A home remodeling contractor based in Lawrence Township#
The 5th Wall LLC works from 106 Glenview Dr, Lawrence, NJ 08648, in the 08648 ZIP code most Lawrence Township homes share. Tony Karpontinis has spent over twenty years in the trades across Central New Jersey; he and his son Stefanos made the company official in 2020. The 5th Wall LLC is registered as a New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor, #13VH14128900, with the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, and carries $2M in general liability insurance.
What that means on a Lawrence Township job: the people who price the work are the people who build it. Stefanos runs the schedule and the crew and keeps you informed; Tony is on the tools. There is no sales representative and no project manager you have never met. Meet the two of us →
Call (609) 954-3659 or request a free estimate →. We work in every section of the township: Lawrenceville village, the Route 1 and Quaker Bridge corridor, the Cold Soil Road and Eggerts Crossing neighborhoods, and the Darrah Lane and Province Line Road side toward Princeton.
Is Lawrence Township the same as Lawrenceville, NJ?#
Not exactly, and the difference matters when you search for a contractor or file a permit.
- Lawrence Township is the municipality: about 22 square miles between Princeton and Trenton, 33,077 residents at the 2020 census, home to Rider University, the Lawrenceville School and the Quaker Bridge Mall (Lawrence Township, Mercer County, Wikipedia).
- Lawrenceville is the historic village inside the township: a census-designated place of 3,751 people centered on Main Street, whose Main Street Historic District has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972 (Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Wikipedia).
- Most of the township shares ZIP code 08648, and most residents have a Lawrenceville mailing address, although the Postal Service has preferred "Lawrence Township" as the name for 08648 since 2007, and homes at the edges carry Princeton or Trenton mailing addresses (Lawrence Township, Wikipedia). That is why Google shows contractors under both names.
- Permits for both go to the same office: the Lawrence Township Construction Code Enforcement Division at 2207 Lawrenceville Road.
If your mailing address says Lawrenceville, you live in Lawrence Township and everything on this page applies to you. We also keep pages for the village itself: Lawrenceville home renovation →, basement finishing in Lawrenceville →, decks and patios in Lawrenceville → and drywall and framing in Lawrenceville →.
Home remodeling in Lawrence Township: what we do#
- Kitchen remodeling. Open-concept conversions in the 1970s and 1980s colonials and split-levels off the Route 1 corridor; cabinet, counter and layout refreshes in the older Lawrenceville village homes. Kitchen remodeling in Lawrence → · What a Lawrence kitchen remodel costs →
- Bathroom remodeling. From a same-layout refresh to a full gut with a tiled walk-in shower, and adding a second full bath to a one-bath house. Bathroom remodeling in Lawrence →
- Basement finishing. Clay-heavy soil is common in Lawrence, so drainage is checked before a single wall is framed. Basement finishing in Lawrence → · Plan a Lawrence basement →
- Home additions. Bump-outs, first-floor primary suites, second-story additions, in-law suites and sunrooms. Details and costs in the next section. Home additions in Lawrence →
- Roofing and siding. Full tear-off and replacement with architectural shingles; James Hardie fiber cement, insulated vinyl or engineered wood siding. Roofing in Lawrence → · Siding in Lawrence →
- Decks and patios. Composite and pressure-treated decks, paver and natural-stone patios. Decks and patios in Lawrence →
- Gutters. Seamless gutter installation, repair and guards. Gutters in Lawrence →
- Whole-home renovation, flooring, drywall and framing, painting, demolition and construction cleaning. Whole-home renovation → · Flooring → · Drywall and framing → · Painting → · Demolition → · Construction cleaning →
Home additions in Lawrence Township, NJ#
When a Lawrence Township family outgrows the house but not the town, an addition keeps the schools, the commute and the neighbors. We build ground-floor room additions and bump-outs, first-floor primary suites, second-story additions, in-law suites, accessory dwelling units, sunrooms and garage conversions, matched to the existing roofline, siding profile and trim so the addition reads as part of the original house.
What a home addition costs in Lawrence Township#
These working ranges come from our NJ home addition cost guide, which cites Bankrate, Angi, Design Build Planners and the NJ building subcode. Lawrence Township sits inside the Central NJ market those figures describe.
| Addition type | Working range (Central NJ, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Standard ground-floor room addition | $175 to $375 per sq ft; a 400 sq ft room runs $70,000 to $150,000 |
| Primary suite (bedroom plus full bath, about 500 sq ft) | $106,920 to $173,700; NJ average $146,980 |
| Bathroom-heavy or kitchen-heavy addition | $325 to $650+ per sq ft |
| Second-story addition | $300 to $550 per sq ft |
| Sunroom | $150 to $300 per sq ft |
| Adding 1,000 sq ft | $250,000 to $500,000 |
Labor is 40 to 60 percent of an addition's cost, and New Jersey labor and permit costs run 15 to 25 percent above national averages, which is why the first square foot of an addition is the most expensive one. Every estimate we write is itemized: foundation, framing, roof tie-in, exterior matching, mechanicals, permits and finishes on separate lines.
