Luxury Updated Homes upgrades small homes into larger luxuries

James Danley hates mediocrity. So much so that the local entrepreneur started a business focused on turning ho-hum homes in Oakland County into high-end living spaces. Luxury Updated Homes specializes in taking run-of-the-mill bungalows and ranches in Oakland County's tony municipalities and turning them into larger, luxury houses that fetch top dollar. Most of the houses are foreclosures in need of a lot of tender loving care. Danley's business acquires them, enlarges them and infuses high-end materials and finishes. "We will spend a lot more money on materials than a lot of other contractors will," Danley says. The 1-year-old firm now employs four people and 50 independent contractors. It has renovated 10 homes so far in Farmington Hills, Beverly Hills, Franklin and West Bloomfield. It got its start tackling houses in the $100,000 range. Its most recent renovations have hit the $500,000 price point and Danley is starting to focus on even more expensive housing stock in Birmingham. Luxury Updated Homes will often take a bungalow or ranch, tear off the roof and add a full second story to double the square footage. Danley is also looking to get into some new construction projects where older, smaller homes will be razed to make way for bigger, more up-to-date houses. Source: James Danley, president & owner of Luxury Updated Homes Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.