Elmont Home Additions
Room additions, dormers, and home extensions for Elmont homeowners. Nassau County licensed.
Call (516) 494-3370 for a free quote.
Home Additions in Elmont, NY
Elmont is an unincorporated community in the Town of Hempstead, in the western part of Nassau County. It borders Queens to the west and Valley Stream to the east — geographically close to the Nassau/Queens border, and historically home to a working-class and middle-class population that has become more diverse over time.
Elmont’s housing stock is dominated by cape cods and ranches from the Levittown-era postwar construction — compact homes on 40x100 lots, typically 900–1,100 square feet, built between 1945 and 1965. These homes have been the subject of ongoing expansion and renovation as families have grown.
Elmont Building and Zoning
Town of Hempstead jurisdiction: Unlike incorporated villages (Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre), Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet within the Town of Hempstead. Permits for residential construction in Elmont are filed with the Town of Hempstead Building Department in Hempstead.
Town of Hempstead residential zoning applicable to Elmont:
- Side setbacks: typically 5 feet minimum
- Rear setbacks: 25 feet
- Lot coverage: typically 25–30% of lot area
On a standard Elmont lot (40x100 = 4,000 sq ft) at 25% coverage, the maximum structure footprint is 1,000 sq ft. Most existing cape cods and ranches in Elmont cover 850–950 sq ft — leaving 50–150 sq ft of coverage for first-floor additions. That’s limited.
The practical result: Dormers and second story additions are the dominant expansion strategies for Elmont’s cape cods and ranches. First-floor additions are possible in some cases but often constrained by coverage limits.
Services Available in Elmont
Dormers
The go-to for Elmont cape cods. A full-width rear shed dormer converts the sloped upper level into full-height bedrooms and a bathroom — 300–450 square feet of new livable space without touching the ground-floor footprint. This is the most common addition project we build in Elmont.
Second Story Additions
For Elmont ranches — one-story homes where the attic is non-functional — a full second story converts the house into a two-story. Structural engineering required. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a hallway can be added on the upper floor.
Home Extensions
Where lot coverage allows, a 10–15 foot rear extension is possible. Works better on the less-dense blocks where existing structures cover less than average. We calculate coverage from your survey.
Basement Finishing
Elmont homes have full unfinished basements — an 800–1,000 sq ft opportunity. Basement finishing creates family rooms, offices, or guest spaces. Moisture assessment is essential before finishing — Elmont’s clay soil can retain water.
Elmont’s Cape Cod Character — What It Means for Additions
Elmont is part of a broader corridor of Nassau County that was built by Levitt and similar developers in the late 1940s. The standard Elmont cape cod has:
- A first floor with living room, kitchen, dining, and one or two bedrooms
- An upper level with sloped ceilings and knee walls — technically two rooms, but with low ceiling height over much of the space
- A full basement
- A lot that allows very little first-floor expansion
A rear shed dormer transforms the upper level from nearly unusable to fully functional. The existing 2x6 ceiling joists on the first floor typically serve adequately as the floor structure for the dormer — we verify this during the structural assessment.
Elmont and Valley Stream — The Connection
Elmont borders Valley Stream to the east, and the communities share similar housing characteristics and addition needs. If you’re in the western part of Valley Stream or the eastern part of Elmont, the approach is the same — we assess the specific lot and structure, not just the zip code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Elmont have its own building department?
No. Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Hempstead. Residential construction permits are filed with the Town of Hempstead Building Department in Hempstead Village.
Q: What types of additions work best for Elmont cape cods?
Rear shed dormers are most common and most effective. They convert sloped knee-wall attic space into full-height bedrooms and a bathroom without using any additional lot coverage. Second story additions also work well on ranch homes in Elmont.
Q: Can I do a first-floor addition on my Elmont cape cod?
Possibly, but coverage limits usually constrain this. On a standard 40x100 Elmont lot with an 850-square-foot house, the remaining coverage allowance is often 50–150 square feet — not enough for a meaningful room addition. We calculate the exact number from your survey.
Q: How long does the permit process take for an Elmont home addition?
The Town of Hempstead Building Department typically reviews residential addition permits in 4–8 weeks. Standard dormer permits tend to be on the faster end of that range.
Q: My Elmont home has had work done over the years — is that a problem?
It can be. Unpermitted work — a finished basement without a CO, a deck without permits — needs to be resolved before new construction permits are approved. We check your property’s permit history during the initial assessment.
Serving Elmont and the Western Nassau Corridor
We serve Elmont, Valley Stream, Floral Park, New Hyde Park, and all western Nassau County communities.
Call (516) 494-3370 for a free estimate.