What Lawrence Township requires for an addition#
- It is a regular permit. The township's Construction Code Enforcement Division lists additions with new buildings, decks and pools in its "regular permit" class, as opposed to minor work (Lawrence Township Construction Code Enforcement Division).
- Zoning comes first. The Municipal Engineer, James Parvesse, P.E., serves as Lawrence Township's Zoning Officer and checks every residential zoning permit application; setbacks, lot coverage and height limits come from the township's Land Use Ordinance. Engineering, Planning & Zoning: (609) 844-7087, 2207 Lawrenceville Road, Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Engineering, Planning & Zoning · Land Use Ordinance). The township's booklet "Working with our Planning and Zoning Boards" walks through a variance hearing if the lot cannot take the addition as of right.
- The permit fee for the added portion is computed like new construction: $0.030 per cubic foot of the addition, plus a plan examination fee of 20 percent of that permit fee, plus $15 per plumbing fixture and the electrical device count. A renovation combined with an addition is priced as the sum of the two calculations (Lawrence Township construction permit fee schedule, PDF).
- Footings go 36 inches below grade. Mercer County falls in New Jersey's northern frost-depth zone under the state building subcode, so addition footings are dug at least 36 inches down to prevent frost heave (NJ IRC 2021, chapter 3, UpCodes). Clay-heavy soil in parts of Lawrence can call for engineering on top of that minimum.
- A licensed professional draws the plans. Lawrence Township accepts drawings from the homeowner of an owner-occupied one- or two-family house or from a New Jersey licensed architect or engineer, two sets, and states that it is illegal for builders or contractors to draw construction plans. For an addition that means an architect or engineer is part of the team from the start.
Lawrence Township building permits: what the Construction Office actually requires#
Lawrence Township Construction Code Enforcement Division, Municipal Building, 2207 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrence Township, NJ 08648. Phone (609) 844-7056. Office hours Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Construction Official: James DeForte (source: lawrencetwp.com). Permits already on file can be looked up by address, owner or contractor in the township's online permit portal.
Work that does not need a permit in Lawrence Township#
The township classes the following as ordinary maintenance on a one- or two-family house, no permit required (township permit requirements):
- Interior and exterior painting
- Replacing any window or door, including garage doors, in the same opening without changing the framing
- New flooring; interior or exterior trim and moldings
- Repairing or replacing the roof covering, or the siding, on a detached one- or two-family house
- Replacing faucets, fixtures with a similar fixture, clothes washers and dishwashers, with no change to the piping
- Replacing receptacles, switches and light fixtures; installing battery smoke alarms and plug-in CO alarms
So a straight tear-off and re-shingle, or a like-for-like siding replacement, does not need a Lawrence Township permit. Structural repairs underneath, a new skylight or a new opening do.
Work that needs a permit#
- Minor work is everything that is not ordinary maintenance: a kitchen or bathroom remodel that moves plumbing or adds circuits, a panel upgrade, opening or removing a wall, finishing a basement.
- Regular permits cover new buildings, additions, decks, pools, fences and sheds.
- Emergency work such as a roof leak or a failed heater may start immediately, but a permit must be filed within 72 hours.
What the township inspects on the two most common Lawrence projects#
For a finished basement, the township's own checklist calls for two copies each of a wall section, a ceiling section and floor plans showing rooms, ductwork and electrical, and it inspects at six points: mechanical (ducts in, before cover), rough electric, frame, above ceiling, insulation, and final with smoke and CO alarms installed. A basement bathroom adds slab, rough and final plumbing inspections, requested before any wall or ceiling finish goes on (Lawrence Township: Basement).
For a deck, the township wants zoning approval marked on the property survey before the construction permit, then inspects the footing holes before concrete, the framing and ledger bolts before decking, and the guards, handrails and stairs at final (Lawrence Township: Deck/Patio).
Lawrence Township permit fees#
The township publishes its construction permit fee schedule, set by ordinance and effective May 5, 2009 (fee schedule, PDF):
- Minimum fee for any construction permit: $46
- Renovations, alterations and repairs: $28 per $1,000 of estimated cost up to $50,000; $22 per $1,000 from $50,001 to $100,000; $18 per $1,000 above $100,000
- Plumbing: $15 per fixture; $85 per special device, including gas piping
- Electrical: $46 per block of up to 25 receptacles or fixtures; $55 per service panel or sub-panel up to 200 amps
- Demolition permit: $80 for a one- or two-family house
- Certificate of occupancy: minimum $80 for a one- or two-family house under 5,000 sq ft
- Plan examination on new construction and additions: 20 percent of the permit fee
Worked example: a $45,000 kitchen remodel carries a $1,260 building fee (45 × $28) before the per-fixture plumbing and electrical counts. The township makes the final call on estimated cost, and may ask for the contractor's bid. Permit fees appear as their own line on every estimate we write.
