Custom Homes and Renovations in Old Greenwich and Riverside, CT

Halston Builders is an owner-led design-build firm working in Old Greenwich and Riverside, the shoreline sections at the eastern end of Greenwich. One team is with you from the first meeting through the build to the final walkthrough, and plans the permits and town approvals alongside your design team.

Old Greenwich, Riverside and the Town of Greenwich

Old Greenwich and Riverside are sections of the Town of Greenwich, not separate municipalities, so every approval for a house here is the Town of Greenwich's: zoning, coastal site plan review, building permits, wetlands review and flood rules. Our Greenwich town page covers the town as a whole, and our Greenwich building permit guide walks through its permit sequence.

The town's Eastern Greenwich Neighborhood Plan, adopted on September 15, 2015, covers Old Greenwich, Riverside and North Mianus, the area between the Mianus River and the Stamford line, south to Long Island Sound.

What we build in Old Greenwich and Riverside

The neighborhood plan expects new development here to come mainly from teardowns or renovations. Our work covers both: whole-home and gut renovations, additions and custom homes that replace an existing house on its lot. On waterfront and low-lying lots, our waterfront and coastal construction work starts with the flood zone and the coastal review.

We also plan kitchens and baths, including tadelakt bathrooms and steam showers, finished lower levels where flood rules allow, and terraces, pool surrounds and pool houses.

Houses and neighborhoods in Old Greenwich and Riverside

The neighborhood plan describes most of Old Greenwich and Riverside as single-family houses on modest lots, with lower density and more land per house nearer the Sound, and pockets of smaller lots between I-95 and the railroad. The housing mixes Cape Cods, Colonials and raised ranches with newer construction. The town's 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development notes that each village, Old Greenwich and Riverside among them, keeps a distinct style and history in its buildings.

• Close-set streets. On a modest lot, an addition, a larger house or a pool reaches the zoning limits and the neighbors sooner, so the survey and the zoning review come first, along with a plan for deliveries and parking.
• Larger replacement houses. The plan records concern about larger houses replacing Cape Cods and ranches, and the loss of mature trees, in Havemeyer Park, a planned postwar community built mostly between 1945 and 1955. Trees, grading and scale deserve early attention on any lot here.

Approvals and permits in Old Greenwich and Riverside

Zoning and coastal questions usually come first, through the Planning and Zoning Department at 101 Field Point Road. Items to confirm early:

• Zoning. Staff check a project against the building zone regulations, the Planning and Zoning Commission decides site plans that come before it, and variances go to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Coastal site plan review. A project on a lot fully or partly within the Coastal Overlay Zone, which follows the state's coastal boundary, needs coastal site plan review. Since October 1, 2025, the Commission itself has heard these applications for new single-family houses, which staff often reviewed before, and the town has been updating its regulation to match, so confirm with staff how a minor addition is handled.
• Building permits. The Building Inspection Division issues building and trade permits, and a new house collects sign-offs from several departments first, such as sewer, health, wetlands, zoning enforcement and highway.
• Wetlands and harbor. The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency reviews regulated work in or near inland wetlands and watercourses, while tidal wetlands and tidal waters fall under the state. Dock applications and mooring permits go through the town's Harbor Management Commission.
• Demolition and designation. Taking down a building built before 1940 starts a public notice process, with a sign on the property and a waiting period for written objections. Individual houses can be designated as local historic properties, so check the status of the house.

Our permits and approvals guides explain the questions to raise with each office.

Flood zones and coastal review

The town's 2019 plan describes its shoreline as predominantly residential and notes that Hurricane Sandy brought flooding to coastal areas in the fall of 2012. Look the lot up on FEMA's current maps before design starts.

Under the state's coastal law, as amended by Public Act 25-33, coastal site plans for activities in FEMA coastal flood zones, which include V, VE, A and AE zones and the Limit of Moderate Wave Action, and on sites with tidal wetlands, beaches or dunes, are referred to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for comment before the town decides.

The size of a renovation or addition matters in a flood zone. If the work counts as a substantial improvement under FEMA rules, the whole house has to be brought up to current flood standards, which can mean raising the lowest floor, changing the foundation and moving mechanical equipment above the flood level. We check that threshold before the scope is settled.

The neighborhood plan also looked at the use of fill and grade changes to gain floor area in coastal flood zones, and recommended addressing the use of fill to get around the regulations. If a design depends on raising the grade, take it to Planning and Zoning early. Drainage matters away from the water too: the plan notes that Binney Park has flooded since it was developed.

Work in the water is the state's. DEEP regulates everything waterward of the coastal jurisdiction line or in tidal wetlands, and authorizes new seawalls only when its criteria for structural solutions are met. Its coastal permit overview explains the program, and a seawall also needs municipal coastal site plan review.

How a project runs with us

On a shoreline lot, the flood zone, the coastal review and the design shape one another. Our design-build process keeps design, approvals, budget and construction with one team, and pre-construction budgeting shows the cost of the design as it develops. Where an architect is already engaged, we build to your architect's drawings.

Questions Old Greenwich and Riverside homeowners ask

Who issues permits for a house in Old Greenwich or Riverside?

The Town of Greenwich. Every review, from zoning and coastal site plans to building permits, wetlands and flood rules, runs through the town's departments and commissions. We plan the order of applications with your design team.

How do we know if our lot is in the Coastal Overlay Zone?

The zone follows the coastal boundary set by state law, and the town keeps a coastal boundary map. Ask Planning and Zoning staff to confirm the status of the lot early, because a lot fully or partly inside the zone needs coastal site plan review.

Can we renovate a flood zone house without raising it?

Possibly, if the work stays below the substantial improvement threshold. Above it, the house has to meet current flood standards, which often means raising the lowest floor and moving equipment. We weigh the flood zone, the value of the house and the scope together.

We want to replace our house. What should we expect?

A new single-family house in the Coastal Overlay Zone now goes to the Planning and Zoning Commission for coastal site plan review, with a referral to DEEP in a FEMA coastal flood zone. If the existing house was built before 1940, demolition also brings public notice and a waiting period.

Are there local historic districts in Old Greenwich or Riverside?

The town's local historic districts are in other sections: Strickland Road in Cos Cob, Round Hill Road and John Street, and Stanwich. Individual houses can still be designated as local historic properties, so check before planning exterior changes.

Will you work with the architect we have chosen?

Yes. If your architect is already engaged, we join that team and agree early who handles the drawings, the town applications, the selections and the site decisions. Share the current drawings and the survey before we meet.

Can we live at home during the renovation?

That depends on the scope and on whether the rooms you use can be closed off safely from the work, with utilities, a bathroom and exits kept in service. Raising a house or replacing its foundation usually means moving out for that phase.

How do you build the budget for a shoreline house?

We price the design while it develops, so scope decisions are made with cost in view. On a shoreline lot, flood construction, coastal review and site work can move the number, so we put them into the estimate early.

Nearby towns we build in

We also build in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien and Rye. Every town we cover is listed on our Fairfield County page and on the service area page.

Start with a free consultation

Tell us about the house, the lot and what you have in mind. We are glad to meet at the house, or at our design center at 46 Beatrice St, Unit 2, Bridgeport, by appointment. Request a free consultation.