Kitchen Remodeling in Bay Shore, NY

North of Montauk Highway, in the postwar capes and ranches, the kitchen is usually a small closed room boxed in by a bearing wall, often with a masonry chimney chase inside it left from an older flue. Whether that wall can open — and what carrying the load requires in header size, posts, and a path down to a footing — settles the layout before a single cabinet is chosen. Electrical service is the other early question, because the original panel in a house of that age was never sized for the circuit count a modern kitchen needs.

Closer to the water it is the view that drives the plan rather than the floor plan. Homeowners along the canals and the bay want the kitchen turned toward the water, which means new or enlarged openings, real headers, and glass specified for the exposure. Hardware matters more here than it does inland: salt-laden air pits ordinary finishes on sliders and casements facing the water, so we specify corrosion-resistant hardware and coastal-appropriate units on those elevations. Enlarging an opening in an exterior wall is structural work, and it gets drawn, filed and inspected rather than cut in on a Tuesday.

The third factor is what sits under the floor, and inland kitchens rarely have to reckon with it. With a high water table and sandy soil near the bay, many south-end houses have a slab or a shallow crawlspace rather than a full basement, so waste lines and gas runs are buried instead of exposed in an open joist bay. Moving a sink or a range, or adding an island, therefore becomes an access decision settled before anything is ordered. It also pays to look underneath first: a crawlspace that never dries out is usually what cupped the flooring and swelled the toe kicks in the kitchen you already have.

Kitchens Planned Around What's Under the Floor

Call (631) 983-8079 and we'll walk the room, look at the wall you want to open, and put a free written quote in your hands within 24-48 hours. Kitchen Remodeling service page.

Frequently asked questions — Kitchen Remodeling in Bay Shore

Can I take out the wall between my kitchen and the living room?

Often yes, but in Bay Shore's postwar capes and ranches that wall is frequently carrying load, and there may be a masonry chimney chase inside it left from an older flue. Opening it means a properly sized header, posts, and a load path that continues down to a footing — which on a slab or shallow-crawlspace house is a different exercise than it is over a full basement. Where structure is being altered the work gets drawn and filed with the Town of Islip, and we bring in a licensed engineer when the span or the load calls for it. We tell you what is possible after we look, not before.

There's no real basement under my kitchen. Can the sink and range still move?

Usually, but it has to be decided early. Near the bay the water table is high and the soil is sandy, so many south-end houses sit on slab or a shallow crawlspace and the waste lines and gas runs are buried rather than exposed in an open joist bay. Relocating a sink or a range, or adding an island, can mean cutting and patching slab or working in a tight crawl, and that belongs in the written quote rather than surfacing later as a change order. While we are under there we also check whether the crawlspace is staying damp, since that is often what cupped the existing floor.

Serving Bay Shore and all of Long Island

We serve homeowners across Bay Shore and surrounding Long Island communities. Visit our Service Areas page for a complete list of towns we cover, or call (631) 983-8079 to confirm we serve your address.

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Frequently asked questions — Kitchen Remodeling in Bay Shore

Serving Bay Shore and all of Long Island

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