House Plans and Custom Drafting in White Plains / Westchester County, NY
Service Area: Westchester County, New York
White Plains grew 12.3% between the 2010 and 2020 Censuses, and median sale prices now run roughly $730K in the city and $750K across Westchester County per Redfin. But growth and price are not what makes building here hard. This is a county where every one of dozens of municipalities enforces its own zoning code, so on a high-value remodel the real bottleneck is rarely the design. It is a permit-ready drawing set that anticipates what your local variance board will ask.
One county, dozens of zoning codes
Westchester's dozens of villages, towns, and cities each administer their own zoning code, their own submission checklist, and their own zoning board of appeals. A rear addition that is by-right in one town can require a variance hearing two exits up the parkway. That is the environment our drawings are built for.
Where the building activity is
County multifamily permitting grew sixfold from 2014 to 2022, to roughly 3,000 units per year, led by downtown White Plains, Yonkers, and New Rochelle (Westchester Magazine). In 2024, Westchester authorized 1,592 housing units by building permit (US Census Bureau via FRED). The public data does not break out how many of those permits were single-family remodels or additions, so we will not pretend to quote a remodel count. What the numbers do show is a county whose headline growth concentrates in a few downtowns while single-family work runs town by town, one board at a time.
Why the variance board sets your schedule
With White Plains sales at a median near $730K, up 12.3% year over year per Redfin, and the county near $750K, additions and deep remodels are high-stakes projects. Setbacks, lot coverage, height, and accessory-structure rules differ by municipality, so a drawing set has to do two jobs: document existing conditions precisely, and present the proposed work in the format your specific building department expects. When a variance is needed, accurate as-built documentation and legible plans give the application its best shot at the first hearing.
ADU rules here: county guidance, town-by-town decisions
New York has no statewide ADU mandate. A statewide bill has been introduced repeatedly since 2021 and has not passed, and Governor Hochul's 2022 statewide proposal was withdrawn after suburban and Long Island opposition. The one major legal change in the state, the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity package passed in December 2024, applies only inside New York City: it allows ADUs up to 800 square feet on owner-occupied one and two family homes, with the DOB accepting applications since September 2025. If your project is in the five boroughs, our New York City page covers that.
In Westchester, the county publishes ADU Model Ordinance Provisions that municipalities adopt individually, so the rules genuinely vary town by town. Mount Kisco runs its own program, and Greenburgh conducted a local-law review in 2024. Our research did not surface a single confirmed citywide ADU ordinance for White Plains itself, so the honest first step is a check with your building department before any design work. Once your town's rules are confirmed, our ADU Plans & Design service turns them into a compliant, permit-ready set.
The drafting services Westchester projects actually use
Home Additions & Remodel Drafting
With medians near $730K to $750K, expanding the house you own is often the smarter move in this county. We draft additions and remodels with the setback, coverage, and height rules of your specific municipality in view from the first sketch.
Permit-Ready Drawings & As-Builts
Dozens of zoning codes means dozens of submission standards. We produce measured as-builts of existing conditions and complete permit sets formatted to what your building department, and if needed your zoning board of appeals, expects to see.
ADU Plans & Design
Westchester's model-ordinance approach means ADU feasibility is decided at the town line. We design to the specific provisions your municipality has adopted, not to a generic statewide template that does not exist in New York.
3D Renderings & Walkthroughs
Variance hearings and design review are persuasion problems as much as technical ones. A clear rendering helps boards and neighbors see exactly what is proposed, in a county where those audiences decide your timeline.
Building new rather than remodeling? Custom House Plans covers ground-up design, and Stock House Plans start at $799 as a lower-cost baseline you can adapt to a Westchester lot.
A drafting studio in a county full of architects
Westchester has a deeper bench of architecture and design-build firms than most markets we serve, and for full-service, high-complexity projects that bench is a real asset. Apex Drafting occupies a different slot. We handle drafting-scope work: permit sets, as-builts, additions, ADUs, and CAD documentation, priced as drafting rather than as a full architectural fee, and scoped for speed. Everything is done remotely from our base in Colorado City, AZ, through video calls, shared markups, and digital deliverables, and we quote timelines per project because scope and municipal requirements, not a template, drive the schedule. If your project requires a New York licensed design professional's involvement, we prepare the documentation that supports that process.
White Plains and Westchester FAQs
Do you have an office in White Plains or Westchester County?
No. Apex Drafting is a fully remote drafting studio based in Colorado City, AZ. We serve White Plains and Westchester homeowners, builders, and investors through video calls, shared markups, and digital deliverables, and we draft to the code and submission requirements your specific municipality publishes.
Can I build an ADU in White Plains?
Maybe, and the honest answer depends on your town. New York has no statewide ADU mandate. Westchester County publishes ADU Model Ordinance Provisions that municipalities adopt individually, so rules vary town by town: Mount Kisco runs its own program and Greenburgh reviewed a local law in 2024. Our research did not surface a single confirmed citywide ADU ordinance for White Plains, so confirm current rules with the White Plains building department before designing.
How is permitting in Westchester different from New York City?
New York City passed City of Yes for Housing Opportunity in December 2024, allowing ADUs up to 800 square feet on owner-occupied one and two family homes citywide, with applications accepted since September 2025. That law applies only inside NYC. In Westchester, each of the county's dozens of municipalities enforces its own zoning code, so the same project can be by-right in one town and need a variance in the next.
What does drafting cost for a Westchester project?
Stock house plans start at $799. Custom plans, additions, ADUs, and permit sets are quoted per project because scope and your municipality's submission requirements drive the work. Our position in this market is straightforward: permit-set scope at drafting pricing, rather than a full-service architectural fee, with timelines scoped per project.
Get a Free Quote for Your White Plains / Westchester County, NY Project
Tell us what you're building and we'll scope it, confirm the timeline, and give you a firm number before any drafting starts. Every plan set is drafted to your local jurisdiction's documentation standards.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (435) 668-1095.
Start with your town, not a template
Tell us your municipality and what you want to build, and we will give you a straight answer on what the drawing set needs to cover.