Design
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Service area · Hamilton County
Design-Build Remodeler in Noblesville, Indiana
1874 Design Studio is a design-build remodeler serving Noblesville homeowners. We design kitchens, bathrooms, basements, home additions and whole-home renovations. Then our trusted trade professionals build them, working alongside our design and project management teams. We also provide the structural engineer and handle the building permits.
A division of Knapp Supply Co.Full-service remodelingStructural remodels & additionsDesign, selections & 3D renderings
Hamilton County
Remodeling in Noblesville
Noblesville is the Hamilton County seat. It was platted in 1823, chosen as county seat in 1824 and incorporated as a town in 1851. The Census Bureau estimates 76,111 people lived in the city on July 1, 2025. The median year built for its homes is 2002, per 2020-2024 survey estimates.
1874 Design Studio projectPermits and codes
Permits, historic review and floodplain rules in Noblesville
Inside the city's planning jurisdiction, Noblesville's Department of Planning and Development issues remodel permits and inspects the work. Homes in a historic preservation overlay or a FEMA special flood hazard area face added rules.
About 56% of Noblesville's 28,672 housing units were built in 2000 or later. About 72% are single-family detached homes. Both figures are 2020-2024 Census Bureau estimates. About 20% of homes were built before 1980, and about 6% in 1939 or earlier, per the same estimates. If your house was built before 1978, we would coordinate and provide appropriate EPA services in that instance.
Local guide · Noblesville
Who issues your permit
Hamilton County is made up of nine planning jurisdictions. So the first question for any remodel is which one your home sits in. Inside the City of Noblesville's jurisdiction, the building division of the Department of Planning and Development handles plan review, inspections and building-code enforcement. It works under Indiana Administrative Code 675 and reviews remodels and additions. Applications go through the city's online permit portal. Every submitted document must be reviewed and approved before any construction begins.
The city's Residential Permit Guide says electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC or structural alterations need a permit. So do room additions, changes to roof area, patio enclosures and structures over 200 square feet. Flooring, painting, or replacing shingles or siding most likely does not need one, as long as none of that other work is involved.
For a one- or two-family remodel, the city's submittal table lists construction, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing), wall section and floor plans. It marks foundation and engineered plans as possible. We provide the building permits and the structural engineer for our projects.
Local guide · Noblesville
Inspections and the permit card
The city's remodel inspection packet lists a rough-in before insulation, a permanent electrical inspection if applicable, and a final before occupancy. The rough-in must be scheduled before any wall or ceiling is enclosed. Once the final inspection is approved, a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. The permit card goes in a front lower-level window, visible from the street by the first inspection. It stays there until the final inspection is complete.
1874 Design Studio projectLocal guide · Noblesville
Historic districts and the preservation overlay
Noblesville's zoning code provides for Historic Preservation Overlay Districts. Any new construction, addition or alteration of a structure in one must complete the city's site plan review. Materials and textures must match those that predominate in the district, on roofs, wall surfaces and foundations. The roof shape must also match the one that predominates there, including its pitch, overhang and dormers.
A state list last updated in August 2007 includes four Noblesville historic districts on the National Register. The overlay rules above come from the city's zoning code, not from that list.
Local guide · Noblesville
Floodplain rules near the White River
Buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area on the adopted Flood Insurance Rate Map face more restrictive rules. Those include limits on the improvements that can be made, and possibly elevation certificates. The rules sit in the Flood Hazard zoning district, in Article 8 of the city's Unified Development Ordinance.
The city's Floodplain Administrator is the Director of Planning or a designee. That official reviews alterations, additions, renovations and repairs to structures in the flood hazard area. The question is whether the work counts as a substantial improvement or repair of substantial damage. In Zone A and Zone AE, a residential substantial improvement must have its lowest floor, basement included, at or above the Flood Protection Grade.
As of September 30, 2026, FEMA's Map Service Center listed 26 effective map panels for Noblesville. Of those, 21 took effect November 19, 2014, and five took effect October 18, 2019. The most recent Letter of Map Revision it listed took effect June 30, 2026. For specific floodplain questions, the city points residents to the Indiana DNR's INdiana Floodplain Information Portal.
Hamilton County reports that the White River crested at record levels in the county in August 2026, passing a mark that had stood since 1913. As of September 30, 2026, the National Weather Service crest record for the White River gauge at Noblesville listed a preliminary 24.6 feet on August 15, 2026. The previous highest crest was 23.8 feet on March 25, 1913.
Local guide · Noblesville
Sewer and drainage
Noblesville Utilities, a city department, handles wastewater treatment, sanitary sewer line locations and sewer problems.
The city's 2020 Comprehensive Plan reported that all properties within city limits were connected to sewer. It also counted about 350 septic systems still in use, in four subdivisions in the utility's Noblesville Township service area. Where a home is on septic, the Hamilton County Health Department regulates the system. It sizes the system by bedrooms and bedroom equivalents.
The same plan describes a mix of combined and separate sanitary sewers. Combined sewers covered 380 acres, or 2 percent of the service area. Noblesville Utilities plans to separate the combined sewer on Vine Street between 11th and 13th Streets. The project also adds storm inlets to reduce flooding there.
Around the house, the Hamilton County Surveyor's office requires a permit to cross, outlet into or work within the easement of a regulated drain. A regulated drain can be a subdivision drain, field tile, open ditch or creek.
