Custom Home Builder in Yonkers, NY
Westchester Custom Home Building Service Serving Yonkers
Teardown-and-rebuild projects and new homes on Yonkers lots, planned around the City’s slopes, drainage rules and permit process.
A City of Hills and Old Lots
Yonkers rises steeply from the Hudson and the Saw Mill River valley, and much of the city was built on hillsides more than a century ago. Buildable vacant land is scarce. When someone builds a new house in Yonkers today, it is usually on an infill lot or in place of an older home that no longer works.
Those lots come with conditions you cannot see from the street: rock close to the surface, grade changes that call for retaining walls, and drainage that has to be managed on site. A new house here starts with an engineer’s survey, not a floor plan.
What the City's Engineers Look For
Yonkers publishes its plan review requirements, and they are detailed. For an individual lot, the drawings are at 1 inch to 10 feet, sealed by a New York architect or engineer, with a separate survey by a licensed land surveyor. They show two-foot contours, rock outcrops, trees, any flood zone, the proposed driveway slope and a full drainage design with calculations.
One rule shapes many designs: you cannot connect directly to a City catch basin. Roof and driveway runoff has to be handled on the lot, usually with drywells or detention. We plan for that early so it does not surprise anyone at review.
If Your Lot Is Steep
When more than 5,000 sq ft of a site slopes over 15%, the City’s steep-slope standards apply. Among them:
Geotechnical report
A licensed geotechnical engineer addresses slope stability and foundation design.
Retaining walls
No more than 6 feet tall within setbacks, and 4 feet in a front yard or next to a street.
Phased clearing
Vegetation is cleared no more than 15 days before grading starts, not all at once.
Fast stabilization
Disturbed soil is covered within two days if final grade will take more than 30 days.
From Teardown to Move-In
1. Feasibility
Survey, zoning and slope review, plus a frank talk about renovating versus rebuilding.
2. Design
Plans from an architect we recommend for the project type, priced as they develop.
3. Permits
Demolition and building applications through City Squared, with the Engineering review.
4. Demolition and foundation
Utility disconnects, demolition, excavation and foundation.
5. Construction
Framing, roofing, siding and finishes under one Guardian project manager.
6. Close-out
Inspections, certificate of occupancy and a written one-year workmanship warranty.
Who Builds It
Guardian has been building since 1980. We are a family company, five brothers working with our father, who has spent his whole life in construction, including ground-up building. We pull the permits, and licensed, insured subcontractors do the plumbing and electrical under our supervision. We never quote a price or a timeline before the lot is evaluated. Financing is available for qualifying projects.
Yonkers New Home FAQs
Does a new one-family house in Yonkers need site plan approval?
Not for the building permit itself. The City’s zoning exempts detached one- and two-family homes from site plan approval. But permits for clearing trees or excavating land have to conform to an approved site plan, so a hillside lot that needs real earthwork can still end up before the Planning Board.
What makes a Yonkers lot a steep-slope site?
When a site has more than 5,000 square feet with slopes steeper than 15%. Then the City asks for a geotechnical report from a licensed engineer and applies extra standards, such as limits on retaining-wall heights and stabilizing disturbed soil within two days.
Can we tear down the existing house?
Yes. The Department of Housing and Buildings has its own demolition application. The demolition and new-construction permits are filed through the City Squared online portal.
Do you have a Yonkers license?
Yes. Guardian holds City of Yonkers Home Improvement Contractor license #8580 (valid through December 31, 2026), plus Westchester County HIC #WC-38383-H24.
Related Pages
We also build in nearby southern Westchester communities.
Thinking About Building in Yonkers?
Call 914-912-0385 or send the form, and we will start with the lot. Read our Google Reviews.
Guardian Remodeling Corp · 143 Lake Shore Dr W, Carmel, NY 10512 · 914-912-0385 · Frank@guardianremodelingcorp.com
