Bridge Rental During Your Home Build | Packard Row Ann Arbor
Markdown duplicate of /lp/bridge-rental-washtenaw-home-build.
# Bridge Rental During Your Home Build | Packard Row Ann Arbor
Bridge rental at Packard Row for households mid-construction on a Washtenaw County home. Six to eighteen month leases, EV charging, in-unit laundry.
- **Canonical page:** https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/lp/bridge-rental-washtenaw-home-build
- **Markdown page:** https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/markdown/lp/bridge-rental-washtenaw-home-build
- **Last modified:** 2026-06-01
## Audience
Custom home build bridge rental
## Hero
Between homes while your build finishes? A 1BR or 2BR that outlasts your permit delays.
Six to eighteen month rentals for households mid-construction on a Washtenaw County custom home. Storage-friendly, EV-ready, and set up for a lease conversion when the build slips.
Primary CTA: Tour Packard Row (#tour)
Secondary CTA: See floor plans (#floorplans)
## Proof points
- **6-18 mo:** Typical bridge window
- **Smart:** Locks + thermostats
- **EV:** Charging on-site
- **In-unit:** Washer & dryer
## Built for the gap between the house you sold and the house you are building.
Custom home builds in Washtenaw County take longer than most households plan for. Permitting eats weeks. Weather eats more. Subcontractor scheduling eats what is left. The gap between the sold house and the new one usually runs six to eighteen months, and short-term rental economics stop making sense past about month three.
Packard Row is a 2025 building designed for households that need a real home, not a hotel. Every apartment ships with a full kitchen, in-unit laundry, walk-in closets, controlled-access entry, and smart-home spec that mostly replicates the modern build you are moving into. EV charging on-site covers the household while the home's charger is being installed. Ann Arbor Public Schools boundaries stay intact if the family is staying inside the district during the build.
The lease is honest. Standard terms run twelve months. If the build finishes ahead of that, the leasing team walks through early-termination paths at signing. If the build slips past twelve months, month-to-month conversion at lease end is a common path for bridge rentals.
- Full kitchen, in-unit washer and dryer, dishwasher included
- EV charging on-site while the home charger is being installed
- Controlled-access building with 24-hour maintenance
- Walk-in closets for household belongings between homes
- Month-to-month conversion at lease end when a build slips
## Homes that hold your household for the whole bridge.
Walnut suits a couple or a downsized single homeowner. Pine at 1,022 sq ft is the largest 2BR in the community, sized for a family with a home office. Chestnut is the efficient 2BR when a smaller footprint fits the bridge window.
- [Walnut](https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/floorplans/walnut): 1 Bedroom, 1 bed, 1 bath, 608 sq ft, $2,250/month. Available on August 14, 2026.
- [Pine](https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/floorplans/pine): 2 Bedroom, 2 bed, 2 bath, 1,022 sq ft, $2,500 – $3,015/month. Available.
- [Chestnut](https://www.packardrow-annarbor.com/floorplans/chestnut): 2 Bedroom, 2 bed, 2 bath, 838 sq ft, $2,740/month. Available.
## The features a household expects, before the new home is ready.
- Controlled Access
- 24-Hour Emergency Maintenance
- 24-Hour Fitness Center
- EV Charging Stations
- Clubhouse
- Smoke-Free Community
- Washer & dryer in unit
- Smart locks
- Smart thermostats
- Stainless steel appliances
- Premium wood-style flooring
- Expansive walk-in closets
## Groceries, parks, and the corridor rhythm.
- YORK Food and Drink: Restaurant and bar on Packard
- The Drip House Coffee: Local coffee on Packard
- Trader Joe's: Essentials close by
- By the Pound: Grocery essentials nearby
- Michigan Stadium (The Big House): University of Michigan football
- A2AC Art Center: Classes and exhibitions in Ann Arbor
- County Farm Park: Open space and trails
- U-M Golf Course: University of Michigan golf course
- University of Michigan: Largest area employer
- U-M Hospital: Michigan Medicine campus
- ProQuest: Ann Arbor headquarters
- Thomson Reuters: Corporate offices in Ann Arbor
- Google Ann Arbor: Engineering office
## Tour request
Tour the building.
Send a note and the leasing team will reply with tour windows. Weekday morning tours run around builder-visit schedules if that helps the calendar.
Default inquiry: Tour request, bridge rental during home build
## A realistic Washtenaw County custom build.
The cadence leasing sees most often from households in bridge rentals. Actual timelines vary by lot, builder, and weather; the shape of the calendar holds across most Washtenaw builds.
- **Month 0: Permit issued.** Site plan, building permit, and utility permits filed and approved. The clock everyone quotes starts here, though pre-permit weeks add up quickly on custom projects. Bridge rental usually starts around this time or the month before, when the primary home closes.
- **Months 1-3: Site work and foundation.** Excavation, footings, and foundation pour. Weather is the dominant variable. Michigan winters push foundation work into spring on many projects, adding a month or two to the plan.
- **Months 3-6: Framing and roofing.** The house takes shape. This is the fastest visible progress of the whole build. Photos to family look great through this window and set expectations high for what happens next.