Services
Remodeling services for Noblesville homes
Our remodeling services for Noblesville homes cover kitchens, bathrooms, whole-home renovations, basements and home additions. Most services below note the local rules that bear on them.
Built-ins, fireplace remodels and custom on-your-lot new construction from our own plans are also part of our work. So are structural changes, as part of a home remodel.
Kitchen remodeling
Our kitchen work includes butler's pantries, coffee bars and pantry walls. The city's remodel submittal lists MEP plans alongside floor plans. All submitted documents must be approved before construction begins. So a moved sink or a new appliance circuit is settled on paper first. Cabinetry options include WW Wood Products (Shiloh, Eclipse and Aspect). Countertop options include MSI, Cambria and Cosentino.
Bathroom remodeling
Our bathroom work includes tub-to-shower conversions, zero-entry showers, and accessibility and aging-in-place planning. The city's rough-in inspection must be scheduled before any wall or ceiling is enclosed. That way the rough-in inspection happens while the walls are still open.
Whole-home renovations
We take on structural changes as part of a home remodel, not as standalone jobs. On a whole-home renovation, they stay inside one design. Most of our clients live at home during a remodel. On a whole-home project, we use site protection, air scrubbers and daily cleanup.
Basements, laundry rooms, mudrooms and offices
Our basement work covers complete finishes and remodels. Egress and a bathroom are typical parts of a basement project. Laundry rooms, mudrooms and home offices fall under the same service. We do not take standalone egress-window or waterproofing jobs.
Noblesville's flood rules reach basements directly. In Zone A and Zone AE, a residential substantial improvement must have its lowest floor at or above the Flood Protection Grade. The ordinance counts the basement as part of that lowest floor. In a special flood hazard area, the Floodplain Administrator decides whether a project is a substantial improvement. That decision is an early question to settle before a basement finish is designed.
The city's 2020 plan reported every property inside city limits connected to sewer. Noblesville Utilities handles sanitary sewer line locations. So a home's sewer service is worth confirming before a basement bathroom is planned. On a septic property, the county sizes the system by bedrooms and bedroom equivalents. That makes a new basement bedroom a question for the Hamilton County Health Department before the design is set.
Home additions
Our additions cover work inside and out, from primary suites, family rooms and in-law suites to bump-outs, second stories and garages. For an addition, the city's submittal table marks a surveyed site plan and foundation plans as required; for a remodel it marks the site plan as not required and foundation plans as possible. If new site work touches a regulated drain or its easement, the Hamilton County Surveyor's permit applies too.
Working with us
Working with our Muncie studio
Noblesville is about 43 miles by road from our Muncie studio, measured to the Census Bureau's internal point for Noblesville. Hamilton County is one of the primary counties we serve.
Our design work includes measurements, one to three design concepts, 3D renderings, curated selections and an all-inclusive total cost. You see the design and the cost together. We also help with zoning-review and HOA-approval materials when a project needs them.
Installation work carries a one-year workmanship warranty, and the products you select carry their manufacturers' warranties.
To talk through a Noblesville project, call (765) 288-1874.
Design. Discover. Deliver. Difference.
Discover
Explore material selections, including name brands and boutique lines, with guidance on finishes.
Deliver
Review the project details and proposed total cost.
Difference
Design, project management and trade professionals come together for the build.
Other communities we serve
1874 Design Studio also works with homeowners in these communities.
All service areasNoblesville remodeling questions
Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen or bathroom in Noblesville?
Yes, if the work involves electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC or structural changes, according to the city's Residential Permit Guide. Flooring, painting, or new shingles or siding with none of that work most likely does not need one. City permits apply to homes inside Noblesville's jurisdiction. Hamilton County has nine planning jurisdictions, so it is worth confirming which one covers your home.
Will a historic district limit what I can change on my Noblesville home?
It can if the home is in a Historic Preservation Overlay District. There, new construction, additions and alterations go through the city's site plan review. The review checks materials and roof shapes against those that predominate in the district.
What changes if my Noblesville home is in a flood hazard area?
For homes inside the City of Noblesville's jurisdiction, including its extraterritorial jurisdiction, the Special Flood Hazard Area brings limits on improvements and possibly elevation certificates. The Floodplain Administrator decides whether renovation work counts as a substantial improvement. If it does, a home in Zone A or AE must have its lowest floor, basement included, at or above the Flood Protection Grade. The city sends specific floodplain questions to the Indiana DNR's INdiana Floodplain Information Portal.
What inspections does a Noblesville remodel need?
Within Noblesville's planning jurisdiction, the city's remodel packet lists a rough-in before insulation, a permanent electrical inspection if applicable, and a final before occupancy. The permit card stays in a front lower-level window, visible from the street, from the first inspection through the final.
Can you help with the interior design of a Noblesville remodel?
Yes, as part of design-build. Our design work covers measurements, one to three design concepts, 3D renderings and curated selections, with an all-inclusive total cost. For construction, our trusted trade professionals work alongside our design and project management teams.
Do you remodel older homes in Noblesville?
Yes. About one in five Noblesville homes was built before 1980, per 2020-2024 Census Bureau estimates. If your home was built before 1978, we would coordinate and provide appropriate EPA services in that instance.
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(765) 288-1874420 S Ohio Ave, Suite 1874Muncie, IN 47302