When your home begins to feel too small, moving isn’t your only option. A thoughtfully designed addition or pop-top allows your home to grow alongside your family, your lifestyle, and your future—without leaving the neighborhood you love. Whether you’re adding a second story, expanding your kitchen and living spaces, creating a new primary suite, building a home office, or making room for a growing family, every addition should feel intentional rather than attached. At Forge & Bow, we approach every home addition with the same architectural thinking, craftsmanship, and attention to detail as a custom home. As a fully integrated design-build firm, our architects, interior designers, and construction professionals collaborate from the very beginning, ensuring the new spaces blend seamlessly with your home’s existing architecture while improving how it functions every day. The result is more than additional square footage—it’s a home that feels cohesive, timeless, and designed as though it has always been this way.
ARTISTRY | QUALITY | TIMELESSNESS
Expanding an existing home requires thoughtful planning, technical expertise, and careful coordination. Structural modifications, zoning requirements, engineering, and tying new construction into an existing home all demand an experienced team working together from the very beginning. As a fully integrated design-build firm, our architects, interior designers, project managers, and craftsmen collaborate throughout every phase of the project. This unified approach minimizes surprises, streamlines communication, and ensures every detail is executed with precision.
Every project begins with a comprehensive assessment of your home's structure, site conditions, utilities, and architectural opportunities. Understanding these existing conditions allows us to design additions that are structurally sound, aesthetically cohesive, and thoughtfully planned.
From feasibility studies and permitting through design development and construction, you'll receive transparent budgets, realistic timelines, and consistent communication so you always know what to expect.
Your dedicated project manager coordinates every stage of construction, from structural framing and roofing to interior finishes, ensuring the new spaces integrate seamlessly with your existing home while maintaining the highest standards of craftsmanship.
The best additions don’t look like additions at all. They respect the home’s existing architecture while creating new opportunities for better living, improved flow, and greater flexibility.
Every addition is carefully designed to complement your home's proportions, materials, rooflines, and character, creating a seamless transition between old and new.
Whether you're adding bedrooms, expanding living areas, creating a dedicated office, or building upward with a pop-top, every square foot is designed around how your family lives today and how you'll live in the years ahead.
A well-designed addition improves more than square footage. It enhances daily functionality, increases long-term value, and creates a home that continues to evolve with your lifestyle without sacrificing its identity.
PHASE 01
The first step is to reach out and share your vision with us. From there, we’ll schedule a complimentary discovery consultation tailored to your project. During this on-site meeting, members of our team will walk your property with you, taking the time to understand your goals, aspirations, and the unique character of your project. We’ll discuss your ideas, explore opportunities, answer important questions, and offer thoughtful guidance informed by years of experience. Our discovery consultation is designed to bring clarity to the process, helping transform inspiration into a well-defined plan. By the end of our meeting, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the possibilities and a clear path forward toward creating a home that is both timeless and distinctly your own.
We invite you to begin the conversation by reaching out to us here.
PHASE 02
Following your discovery consultation, our team will establish an initial project budget based on the anticipated scope, your goals, our extensive design-build experience, and historical data from similar projects. This preliminary proposal is intended to provide a strategic framework for your investment rather than serve as a final design and construction budget.
As the design process progresses and additional project details are defined, we refine the budget with greater accuracy and clarity. Our team carefully evaluates design opportunities, material selections, and project priorities while staying aligned with your vision and investment goals. Through ongoing cost analysis and transparent communication, we ensure you have a clear understanding of your project’s financial direction at every stage. Our goal is to create a collaborative process built on trust, providing the insight and information needed to make confident decisions from initial concept through construction.
PHASE 03
Once your proposal and contract are signed, we begin the Owner’s Criteria & Schematic Design phase. During this stage, we work closely with you to define your goals, priorities, budget, and project requirements while evaluating your property’s existing conditions, feasibility, and applicable building codes. Through site measurements and thoughtful planning, we establish a clear understanding of both the opportunities and constraints that will shape the design. With this foundation in place, our design team develops preliminary floor plans, elevations, space planning, and architectural concepts that bring your vision to life while considering functionality, building systems, and long-term livability. At the conclusion of this phase, we prepare a Schematic Estimate, providing a refined understanding of the project’s investment and ensuring alignment between the design and your budget.
PHASE 04
During the Design Development phase, our team refines every aspect of your project. We present curated interior concepts and material selections while finalizing floor plans, elevations, and architectural details. We also coordinate with engineers and other consultants as needed to ensure the design is cohesive, technically sound, and ready for construction.
