Remodeled bathroom with a tiled walk-in shower, the kind of work done in Melville, New York

Alec's Construction remodels bathrooms in Melville (11747), working out of the yard in East Patchogue. A bathroom job here starts with what is behind the walls and under the floor — the drain lines, the venting, the subfloor and how the room gets rid of moisture — because those decide what the new room can be before anyone picks a tile.

Bathroom Remodeling in Melville

Melville's residential streets west of Route 110 and around the Sweet Hollow preserve are mostly 1960s to 80s colonials and splits on half-acre wooded lots, and their bathrooms are well into their second or third life. The colonials have a hall bath and a primary bath upstairs, both over finished rooms, and the splits put the main bath on the bedroom level with a half bath below. East of 110 the newer subdivisions have younger baths, though often built with lighter materials: tile set on drywall, one-piece shower units, and fans that make more noise than airflow. Throughout the hamlet the common requests are larger glass showers, double vanities and heated floors, which work well upstairs when the subfloor is flat and stiff. There is no tidal water here, so moisture in these baths comes from the shower, and how well it leaves the room decides how long the remodel lasts.

What We Look at First in Melville

We check whether the floor is ready for what is wanted. Large-format tile and heated floors both need a flat, stiff base, so we look at joist size and spacing under the bath and the condition of the subfloor. Then the fan duct and where it exits. Melville files with the Town of Huntington at Town Hall on Main Street in Huntington.

Bigger Houses, More Bathrooms

The wooded hamlets have larger houses — colonials, splits and custom builds from the 1960s through the 1990s — and they usually have more than one bathroom: a hall bath, a primary bath and a powder room. The remodel is often the primary bath, and the questions are about space and plumbing rather than squeezing.

Second-floor bathrooms sit over finished rooms, so waterproofing matters twice: a failed shower pan stains the ceiling below. A bonded waterproofing membrane under the tile and a flood test before the tile goes down are the right standard.

Older primary baths from that era often have a large corner tub nobody uses and a small shower beside it. Removing the tub for a larger walk-in shower is the most common request. The fan, the circuit for heated floors, and the water heater's capacity for a bigger shower all get checked before the plan is final.

Tiled shower and vanity in a remodeled Long Island bathroom

The Order of the Work

A bathroom goes wrong when finishes go over problems. So the order does not change: open it up, find what is wet or soft, fix the structure and the plumbing, then waterproof, then tile.

The shower is the part that matters most. Behind the tile goes cement board or a foam board system with a bonded membrane, sealed at every seam and corner, sloped to the drain, and flood-tested. The fan is sized to the room and vented outside, not into the attic. Tile, grout, the vanity, the toilet and the trim come last, and we test every fixture with you at the walkthrough.

Permits in Melville

Melville files with the Town of Huntington at Town Hall on Main Street in Huntington. A cosmetic refresh usually needs no permit, but moving plumbing, adding a bathroom, changing the layout or new electrical work is permitted work in Suffolk, and we file it before the walls are closed.

Alex walks the house in Melville, photographs what he finds and gives you a written scope in the order the work has to happen — whether or not you hire us. Call (631) 312-7441 to set up a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we add radiant heat to the floor of our Melville upstairs bathroom?

Yes. Electric radiant mats are common in bathroom remodels. They go under the tile on a prepared floor and run on their own thermostat, and they need a dedicated electrical circuit, which we plan with the rest of the work. The floor has to be flat and stiff for the tile above to last. Many people find a warm floor makes the room comfortable enough that they rarely rely on the old heat source.

Can you convert a tub to a walk-in shower in Melville?

Yes, and it is the most common bathroom request we get. The tub comes out, the drain is moved to suit the shower, the walls are rebuilt with a waterproofing membrane, and the floor is sloped to the drain. A low curb or a curbless entry are both possible, depending on the floor structure.

Is winter a good time to remodel a bathroom in Melville?

Yes. Bathroom work happens indoors, and the winter months are when crews have more room in the schedule. The main thing to plan is a second bathroom or a temporary arrangement while the room is out of service, and ordering tile and fixtures early.

Who issues the permit for bathroom remodeling work in Melville?

Melville files with the Town of Huntington at Town Hall on Main Street in Huntington. A cosmetic refresh usually needs no permit, but moving plumbing, adding a bathroom, changing the layout or new electrical work is permitted work in Suffolk, and we file it before the walls are closed.

Related Guides

Work With Alec's Construction

This page is written by the crew that does the work. See Alec's Bathroom Remodeling service — layout, waterproofing and ventilation planned before the first tile. One crew from the first walkthrough to the last inspection.

Also in Melville through the cold months: Kitchen Remodeling and Basement Finishing.

Also Serving Melville

Talk to Alec's Construction About Bathroom Remodeling in Melville

We come out, look at the house, photograph what we find and put a written scope in your hand. No pressure, no obligation. Working across Suffolk County since 2018.

Or call (631) 312-7441

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