From elevators to wine cellars, KOSL Building Group creates luxury homes around personal lifestyles
For decades, KOSL Building Group (KOSL) has been recognized as the top custom home builder in Scarsdale, New York and a leading residential developer of high-end single-family homes throughout Westchester, New York. Founded nearly 40 years ago by President Bobby Ben-Simon, KOSL has constructed hundreds of luxury homes throughout the region and is highly regarded for its consistent quality and customer service. Oran Ben-Simon, Vice President, shares more about the company’s origins and current projects.
“As the founding President of KOSL, my father has been building exceptionally high-quality homes for decades without plateau. We have now built over 300 homes, specializing in high-end single-family construction throughout Lower Westchester and Greenwich, Connecticut. Around half of our projects are spec and the remaining are custom, though most of our spec projects transition to custom along the way. As of now, all of our active projects are custom, and we are working on a couple of exciting upcoming spec projects in addition to new custom developments. Given the scarce inventory of premium properties and prospective clients seeking to work with an established developer, we have been very busy. Having won many awards for property transformation, endless amenities and customer service, both existing and new clients appreciate the quality we deliver,” he begins.
That reputation is well illustrated by KOSL’s vast portfolio. All current projects are either custom homes or residences that started off as spec and subsequently transitioned into custom jobs. Among the four builds the company is finishing up, two custom homes particularly stand out through their unique features. The first is a modern farmhouse in Scarsdale, which was originally completed as a spec project before transitioning to custom and features a wine cellar, jungle gym, sauna, bar, and heated driveway with automatic gates. Spanning 10,700 square feet on just over an acre, this property boasts eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a three-car garage, a heated pool, suspended onyx fireplace, a large private deck off the master bedroom and a covered veranda below with heat lamps, and an outdoor stone fireplace. The second is a modern colonial home in Scarsdale, built fully custom for a client. At almost 12,000 square feet situated on over an acre, this house features eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a three-car garage, custom sauna, gym, movie theatre, juice bar, waterfall features, elevator, veranda with heatlamps and autoshades, outdoor kitchen, pool house, heated pool with spa, heated driveway, and intricate millwork throughout.
Many of KOSL’s clients are family-oriented, requiring a mindful balance between exciting features and everyday functionality across projects. Oran explains how the company approaches those demands with a ‘proactive’ rather than ‘reactive’ mentality. “Luxury living is about balancing functionality with convenience, where the beautiful finishes are the cherry on top. In line with that, we prepare all our homes for a future elevator if desired and always include at least one home office, a full bedroom with ensuite on the first floor, enhanced sound insulation and prep for future amenities such as audiovisual integration throughout. Beyond that, we incorporate what we call concealed utilization (CU) features, including hidden doors for storage rooms, retractable baby or dog gates flush within walls, pass-through doors for easily loading groceries from garage to pantry, cooling and heating elements for countertops and concealed lifts for appliances and furnishings.
“The CU features are intended to be used when needed and left out of sight when no longer required or outgrown, without the need for removal, making them noninvasive accommodations. Our basements have endless flexibility, where clients usually prefer three distinct zones: one for children, one for the family, and one for adults, which might range from kid-friendly jungle gyms, arcades, bowling alleys, and juice stations to home cinemas, golf simulators, gyms, cigar rooms, wine cellars, bars, and spas. Adding different elements throughout the home for each member of the family to enjoy, both individually and together, along with preparation for future amenities is something our clients consistently value,” he enlightens.
Alongside the desire for thrilling features for the whole family, sustainability is an increasingly important consideration for KOSL and its clientele. When it comes to sustainability, the company’s approach is rooted in longevity rather than trends. Not every green initiative fad is practical, and some can even hinder a home’s efficiency or inflate the budget unnecessarily. KOSL’s take on sustainability is all about building energy-efficient homes that last for generations. That means exceeding insulation codes, heightened U-ratings and R-values, implementing advanced waterproofing methods, and enhanced stormwater mitigation so that the home’s peak performance is consistent regardless of weather changes. All in all, the company’s goal is to prevent any fluctuations in the efficiency or utilization of the home. KOSL’s high standards are attributed to its perspective of luxury finishes and features being a supplemental staple in a well-built home, where the fundamental integrity of construction holistically is the true metric for underlying quality.
“We ensure the balance between stability and automation is always intact, giving clients peace of mind. Our high level of attentiveness and scrutiny for structural elements throughout the project is unwavering, using the highest-quality materials and best practices to warrant longevity along with the foresight to anticipate what clients may want to add to their homes in the future. It is very common for homeowners to incorporate additional features or amenities after they have settled in, making it critical for certain preparations to be in place so that costly and invasive work is avoided,” Oran concludes.
Personifying integrity through action, for KOSL, luxury has always been about building homes that perform as beautifully as they look.