At the same time, we prepare and submit all required documentation for permitting and jurisdictional approvals. If Historic District or Zoning reviews are required, additional meetings and services may be billed separately. This phase concludes with an updated Developed Estimate that reflects the refined design. Once approved, we move confidently into the final construction documentation phase.
PHASE 05
During the Construction Documents & Bidding phase, we finalize your project scope, obtain competitive pricing from our trusted trade partners, and complete detailed material takeoffs to produce a comprehensive Builder Proposal. At your Summit Meeting, we review the finalized design, project investment, and, if necessary, identify value engineering opportunities to align the project with your budget. Once approved, we execute a contract amendment reflecting the finalized scope and investment. We then complete the Construction Documents, ensuring every detail accurately represents the approved design. Your project is formally transitioned to our construction team, and you’ll be introduced to your dedicated Project Manager, who will oversee the build and serve as your primary point of contact throughout construction.
PHASE 06
Construction is where your vision becomes reality. Your dedicated Project Manager oversees the budget, schedule, and quality of the build, managing only a limited number of projects to ensure exceptional attention and service. Our design team provides ongoing construction administration to ensure every detail is executed as intended, while our coordinators, accounting team, and leadership provide behind-the-scenes support throughout the process. As construction nears completion, we conduct a Substantial Completion walkthrough to identify any remaining punch list items. Once those final details are addressed, we proudly deliver a finished home crafted for lasting enjoyment and years of memorable living.
Forge & Bow was founded by licensed architect Jordan Obermann and interior designer Annie Obermann and has been recognized by Forbes for our distinctive approach to architect-led design-build across Northern Colorado. press.
Forge & Bow is headquartered in Fort Collins at 120 W. Olive Street. Our luxury design-build projects span Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, and the greater Front Range. If you are seeking a team that manages every architectural and interior detail with intention and precision, we welcome the invitation to discuss your vision.
A pop-top adds a new level to your existing home, most often a full or partial second story. It’s an ideal way to gain significant square footage when your lot size is limited, letting your home grow upward instead of outward while preserving yard space and neighborhood character.
We design and build a full range of additions, including second-story pop-tops, primary suite additions, expanded kitchens and living spaces, home offices, and multi-room expansions. Every addition is designed around how your family lives and how your home can best support it.
Yes. Architectural continuity is central to our approach. Every addition is carefully designed to complement your home’s proportions, materials, rooflines, and character, creating a seamless transition between old and new – so the finished result feels original rather than attached.
That’s one of the first questions we answer. Every project begins with a comprehensive evaluation of your home’s structure, foundation, site conditions, and utilities. Understanding these existing conditions allows us to design an addition that is structurally sound and thoughtfully planned from the start.
Yes. Additions and pop-tops involve structural modifications, zoning requirements, and engineering considerations. As a fully integrated design-build firm, we coordinate all of it – feasibility, permitting, structural engineering, and inspections – so your project meets every applicable requirement.
Every project is unique. The timeline depends on the size and complexity of the addition, permitting requirements, structural work, and material selections. During planning, we provide a detailed project schedule so you always know what to expect.
Our process emphasizes transparency from the start. During design, we continuously evaluate project costs and discuss options so your design aligns with your investment goals before construction begins.
It depends on the scope. Some single-room additions allow homeowners to remain in unaffected areas, while pop-tops and larger expansions often require temporary relocation for safety and efficiency. Whenever possible, we generally recommend arranging alternative accommodations – construction creates dust, noise, and utility interruptions, and relocating often makes the project smoother and faster for everyone.
Design-build keeps architecture, interior design, estimating, and construction under one roof. For additions – where new construction must tie seamlessly into an existing structure – this unified approach minimizes surprises, streamlines communication, and ensures every detail is executed with precision.
The process begins with an initial consultation where we discuss your goals, evaluate your home, and determine the best path forward. From there, our integrated design-build team guides you through design, planning, budgeting, and construction – creating an addition that is both beautifully designed and expertly built.
Our work adheres to the NAHB Residential Construction Guidelines, ensuring that every project meets recognized industry standards for quality and durability. For renovated homes or additions, our warranty applies only to defects directly resulting from the work we perform. It does not cover pre-existing conditions, issues influenced by prior work, or elements outside the defined scope of our contract.
Warranty Coverage:
1 year: Coverage for work outside of walls, including finishes and exterior elements.
2 years: Coverage for work inside walls, such as plumbing, electrical, and interior systems.
8 years: Coverage for structural components, including the foundation, framing, and load-bearing elements.
