General Contractor in Westchester & Putnam County, NY
Guardian Remodeling Corp has managed renovations, additions and whole-house projects across Westchester County — from Yonkers, White Plains and Scarsdale to Bedford, Somers and Yorktown Heights — and across Putnam County since 1980. One Guardian project manager runs your job, from permits and approvals to licensed subcontractors, inspections and close-out.
One Contractor Accountable for the Whole Job
Large projects fail at the handoffs: the plumber shows up before the framing inspection, the electrician moves a box the drywall crew didn’t know about, the permit expires while the drawings are being revised. A general contractor exists to prevent that.
At Guardian, a project manager is assigned to every job. They hold the schedule, order materials, coordinate the architect or engineer when needed, supervise the licensed, insured specialty subcontractors, book inspections and walk the job with you. You make the decisions about your home; we make sure they get built correctly and in the right order.
What We Manage as Your General Contractor
Pre-construction
Site visit, scope, written estimate, jurisdiction check and a list of approvals the project will need.
Design coordination
Working with your architect or engineer so drawings are buildable and priced before filing.
Permits & approvals
Building department filings plus any architectural review, zoning, wetland or health department referrals.
Trades & schedule
Licensed plumbing, electrical and HVAC subcontractors, framers and finish trades, in sequence.
Inspections
Rough and final inspections booked and passed before work is closed in.
Close-out
Punch list, final sign-offs and the certificate that closes the permit.
Westchester and Putnam Work Differently
In Westchester, many villages and towns send exterior changes to an architectural review board, and historic districts add another layer. Lots are often smaller and closer together, and many neighborhoods are on public sewer.
In Putnam, more homes are on wells and septic, much of the county drains to New York City reservoirs, and wetlands, lakes and steep slopes shape what can be built. A bedroom addition can mean a Putnam County Health Department review before the building permit is issued.
We work in both counties every week, so we plan for these differences from the first visit.
Hiring a General Contractor in Westchester County
Westchester County law requires home improvement contractors to hold a county license, issued by the Department of Consumer Protection at 148 Martine Avenue in White Plains. Before you sign with anyone, you can look the company up in the county’s online License Search, and the department also keeps a list of “renegade renovators” to avoid. Guardian Remodeling Corp holds Westchester County Home Improvement License #WC-38383-H24, and Putnam County HIC #52594 north of the county line.
A county license does not replace local permits. Each Westchester city, town and village runs its own building department, and plumbing and electrical work fall under separate licensing, which is why we use licensed, insured plumbing and electrical subcontractors supervised by a Guardian project manager. Yonkers adds a city license of its own (ours is #8580). Houses built before 1978 may have lead-based paint, and EPA rules call for lead-safe work practices when it is disturbed, so the age of the house is one of the first things we ask. Financing available.
General Contractor Pages by Town
Each page covers that community’s permit office, review boards and housing stock.
Projects We Manage
- Home additions & extensions
- Full home remodeling
- Basement finishing
- Kitchen remodeling
- Bathroom remodeling
- Roofing
- Interior demolition
- All services
- Custom home builder
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General Contractor FAQs
What's the difference between a general contractor and a remodeler?
A general contractor takes responsibility for the whole project: permits, scheduling, subcontractors, inspections and close-out. Many remodelers do one trade or one room. Guardian does both, but on any project with several trades and a permit, we act as the general contractor.
Are you licensed in Westchester and Putnam?
Yes. Guardian Remodeling Corp holds Westchester County Home Improvement License #WC-38383-H24 and Putnam County Home Improvement License #52594, holds Connecticut Home Improvement Contractor registration HIC.0707535, and is registered as a general contractor in New York City (#627789). Specialty trades such as electrical and plumbing are performed by licensed, insured subcontractors that we supervise.
Who pulls the permits?
We prepare and file the building permit with your local building department, using drawings from a licensed architect or engineer where required. Our licensed subcontractors file their own trade permits. Each town and village in Westchester and Putnam has its own office and forms, which is why we confirm jurisdiction from the tax map first.
Do I need an architect?
For additions, structural changes and most exterior work, the building department will require sealed drawings. We work with your architect, or introduce you to one, and review the drawings for cost and buildability before they’re filed.
How do you price a project?
After a site visit, you get a written, itemized estimate based on the actual scope. If something unexpected turns up once walls are open, we explain it and price the change in writing before doing the work.
How do I check that a contractor is licensed in Westchester County?
Use the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection’s online License Search, which looks up home improvement contractors by company, contractor or trade name, or call the department at 914-995-2155. Guardian’s county license is #WC-38383-H24.
Does Yonkers need a separate contractor license?
Yes. The City of Yonkers licenses home improvement contractors itself, in addition to the county. Guardian holds City of Yonkers Home Improvement License #8580, valid through 12/31/2026.
Does a village or the town handle my permit in Westchester?
It depends on where the house sits. Incorporated villages run their own building departments: the Village of Tarrytown (One Depot Plaza) and the Village of Ardsley each have their own building office, even though both are inside the Town of Greenburgh. Hamlets do not have their own: a house in Hartsdale files with the Town of Greenburgh Building Department at 177 Hillside Avenue, and a house in Hawthorne files with the Town of Mount Pleasant. We check the jurisdiction for your address first, then pull the permits and schedule the inspections.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept check, credit card, Zelle and cash, and we offer customer financing through HFS Financial personal home improvement loans. See our financing page for details.
Will a design review board look at my project before the permit?
In several Westchester municipalities, yes, and that review is a separate step from the building permit. Harrison sends many exterior changes to its Architectural Review Board, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month (Purchase homes included). Scarsdale’s Board of Architectural Review meets every few weeks and wants elevations and material samples. In the Bedford Village Historic District, a Certificate of Appropriateness is needed before a permit, even for some paint color changes. We build that review time into the schedule from the first meeting.
Can one general contractor handle a whole-house project in Westchester County?
Yes. When a project touches most of the house, we run it as one job with one Guardian project manager, one set of permits and one schedule. Licensed, insured subcontractors handle electrical and plumbing under our supervision. See our whole-home remodeling page, with town pages for Scarsdale, Rye and Bedford.
Do you take whole-home and basement projects in Putnam County as well as Westchester?
Yes. Guardian holds Putnam County HIC #52594 and Westchester County HIC #WC-38383-H24. In Putnam we recently published town pages for basement finishing and whole-home remodeling in Cold Spring, Garrison, Putnam Valley and Kent, alongside our Westchester County general contracting work.
Talk to a General Contractor
Tell us about your home and what you want to change. We’ll explain the approvals involved and send a written, itemized estimate.
Guardian Remodeling Corp · 143 Lake Shore Dr W, Carmel, NY 10512 · 914-912-0385 · Frank@guardianremodelingcorp.com
