Accessory dwelling unit under construction on a Long Island lot

Alec's Construction builds and legalizes accessory dwelling units in Shirley, Suffolk County — basement and lower-level apartments, garage conversions, dormered second floors and additions — working out of the yard in East Patchogue. Most of what people call an ADU here is an apartment inside the house they already own, and a lot of those already exist and need to be made legal. That is winter work.

Accessory Apartments in Shirley

Shirley is Town of Brookhaven, and the accessory apartment here is almost always a converted garage or a dormered second floor on a cape rather than a basement, because a lot of Shirley is on sand with a high water table near the bay and full basements are less common than further north. The southern streets carry flood elevations that rule out a below-grade unit. Above grade, the Brookhaven accessory apartment process applies.

Capes: The Apartment Goes Up, Not Down

A post-war cape gives you two candidates for an accessory apartment — the basement and the half-storey — and on a lot of South Shore lots the basement is ruled out by ceiling height, by the water table, or by the flood elevation. That leaves the second floor. A full shed dormer across the back of a cape turns the knee-wall half-storey into a real floor: a bedroom, a bath, a kitchen and a stair of its own, with the ceiling height the code asks for and an egress window in the dormer.

It is a bigger build than a basement fit-out, and it is a better apartment — dry, bright, above grade and separately entered. The framing is the spring; the design and the permit are the winter.

What the Town Asks a Dwelling Unit to Have

  • A compliant egress opening in every sleeping room — net clear opening, sill height and well where it is below grade
  • Ceiling height that meets the habitable-space minimum, measured under the beams and ducts, not between them
  • A fire separation between the apartment and the main house at the shared floor, wall and stair
  • Smoke and carbon-monoxide detection in both units, interconnected
  • A kitchen and a full bath, with the plumbing and electrical inspected
  • Its own exit to the outside
  • The owner living in the house, and the accessory apartment permit with its renewal cycle
Framed and insulated Long Island basement wall going up in winter

Permits in Shirley

Shirley files with the Town of Brookhaven. The accessory apartment permit sits on top of the building permit — two processes, one address — and the rules differ by town and by village. We confirm which authority governs from the tax map, then read the current rules for that authority, then walk the house against them. It saves months.

The Winter Plan

The interior legalizations run straight through the winter, because none of the work depends on the weather. For a new build — a dormer, an addition, a detached unit — the winter is when the survey, the drawings and the permit application get done so the framing can start as soon as the ground allows.

Free walkthrough in Shirley. Alex walks the space against the code, lists what passes and what does not, and you get the list and the photographs whether or not you hire us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a converted garage in Shirley be a legal accessory apartment?

Yes, if it meets what the Town of Brookhaven requires for a dwelling unit and the house is owner-occupied — and the garage conversion is the right ADU for a lot of Shirley houses because it is above grade, at the front of the lot with its own door, and does not depend on a basement that may not exist. The work is framing the door opening as an insulated wall, a bathroom and a kitchen, heat, and the separation from the main house. It is interior work and it runs through the winter.

What is the difference between legalizing an apartment and building one?

Legalizing means the space already exists and functions as an apartment — a finished basement, a lower level, a converted garage — and the work is bringing it up to what the town requires for a dwelling unit and getting the accessory apartment permit. Building one means creating the space. Legalization is almost always interior work and it is what we schedule through the winter.

Why do the design and permit in winter?

Because the permit is the slow part. Between the survey, the drawings, the town's accessory apartment application and the plan review, several months can go by before anything is built. Starting that in November means a build can start when the ground thaws instead of in July. The interior legalizations run straight through the winter regardless.

Do I have to live in the house to have an accessory apartment?

In every Suffolk town we work in, yes — the accessory apartment permits are written around owner-occupied houses, and the owner signs an affidavit to that effect. The permits also typically renew on a cycle rather than lasting forever. The specific rules differ by town and by village, and we confirm them for the actual address rather than generalise.

Related Guides

Also Serving Shirley

Work With Alec's Construction

This guide is written by the crew that does the work. See Alec's ADUs service — accessory apartments, garage conversions and grant paperwork. Licensed and insured on Long Island, one crew start to finish, free walkthrough and a written estimate inside 48 hours.

Booking the cold months now: we also handle Additions & New Construction and Bathroom Remodeling.

Get a Free Estimate from Alec's Construction

Working across Suffolk County since 2018, one crew from start to finish. We come out, look at the actual job, and put a written number in your hand — no pressure, no obligation.

Or call (631) 312-7441

No cost, no obligation. We reply the same day.