Home Remodeling in Union County, NJ
Kitchens, bathrooms, basements, sunrooms, pergolas, decks, and full additions — designed and built across Union County by a local, owner-led team based in Old Bridge.
Remodeling Services We Offer in Union County
Union County is one of the oldest and most densely built counties in New Jersey, and that shapes almost every remodel here. Westfield, Cranford, Summit, Scotch Plains and New Providence are full of 1920s to 1950s colonials and capes on small lots — good houses with original kitchens, one bathroom upstairs, and no room to spread sideways. Elizabeth, Plainfield, Linden and Rahway are older and denser still. Legion Build is a design-build remodeler: one company designs the job, pulls the permits and builds it, and you deal with Adam from the first site visit through the final inspection.
Kitchen Remodeling
Union County kitchens are usually small, closed off and original. The work that changes the house is taking down the wall to the dining room and rebuilding the layout — which means moving plumbing and electrical, not just cabinets.
Bathroom Remodeling
Most of these houses were built with one full bath. Full renovations, walk-in showers and tub-to-shower conversions, with the waterproofing and ventilation done properly the first time so a 1930s floor stays dry.
Basement Finishing
Older Union County basements have lower ceilings and more mechanicals in the way than newer ones, so headroom and moisture get checked before anything is framed. Done right, it is still the cheapest square footage in the house.
Home Additions
On lots this tight, coverage and setbacks usually decide the answer before the budget does — which is why so much Union County work goes up rather than out. Rear bump-outs, dormers and full second stories.
Custom Decks
Composite and cedar decks, multi-level builds, stairs and railings, sized and footed for the grade behind your house and designed to fit the yard you actually have.
Porches
Front porches are part of the streetscape here, and several towns review what you do to them. Covered and screened porches, and full rebuilds where the columns, beam or footings have failed.
Pergolas
Cedar, aluminum and louvered-roof pergolas, engineered for New Jersey snow load and wind rather than assembled from a kit — and sized to a small yard rather than dropped into it.
Sunrooms
Screened, three-season and four-season sunrooms, framed and finished like the rest of the house so the addition reads as part of a period home rather than an attachment to it.
What Remodeling Costs in Union County
These are the ranges we work from across Union County. Treat them as planning figures. On housing stock this old the number is usually set by what is behind the wall — knob-and-tube, galvanized supply lines, plaster on lath, and framing that was never sized for a modern opening. That is also why we open a small area and look before we commit to a scope, rather than quoting on assumptions and revising later.
| Project | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Basement finishing | $45–$130 per sq ft | Ceiling height, moisture control, egress, and whether a bathroom or wet bar is included |
| Home additions | $250–$450+ per sq ft | Foundation work, the roof tie-in, building out versus up, and how much mechanical work it sets off |
| Porches | $40–$175 per sq ft | Covered, screened or three-season; whether it ties into the existing roofline |
| Sunrooms | $100 screened · $200 three-season · $260 four-season, per sq ft | Level of enclosure, foundation and whether it is heated and cooled |
| Pergolas | $38–$108 per sq ft | Material, span and post count, and whether the roof is fixed or louvered |
| Kitchen remodeling | $25–40k · $40–65k · $65–85k+ | Layout changes, cabinetry level, and whether plumbing or walls move |
| Bathroom remodeling | $18–25k · $25–40k · $40–55k+ | Size, whether the layout moves, and tile and fixture selections |
| Decks | Quoted per project | Height off grade, decking material, railing system and any built-ins |
Ranges are installed costs for Union County and the surrounding market. Ask for a free on-site estimate for a written number on your own house.
Why Union County Homeowners Choose Legion Build
You deal with the owner
Adam quotes the job, runs the crew and answers the phone. There is no salesman in between and no franchise office in another state deciding what your house gets.
We open it up before we promise a price
On a house from the 1920s or 1930s, what is behind the plaster decides the budget. We would rather find it early than hand you a change order in week three.
Permits and prior approvals handled
Several Union County towns require zoning, engineering or historic review before a construction permit will even be accepted. We handle the sequence so you are not chasing it.
Remodeling Projects We Have Built in New Jersey
Kitchens, bathrooms, finished basements, additions, porches, decks and pergolas we have built across Union County and the four counties around it. Every photo below is a Legion Build job.
