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Scarsdale Basement Flood Cleanup and Repair
More than nine in ten Scarsdale homes are detached houses, and nearly half went up before 1940. When the Sheldrake, Bronx or Hutchinson rises, we pump out the basement, dry it and rebuild.
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Scarsdale, NY
Who cleans up and repairs a flooded basement in Scarsdale?
Strongwater Restoration handles both the cleanup and the repair, with crews based at 111 Calvert Street in Harrison, about 6.6 road miles from Village Hall. We pump out standing water, pull soaked carpet, drywall and insulation, dry the foundation walls and framing until readings return to normal, and then rebuild the space, including in the many houses built before 1940.
Scarsdale is a village of single-family houses, and older ones. Census estimates count 5,921 homes, 92.7% of them detached, and 92.3% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners. The median home was built in 1943, 48% went up before 1940 and about 81% before 1980. In houses that old, a flooded basement can expose original plaster, old floor tile or pipe wrap that should be checked for asbestos before anyone tears it out.
Housing: U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates. Distance is approximate.
About Scarsdale
Why do so many Scarsdale basements take on water?
Rivers and drainage. The village sits on the Bronx, Sheldrake and Hutchinson rivers, and the Mamaroneck River runs along part of its White Plains line. After Ida, many owners told the Village of significant drainage problems, with flooded basements and garages common and some sanitary sewer surcharges, and owners routinely report damages up to $10,000 per event.
The Village’s newest study looks at the Sheldrake. Its October 2025 Sheldrake River Flood Mitigation Study by Mott MacDonald says the river near Catherine Road, by Scarsdale Middle School, experiences frequent flooding and overtopping of its banks. Other current work on the Village’s stormwater page includes Brite Avenue drainage improvements, a Griffen Avenue culvert assessment and drainage studies for Cushman Road, Garden Road, Varian Lane and George Field Park.
Ida hit the village hard in September 2021. A trained spotter about two miles south-southeast of Scarsdale measured 8.09 inches of rain, the second-highest total in Westchester on the National Weather Service’s final list. The storm damaged Police and Fire Headquarters and three Village garages, cost the Village a culvert on Olmsted Road and closed numerous roads, and Tropical Storm Elsa had already flooded some homes that July.
FEMA’s July 2021 data, in the Scarsdale annex of the county hazard plan, show 347 flood insurance policies, 492 claims, about $3.6 million in total loss payments and 47 repetitive-loss properties. The same plan lists the Village in FEMA’s Community Rating System at Class 8, a classification dating to October 1998, and says it has not had to make any substantial damage determinations.
Permits & rebuilding
Does a Scarsdale basement or bathroom rebuild need a permit?
Almost certainly. The Building Department’s FAQ says a permit is required for all work except ordinary maintenance, and it names bathroom and kitchen renovations outright. Plumbing, electrical and mechanical heating work carry state-mandated permits, and even low-voltage wiring needs an electrical permit filed with a Scarsdale-approved electrical agency.
Scarsdale permits and paperwork
- Start with the Scarsdale Building Department at Village Hall, 1001 Post Road, 914-722-1140; consultation hours are 9 to 10 a.m. and the counter is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Ask Village Engineering, 914-722-1106, whether the house is in a FEMA flood hazard area; it helps owners read FIRM maps and shares elevation certificates on file at no charge.
- Inside a flood hazard area, Chapter 167 calls for a floodplain development permit, and restoration costing 50% or more of pre-damage market value is substantial damage.
- A substantial construction project costing more than $100,000, like any sale, needs a Discharge Compliance Certificate under the Sewer Lateral Inspection Program in effect since October 1, 2023.
- Work needing a Storm Water Permit goes to the Engineering Department first, and demolition or substantial demolition involves the Committee for Historic Preservation.
Services in Scarsdale
What else do Scarsdale homeowners call us for?
Burst pipes and roof leaks, sewage backups, mold that follows a slow dry-out, and fire and smoke damage. In older Scarsdale houses we also handle lead paint found during demolition, and we can carry a job through reconstruction or a remodel of the rebuilt rooms.
- Water Damage Restoration
- Fire Damage Restoration
- Smoke Damage Restoration
- Storm & Flood Damage Restoration
- Mold Remediation
- Sewage Cleanup
- Asbestos Abatement
- Lead Paint Removal
- Reconstruction After Damage
- Commercial Water Damage Restoration
- Commercial Fire Damage Restoration
- Restoration for Property Managers
- Estimating, Appraisal & Expert Witness
- Remodeling
FAQ
Scarsdale Questions
Who supplies water to Scarsdale homes?
The Village of Scarsdale Water Department, and all of its water comes from New York City’s system. Supply enters through the Reeves Newsom station on the Kensico-Bronx pipeline and the Ardsley Road Pumping Station on the Catskill Aqueduct. The system has about 100 miles of pipe and 5,800 service connections, and it also reaches some homes in New Rochelle, Mamaroneck and Greenburgh.
Which Scarsdale neighborhoods have had flood work done?
The Village dredged ponds and watercourses in the Crane-Berkley neighborhood and built the South Fox Meadow Stormwater Improvement Project, with dry detention basins in George Field Park and Cooper Green and stream restoration in Harcourt Woods. Its December 2022 memo to repetitive-loss areas also plans dredging of Cayuga Pond and the Hutchinson River watershed near Drake-Edgewood and Arthur Manor.
Does the age of a Scarsdale house change how a flooded basement is handled?
Yes. Nearly half of the village’s homes were built before 1940, so a wet basement may hold plaster, old tile or pipe wrap that needs asbestos or lead testing before removal. The Village’s own Building page links to the state Labor Department’s asbestos information and to EPA lead guidance. We plan the dry-out around what can be saved.
How long is the drive from Harrison to Scarsdale?
About 6.6 road miles, or around 16 minutes with no traffic, from our office at 111 Calvert Street in Harrison to Village Hall at 1001 Post Road. In a straight line, the two are about 4.3 miles apart. Nearly all of the village is ZIP 10583, with small slivers in 10530 and 10543.
Nearby
What other communities near Scarsdale are on our map?
White Plains sits across the Mamaroneck River from Scarsdale, and the village’s water system reaches into New Rochelle, Mamaroneck and Greenburgh. We work in all of those places, plus Harrison, where our office is, and Yonkers, Bronxville and the rest of Westchester County. Use the town links below for each page.
Talk to Strongwater
Basement under water in Scarsdale?
Call (718) 357-9191. Our crews are about 6.6 road miles from Scarsdale Village Hall.