- **Months 6-10: Mechanicals rough-in and drywall.** Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall. Progress becomes invisible from outside the house. This is when most households first hear the phrase 'we are waiting on a subcontractor.'
- **Months 10-14: Finishes and punch list.** Cabinetry, flooring, tile, trim, paint, fixtures. The punch list expands as more surfaces exist to inspect. Most builds slip here rather than earlier. Households commonly extend the bridge rental by two to four months during this phase.
- **Months 14-16: Certificate of occupancy.** Final inspections, corrections, and CO. The move-in date the family circled on the calendar in month two is usually two to four months earlier than the actual CO date. Bridge-rental lease conversion to month-to-month often happens at this point.
- **Month 16+: Move-in and settling.** The new home is ready and the bridge rental ends. Households who moved from Packard Row into a Washtenaw custom build usually give notice 30 to 45 days before the CO date, once the punch list is short enough to trust.
## Packard Row vs short-term rental vs family stay vs corporate housing.
Four common bridge-rental paths, compared on the criteria that matter most through a six to eighteen month gap.
| Criterion | Packard Row | Airbnb / VRBO | Family stay | Corporate housing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost at 12 months | Standard 12-month lease pricing | 2 to 3x apartment cost by month 3; Low direct cost, high relational cost; 1.5 to 2x apartment cost, furnished | |
| Kitchen for daily meals | Full kitchen, dishwasher included | Varies wildly by listing; Shared household kitchen; Full kitchen, furnished | |
| In-unit laundry | Yes, in every home | Often shared, sometimes none; Shared household laundry; Yes, in most units | |
| Storage for salvaged belongings | Walk-in closets, storage unit optional | Rarely accommodated; Basement or garage overflow; Limited | |
| EV charging | On-site charging stations | Rare; Depends on household; Rare | |
| School boundary preservation | Ann Arbor Public Schools boundaries in effect | Depends on listing address; Depends on family home; Depends on unit | |
| Privacy | Full apartment, controlled access | Host may co-occupy or visit; Living with family; Full apartment | |
Alternatives reflect category norms in the Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County market, not specific competitor pricing.
## Practical decisions before the lease starts.
The questions bridge-rental households answer at signing, in the order they usually come up.
- **Furniture strategy:** The sold-house furniture goes into storage, the bridge apartment furnishes fresh, and the new house gets a mix. Or the sold-house furniture goes into the bridge apartment. Either works; the answer usually falls out of when the primary home closes and when the new home is ready for furniture delivery.
- **School boundary check:** Ann Arbor Public Schools boundaries include the Packard corridor. For families whose new home is in a different district (Saline, Dexter, Chelsea), the bridge year is the last year in AAPS. Confirming the school situation early avoids a surprise at midyear enrollment.
- **EV charging plan:** For households with an EV, the home charger install waits until the primary electrical is roughed in and the garage is finished. Packard Row's on-site charging covers the household through the whole bridge without a home-side dependency.
- **Insurance transition:** Homeowner insurance on the sold house ends at closing. Renter insurance on the bridge apartment starts at lease start. Homeowner insurance on the new build starts at CO. The three policies stack cleanly if the household's agent is aware of the transitions.
- **Builder visit cadence:** Most households in bridge rentals visit the build site once every week or two. Packard Row's location keeps drives to Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, and Manchester all inside thirty minutes, which makes weekend site visits feasible without eating the whole day.
- **Lease conversion at build end:** For builds slipping past twelve months, month-to-month conversion at lease end is a common path. Leasing walks through the conversion terms at signing so the last few months of the build do not depend on a lease renewal decision that has not been made yet.
## Questions bridge-rental households ask.
### Can I convert to month-to-month at lease end if my build slips?
Yes. Month-to-month conversion at lease end is a common path for bridge rentals. Leasing walks through the conversion terms at signing so the option is on the table before the final punch-list month.
### How much storage do units have?
Every home at Packard Row has expansive walk-in closets that absorb clothing, linens, and personal belongings. Larger furniture from a sold house usually needs a separate storage arrangement. Leasing can point toward storage facilities near the corridor if the household has not already arranged one.
### Do you accommodate builder-visit walkthroughs?
Nothing about the tour schedule assumes a builder-visit rhythm, but bridge-rental households often ask for weekday tour windows so they can pair a Packard Row visit with a build-site check. Leasing schedules around whatever the household needs.
### Can I use Packard Row's EV charger while my home charger is being installed?
Yes. On-site EV charging stations are available to residents. Availability of a dedicated stall for a bridge window is confirmed at signing.
### Are pets allowed during the bridge?
Cats and dogs are welcome, up to two per home. For families moving from a suburban lot to an apartment for the bridge year, County Farm Park is a five-minute drive and gives the dog most of what the yard used to.
### What if we decide to sell the new build and stay a second year?
It happens. Lease renewal into a second year at Packard Row is standard; leasing walks through renewal terms about ninety days before lease end. The bridge apartment is a real home during the build, and enough households end up staying that leasing knows the pattern.
### Does Packard Row work with builders and realtors who refer housing?
Yes. Builders, custom-home realtors, and moving concierges regularly refer households mid-build. The leasing team fields placement questions from the referring side directly. Reach out through the contact form or by phone.