Contractor registration#
Residential contractors working in Lawrence Township must be registered with the State of New Jersey; The 5th Wall LLC is NJ HIC #13VH14128900. Contractors on commercial projects also need the township's own annual contractor's license. Where a contractor is hired for plumbing, electrical or mechanical work, each copy of the permit application carries that contractor's raised seal. The township also enforces a construction noise ordinance that sets the hours a crew may work.
Read our full guide to Lawrence Township building permits →
Lawrence Township neighborhoods and the homes we work on#
Lawrenceville village. The oldest housing in the township sits around Main Street: colonials, Craftsman bungalows and 1940s and 1950s Cape Cods with plaster walls, original hardwood and, often, a single full bathroom. The usual work here is a kitchen that keeps the character, a second bathroom, and insulation, window and HVAC upgrades for houses built before modern energy codes.
Quaker Bridge and the Route 1 corridor. The neighborhoods along Brunswick Pike and Federal City Road filled in from the 1960s through the 1990s with colonials, bi-levels, split-levels and townhome communities. These houses are now 30 to 60 years old: kitchens, bathrooms, roofs and siding are due for replacement, and the closed-off kitchen is the first wall most owners want gone.
Cold Soil Road and Eggerts Crossing. Established 1960s to 1980s colonials on larger lots. Full kitchen renovations, basement finishing and decks that use the yard are the common projects.
Darrah Lane and Province Line Road. The western edge toward Princeton, with newer or already-renovated homes where projects lean to premium finishes: custom cabinetry, natural stone, designer fixtures and outdoor living space.
What home remodeling costs in Lawrence Township#
Lawrence Township prices track the Central NJ market. The ranges below come from our sourced NJ cost guides; your estimate is specific to your house.
| Project | Typical range | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen remodel | $15,000 to $30,000 cosmetic refresh; $35,000 to $75,000 mid-range; $75,000 to $150,000+ full gut | NJ kitchen remodel cost |
| Bathroom remodel | $15,000 to $25,000 basic; $25,000 to $40,000 standard full remodel; $40,000 to $75,000 primary bath | NJ bathroom remodel cost |
| Basement finishing | $30 to $50 per sq ft basic; $50 to $65 mid-range; $65 to $80+ full suite (1,000 sq ft: $30,000 to $80,000+) | NJ basement finishing cost |
| Roof replacement | $11,000 to $16,000 for a 1,500 sq ft roof in architectural shingles; $17,500 to $25,000 for a 2,500 sq ft colonial | NJ roof replacement cost |
| Siding replacement | $12,000 to $26,000 standard vinyl or $26,000 to $45,000 fiber cement on a 2,500 sq ft home | NJ siding replacement cost |
| Deck | $15 to $25 per sq ft pressure-treated; $30 to $55 composite | NJ deck cost per sq ft |
| Home addition | $175 to $375 per sq ft standard; $300 to $550 second story | NJ home addition cost |
Why Lawrence Township homeowners call The 5th Wall LLC#
- We are in the township. 106 Glenview Dr, Lawrence, NJ 08648. No travel charge, and the owners can be at your house the same day when something comes up.
- Registered and insured. NJ Home Improvement Contractor #13VH14128900 and $2M general liability. Ask for the documents; we bring them to the first visit.
- Father and son on the job. The people who walk the estimate run the project. Stefanos manages the schedule and the crew; Tony builds.
- Written, itemized estimates. Materials, labor, permit fees, dumpster and cleanup on separate lines before you sign.
- Permits handled. We file with the Lawrence Township Construction Office, schedule every inspection and stay on site for them.
Ready to talk about your Lawrence Township remodel or addition? Call (609) 954-3659 or request a free estimate →.
Nearby towns we also serve#
Lawrence sits in the middle of Mercer County, so the surrounding towns are minutes away:
- Princeton, north on Route 206. Historic homes, premium renovation market.
- Hamilton, south. Mercer County's largest township: Cape Cods, split-levels and newer construction.
- Trenton, southwest. The state capital, with Victorian row homes and older construction.
- Ewing, west. Mid-century homes near The College of New Jersey.
- West Windsor, east. Commuter community with high finish expectations.
- Lawrenceville, the historic village inside Lawrence Township.
Start your Lawrence Township project#
Whether it is a 1970s kitchen off Quaker Bridge Road, a basement on Cold Soil Road, a roof in Lawrenceville village or an addition that lets your family stay put, The 5th Wall LLC is the contractor down the road.
Call (609) 954-3659 for a free, no-obligation estimate, or fill out our contact form →.