Remodeling Contractor in Katonah, NY

Westchester Home Remodeling Service Serving Katonah

Remodeling for Katonah’s Victorian-era houses and the country homes around them: kitchens, baths, basements, additions, roofs and exteriors, planned around historic review, septic and well, and the reservoirs that surround the hamlet.

A Hamlet That Was Moved, and Houses That Show It

Katonah’s center is unusual. When New York City built the reservoirs of the Croton system in the 1890s, the original village was flooded and many of its houses were moved to the present site. The result is a compact core of Victorian and turn-of-the-century houses, with steep roofs, porches and plaster walls, on streets laid out just over a century ago.

Beyond the center, Katonah spreads into wooded hills with colonials, contemporaries and farmhouses on larger lots, most on private wells and septic systems. Muscoot and Cross River reservoirs are close by, so stormwater, wetlands and septic work is watched carefully here.

Those two settings call for different remodels, and we plan each house on its own terms.

Four Questions We Answer First

1. Who issues the permit?

The Town of Bedford Building Department in Bedford Hills handles Katonah permits and inspections.

2. Historic review?

Inside the historic district, major exterior changes go to the Katonah Historic District Review Commission. Roofs and paint are excluded.

3. Septic & well?

Added bedrooms trigger county health review, and water quality shapes finish choices.

4. Wetlands & slopes?

Additions, decks and grading near wetlands or on steep ground can need Town review before a building permit.

Every Service We Offer in Katonah

Kitchen remodeling. Older Katonah kitchens are often small rooms at the back of the house. We open them up while keeping the trim and windows that give the house its character.
Bathroom remodeling. Our Bedford and Katonah bathroom page explains tile over uneven old floors, well-water finishes and septic checks.
Basement finishing. Fieldstone and rubble foundations under older houses need moisture work before any finish. Newer homes with poured walls finish more easily.
Home additions. Family rooms, primary suites and garages designed to fit the house, the lot and the Town’s review boards.
Full home remodeling. Whole-house updates that replace old wiring and plumbing while keeping period details intact.
Roofing. Complex Victorian rooflines, box gutters and valleys. See our Katonah roofing page.
Siding & exterior painting. Clapboard and shingle repair, lead-safe prep on pre-1978 paint, and colors that suit the street.
Decks & masonry. Porches, decks, stone walls and steps, built with drainage that won’t send water toward an old foundation.
Tile & flooring. Wide-plank and oak floors repaired or matched, and tile set on properly stiffened subfloors.
Framing, interior painting & demolition. Careful selective demolition, structural framing for new openings and plaster-friendly painting.
Water damage restoration. Drying out and rebuilding after storms, frozen pipes or a failed sump.

Katonah Remodeling FAQs

Which office issues permits for a Katonah home?

Katonah is a hamlet of the Town of Bedford, so building permits come from the Town of Bedford Building Department at 425 Cherry Street in Bedford Hills. Parts of the Katonah mailing area extend into neighboring towns, so we confirm the jurisdiction for your address first.

Is my house in the Katonah Historic District?

The district covers the historic core of the hamlet. If your house is inside it, the Katonah Historic District Review Commission reviews major changes to exterior appearance. Roofs and paint colors are excluded from its review, but new windows, porches, dormers or additions are not.

Our house has a well and septic. Can we still add a bathroom?

Usually, yes. We check the septic system’s capacity and condition before design, because adding bedrooms brings in Westchester County Department of Health review. Well water quality can affect fixture and glass choices, so a water test early in planning is worth it.

Do you only work in the hamlet center?

No. We work throughout Katonah, from the older houses near the train station to newer homes on larger wooded lots farther out, and across the rest of the Town of Bedford.

More Pages for Katonah & the Town of Bedford

Talk to Us About Your Katonah House

We’ll look at the house, tell you whether historic review or health department review applies, and give you a written, itemized estimate.

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