Towns We Serve in Union County
Headquartered in Old Bridge, Legion Build works throughout Union County and the surrounding area. The county is small and the housing is old across nearly all of it — established suburbs like Westfield, Cranford, Summit, Scotch Plains, Berkeley Heights and New Providence, and the older cities of Elizabeth, Plainfield, Linden and Rahway. Lot coverage and setbacks matter more here than almost anywhere else we work. We build throughout the county, including:
Neighboring county? We also serve Middlesex, Somerset, Monmouth and Ocean counties.
See every town we work in across New Jersey on our service areas page.
Building Permits in Union County, Town by Town
Union County towns are strict, and several of them require an approval before the construction permit application will even be accepted. Every town below works under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, but the sequence differs. Here is what each construction office publishes, checked September 2026. Confirm with your own town before planning around it — and if you hire us, this is our job, not yours.
| Town | Construction office | Online permits | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Elizabeth | Bureau of Construction | GovPilot for inspection requests; no online permit application stated | Separate technical forms are posted for the building, electrical, elevator, fire protection, mechanical and plumbing subcodes alongside the construction permit application. |
| Township of Union | Building Department | Online inspection requests required; no online application stated | A zoning permit is separately required for additions, decks, pools, fences, sheds and driveway expansions, and a copy of the survey must go with the application. |
| City of Plainfield | Building and Construction Division | No online portal stated | An application may need approval from another city department first — Board of Health, engineering, Planning and Zoning, Flood Plain Management or a Historic Commission — before the permit can issue. |
| Town of Westfield | Town of Westfield Building Department | SDL portal for inspections and permit records | Zoning review is a prior approval on most construction permits, and the town asks you to consult Zoning before filing. |
| City of Summit | Construction Division | SDL portal for permit status, history and notifications | A Permit Submittal Chart lists common project types with the technical sections, backup documents, and whether zoning or another prior approval is required. |
| Township of Cranford | Building Department | SDL portal for permit status, payment and forms | Permits must be released and fees paid before any construction or demolition begins. |
| Township of Scotch Plains | Building Department | No online portal stated | A permit and inspections are needed almost any time you build something new or add to an existing structure, and a property survey is required in many cases. |
| City of Linden | Construction Code Department | No online portal stated | Home improvement contractors must be registered with the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, and all prior approvals from the Zoning Official must be obtained before applications go in. |
| City of Rahway | Division of Building | No online portal stated | Alterations and additions may need Zoning and/or Engineering approval first, and sealed drawings are required unless you are a homeowner living in the home. |
Checked September 2026 against each municipality’s own construction department page. Requirements change — confirm with your town, or let us handle it.
Union County Remodeling FAQs
Do I need a permit to remodel a house in Union County?
Yes, for almost anything beyond cosmetic work — and in Union County the permit is often not the first step. Plainfield lists the Board of Health, engineering, Planning and Zoning, Flood Plain Management and a Historic Commission as departments that may have to approve first. Westfield, Summit, Linden and Rahway all describe zoning or engineering review as a prior approval. We handle that sequence, because getting it out of order is the most common way a Union County project loses a month.
Can I add on to my house in Union County, or is the lot too small?
Often you can, but coverage and setbacks decide it, not your budget. Union County lots are small and the ordinances are correspondingly strict, which is why so much of the work here goes up instead of out — dormers, second stories and rear bump-outs rather than sprawling wings. We check what your zoning actually allows before you fall in love with a floor plan, and we will tell you plainly if the answer is no.
What does it cost to renovate an older home in Union County?
A kitchen runs roughly $25,000 to $85,000 and up, a bathroom roughly $18,000 to $55,000 and up. On a house from the 1920s to the 1950s the swing inside those ranges is mostly hidden work: old wiring, galvanized supply lines, plaster on lath, and framing never sized for a modern opening. We open a small area and look before we set a scope, so the number you get is the number you pay.
Do you work on homes in historic districts?
Yes. Several Union County towns have historic review, and Plainfield names a Historic Commission among the departments that may need to approve an application. Where that applies, the review is part of the schedule from the beginning rather than a surprise, and we design to what the town will approve rather than submitting something we know it will not.
Get a Free Remodeling Estimate in Union County
Adam will walk the house with you, tell you what the town will actually allow on your lot, and put a written number for your own project in your hands. No call center, no franchise rep.
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