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

Alec's Construction remodels bathrooms in Oakdale (11769), 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 Oakdale

Idle Hour and the Shore Drive streets are full of 1950s and 60s capes, ranches and splits on filled marsh at the mouth of the Connetquot River, and many of them were rebuilt in a hurry after 2012. That is the bathroom story in Oakdale. When a wall comes open in those houses we look hard at what is behind it, because cavities closed before the framing dried can hide mold, and a bath remodel is the moment to find it. The canal grid is in the mapped flood zone, the houses sit at grade a few feet above the water, and a bath on that lowest floor should be cement board, a waterproofing membrane and tile rather than drywall. Up the slope by the highway and the college, the houses are drier and the baths are the usual mid-century size: one full hall bath, sometimes a half bath, and plenty of interest in turning the tub into a walk-in shower.

What We Look at First in Oakdale

Behind the tile is where we look first. In the canal houses repaired after 2012, we want to see the studs and sheathing around the tub and the outside wall before planning the new room. We also check what the fan is doing, since many of these baths vent into the attic or not at all. Oakdale files with the Town of Islip on Main Street in Islip hamlet, and the canal streets on both sides of the river are mapped flood zone.

Small Houses on the Canal Grid

The canal streets were built out with small houses on filled ground, and the bathrooms in them are small too — often one full bath on a slab or a crawl space, sized for a summer cottage that became a year-round house. That one room gets used hard, and the remodel has to work inside a tight footprint.

The usual moves are honest ones: a tub-to-shower conversion that gains floor space, a wall-hung vanity that clears the floor, a pocket door where a swinging door eats the room, and a fan that actually exhausts outdoors instead of into the attic.

Salt air matters indoors too. Cheap chrome and steel fasteners pit and rust near the water, so fixtures, fan housings and accessories are worth choosing for corrosion resistance. On a house raised after 2012, the drain lines run through the new crawl space or piers, and we look at how they were reconnected before building over them.

Tiled shower and vanity in a remodeled Long Island bathroom

What a Bathroom Remodel Includes

Demolition comes first, down to the studs on the wet walls and to the subfloor under the tub or shower. That is when we see the real condition of the drains, the supply lines, the subfloor and the framing, and anything rotten or leaking gets fixed before it is covered again.

Then the rough work: plumbing moved or replaced, blocking for grab bars and the vanity, wiring for lights, outlets and the fan, and a fan duct run all the way outdoors. The shower gets cement board and a waterproofing membrane, flood-tested before the tile. Tile, fixtures, vanity, paint and trim follow, and the room is cleaned and walked with you before we leave.

Permits in Oakdale

Oakdale files with the Town of Islip on Main Street in Islip hamlet. The canal streets along the Connetquot River and the bay are in the mapped flood zone. 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 Oakdale, 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

Our Oakdale house was repaired quickly after Sandy. Should we worry when we redo the bathroom?

It is worth a careful look. Houses rebuilt fast sometimes had wall cavities closed while the framing was still wet, and the bathroom wall against the exterior is a common place for that to surface. When the tile and backer come off, we check the studs, the bottom plate and the sheathing for rot or mold, and deal with what we find before new waterproofing goes on. Better found now than after the new tile is set.

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

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 Oakdale?

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 Oakdale?

Oakdale files with the Town of Islip on Main Street in Islip hamlet. The canal streets along the Connetquot River and the bay are in the mapped flood zone. 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 Oakdale through the cold months: Kitchen Remodeling and Basement Finishing.

Also Serving Oakdale

Talk to Alec's Construction About Bathroom Remodeling in Oakdale

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.