition
A kitchen spanning an original cottage room and a later addition, unified with one cabinet line.

Planning a kitchen in Commerce Township? Call (810) 923-8792

Call Kitchen NV in Pinckney, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Design consultations are by appointment.

  • ★ 5.0 on Google (28 reviews)
  • MI Residential Builder #2101209269
  • CMKBD · CAPS · CLIPP designer
  • Serving since 2020

Kitchen remodeling in Commerce Township, lake or subdivision

Client reviews

What clients near Commerce Township say about working with Nick

★ 5.0 average from 28 Google reviews

★★★★★
“We recently finished a renovation of our kitchen, laundry/mudroom, and family room. Nick, and our contractor Renovations Unlimited, were great! I had gone to several different kitchen design places before choosing Nick and I am so glad that I chose them. Nick was the first designer that actually listened to what I wanted and didn't try and expand my kitchen into another room of my house. The design that they came up with was perfect! Nick was very involved throughout the process and was always available to answer questions and willing to help when issues came up. I wish I had better pictures b/c the ones I have attached don't do it justice. It turned out great!! We absolutely LOVE our new space and would highly recommend Nick and Renovations Unlimited.”
Michelle M.Google review · 5 years ago (as of Nov 2026)
★★★★★
“Nick redesigned my kitchen in a way I never would have imagined. He made use of all available space and made the kitchen look larger. There is more counter space. I love the drawers. The overall design is beautiful. I was also very it impressed by how well all the contractors worked together and did not waste a single day.”
LeoGoogle review · 5 years ago (as of Nov 2026)

Kitchen remodeling in Commerce Township: common questions

Where does storage go in a Commerce Township lake kitchen with a glass lake wall?

Usually onto the interior walls and into the island. We plan tall pantry cabinets on the wall opposite the view, deep drawers in the island and sometimes a walk-in or reach-in pantry carved from a hallway. That keeps the windows clear while matching the storage of a conventional kitchen. Nick shows each option in 3D first.

Can a winterized Commerce cottage kitchen be redone without an addition?

Often, yes. Re-planning the existing footprint, raising or opening a ceiling where structure allows and moving the laundry or mechanicals can free enough space. If an addition is still needed, the drawings show it early so setbacks and permits can be checked with the township before design goes further.

Which office handles kitchen permits in Commerce Township versus Wolverine Lake?

For most addresses it is the Commerce Township Building Department on Township Drive, which issues the building permit and the separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. The Village of Wolverine Lake is its own municipality inside the township, so homes there start with a call to the village. Our project scope names every permit and who files it; confirm current rules with that office before work is booked.

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Planning guides

Start your Commerce Township kitchen with a call to Nick

Call Kitchen NV in Pinckney, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Design consultations are by appointment.

  • ★ 5.0 on Google (28 reviews)
  • MI Residential Builder #2101209269
  • CMKBD · CAPS · CLIPP designer
  • Serving since 2020
Call (810) 923-8792Request design