General Contractor in White Plains, NY

Westchester General Contracting Service Serving White Plains

White Plains is a city with a city-sized permit process. Guardian Remodeling Corp acts as your general contractor for renovations, additions and whole-house projects, managing the Department of Building, any board referrals and every trade on site, with one project manager from start to finish.

Why City Projects Need a Coordinator

A renovation in White Plains often runs into things a quieter suburb never sees: permit counters with fixed intake hours, referrals between several city boards, tight lots where the neighbor’s driveway is three feet from your foundation, and streets where a dumpster or a lift needs careful placement.

Homes here range from early 1900s colonials and Tudors on the north side, to postwar capes and ranches in neighborhoods like Rosedale and Ridgeway, to two-family houses on smaller city lots. Each type brings its own surprises once walls are opened: balloon framing, undersized wiring, galvanized supply lines or past additions that were never quite square.

A general contractor’s job is to absorb that complexity so you don’t have to. We hold the schedule, the subcontractors and the paperwork, and you get one person to call.

How a White Plains Job Moves From Idea to Inspection

1. Zoning check

Before design is final we review the lot against the Zoning Ordinance. The City has a Zoning Compliance Form for exactly this step.

2. Complete filing

A notarized application, drawings from a licensed design professional and supporting forms, delivered to 70 Church Street during intake hours.

3. Board referrals if needed

Variances and non-conforming building plans go to the ZBA; special permits and site plans go to the board the Zoning Ordinance assigns.

4. Build, inspect, close out

Framing, trade rough-ins and inspections in order, then finishes, final inspections and the certificate the City issues at the end.

What We Manage Day to Day

Neighbors and access: delivery times, parking, debris removal and protection for shared driveways and walkways.
Trades in sequence: licensed plumbing, electrical and HVAC subcontractors scheduled so nobody waits on anybody else.
Hidden conditions: when an old beam or a buried pipe turns up, you get options and a written price before work continues.
Inspection readiness: approved plans on site and work left open until the inspector has seen it.

Guardian has managed remodeling projects across Westchester and Putnam since 1980. The process doesn’t change from town to town, but the rules do, and in White Plains they reward contractors who file completely and on time.

White Plains Projects Where a GC Earns Its Keep

Additions on tight lots

Rear extensions and second floors where setbacks, height and neighbors all limit what can be built.

Two-family renovations

Updating both units, or one unit while the other stays occupied, with separate trade work in each.

Whole-house updates

Kitchen, baths, wiring and HVAC in one coordinated project rather than four separate contracts.

White Plains General Contractor FAQs

Where does a White Plains permit application go?

To the City’s Department of Building at 70 Church Street. Applications are taken in person on business days between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., so we plan drop-offs around that window and bring a complete, notarized package so it isn’t sent back for missing pieces.

Does a house renovation in White Plains need site plan approval?

Usually not. The City exempts one- and two-family dwellings from site plan approval when the parcel has no environmentally sensitive features. If your lot has steep slopes, wetlands or similar features, or the project needs a special permit, the Building Department refers it to the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals or Common Council.

Our house was built before the current zoning. Can we still expand it?

Often, yes, but it may need relief. The White Plains Zoning Board of Appeals decides area variances and has original jurisdiction over plans to rebuild or modify certain non-conforming buildings. It meets on the first Wednesday of most months, so we work that calendar into the schedule early.

Is there a separate Planning Board application?

No. The City’s own guidance says all site plan and special permit applications are filed with the Building Department, which checks completeness and zoning and then refers them on. Filings are due at least two weeks before the Planning Board meeting.

Who is responsible for the subcontractors?

We are. A Guardian project manager schedules and supervises the licensed, insured plumbers, electricians and HVAC contractors on your job, and makes sure each trade’s work is inspected before walls are closed.

More White Plains Pages

We also work in Scarsdale, Harrison, Hartsdale and Purchase.

Talk to a White Plains General Contractor

Tell us about the house and the project. We’ll explain which City approvals apply and send a written, itemized estimate.

Guardian Remodeling Corp · 143 Lake Shore Dr W, Carmel, NY 10512 · 914-912-0385 · Frank@guardianremodelingcorp.com