NYS and NYC M/WBE Certified Contractor
There’s a version of a bathroom renovation where everything looks great on the surface new tile, fresh fixtures, clean grout lines and then six months later you’re dealing with a leak, a mold smell, or a failed inspection because the permit was never pulled. That version is more common than it should be in Queens.
The homes along Kingsbury Avenue and Hollis Hills Terrace are beautiful, and they’re worth protecting. But a 70-year-old bathroom in Hollis Hills isn’t just an aesthetic project. Behind those original tiles, there’s often corroded galvanized pipe, cracked subfloor from decades of slow moisture, or vinyl floor tile that needs to be tested before anyone touches it with a demo hammer. When those things get handled properly from the start, the renovation holds. You’re not redoing it in five years.
We’ve spent over 12 years doing water damage restoration and remediation in Queens homes which means we’ve seen, firsthand, what happens when a bathroom renovation skips the hard parts. When we remodel your bathroom, the waterproofing is real, the plumbing gets properly evaluated, and the finish work is built on a foundation that was actually prepared for it. That’s what a bathroom renovation in a Hollis Hills home actually requires.
Green Island Group is a Queens- and Long Island-based contractor with over 12 years in business, NYS and NYC M/WBE certification, and a background that most bathroom remodelers simply don’t have. Our foundation is in environmental remediation, water damage restoration, mold abatement, and demolition which means we come into every bathroom renovation already knowing what older homes hide and how to handle it.
We’ve worked directly in Hollis Hills, maintaining a dedicated water damage restoration operation in this neighborhood specifically. We know the housing stock here. We know the age of the pipes, the construction methods of the era, and what a gut renovation in a pre-war Colonial near Cunningham Park actually involves. That’s not something you get from a company that just lists your ZIP code on a website.
We’re fully insured liability and workers’ compensation and we’ve held contracts with NYS government agencies including the Office of General Services and Nassau and Suffolk Counties. If you want a company that’s been vetted beyond a Google listing, that track record matters.
It starts with a consultation where we look at the actual bathroom not just what you want it to look like, but what’s there now. Scope, condition, plumbing layout, electrical situation, any signs of moisture behind the walls. In a Hollis Hills home built in the 1950s, that assessment isn’t a formality. It’s where the real project planning happens.
From there, we handle the NYC Department of Buildings permit process. Most bathroom renovations in Queens that involve plumbing relocation, electrical changes, or ventilation work require an ALT-2 filing and that means coordinating with a licensed engineer, submitting plans, and scheduling inspections. We manage that process. You don’t have to figure out what DOB requires or chase down a separate architect. It’s included in how we operate.
Once permits are in order, demolition begins and if the survey turns up asbestos-containing materials (which is common in pre-1980 homes), we handle abatement in-house. We hold the licensing for it. After demo, the work moves through waterproofing, plumbing, electrical, tile, and fixture installation in the right sequence, with one crew and one point of contact throughout. When the job is done, it’s done inspected, permitted, and built to hold up in a home that’s worth close to a million dollars.
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A bathroom renovation with us covers the full scope not just the visible work. That means demolition, waterproofing membrane installation, plumbing evaluation and upgrade where needed, electrical updates for GFCI compliance and modern load requirements, tile work, fixture installation, and finish carpentry. For homes in Hollis Hills where the original plumbing may still include galvanized steel or outdated drain configurations, the plumbing assessment isn’t optional it’s built into the process.
If your home was built before 1980 which includes the vast majority of homes in this neighborhood an asbestos survey is required by NYC law before any demolition begins. We hold asbestos abatement credentials, so that step doesn’t stall your project or require a separate contractor. It’s handled in-house and kept on schedule.
On the design side, the scope is yours to define. Whether you’re updating a dated hall bath with new tile and a vanity, or doing a full gut renovation on a primary bathroom with a frameless glass shower, heated floors, and wall-mounted fixtures, the range is there. For Hollis Hills homeowners who are renovating before a sale in a market where the median sale price hit $990,000 in late 2024 we also offer financing up to $200,000 with 0% APR options, so the project your home needs doesn’t have to wait on your savings timeline.
In most cases, yes. New York City requires an ALT-2 permit for bathroom renovations that involve relocating plumbing fixtures, adding or modifying electrical outlets, or changing ventilation even if the overall use of the home isn’t changing. This applies to homes in Hollis Hills just as it does anywhere else in the five boroughs, and it’s not something you want to skip. Unpermitted work can surface during a home inspection and create real problems when you go to sell especially in a market where Hollis Hills buyers are paying close to $1 million and their attorneys are thorough.
The ALT-2 process requires a licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect to prepare and file the plans with the NYC Department of Buildings. DOB filing fees typically run $1,500 to $6,500, and engineer or architect fees add another $3,000 to $15,000 depending on the scope. We manage this process as part of the renovation we coordinate the filing, track the approval, and schedule the required inspections so you’re not navigating DOB on your own.
Bathroom renovation costs in Queens run higher than the national average typically 30 to 50 percent higher because of NYC permit costs, licensed trade labor rates, and the logistics of working in the metro area. For a standard mid-grade renovation in 2025, you’re realistically looking at $15,000 to $28,000. A full gut renovation with layout changes, premium finishes, and plumbing upgrades runs $30,000 to $55,000 or more. Luxury master bathroom work with custom tile, frameless glass, and heated floors can push past $75,000.
In Hollis Hills specifically, the age of the housing stock adds a variable that affects cost. When demo reveals corroded galvanized pipe, failed waterproofing behind the shower wall, or asbestos-containing floor tile that needs licensed abatement, those items have to be addressed before anything cosmetic can happen. A contractor who gives you a quote without acknowledging that possibility isn’t giving you a real number. We build an honest assessment into the consultation so you know what you’re working with before the project starts.
It’s more common than most homeowners expect. Homes built before 1980 which is virtually every home in Hollis Hills may contain asbestos in vinyl floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, and joint compound. New York City law requires an asbestos survey before any demolition work begins in buildings constructed before 1987. If the survey finds suspect materials, they have to be properly abated by a licensed contractor before demo can continue.
Where most bathroom remodelers run into trouble is right here. They’re not licensed for abatement, so the project stops while the homeowner scrambles to find someone who is. We hold asbestos abatement credentials, which means we handle it in-house. The survey gets done, the abatement gets done, and the project keeps moving on schedule. For a Hollis Hills home that’s 65 to 80 years old, having that capability under one roof isn’t a bonus it’s a practical necessity that most contractors in this market simply can’t offer.
The honest answer is that timeline depends heavily on scope and permit status. A straightforward cosmetic update new tile, vanity swap, fixture replacement without moving supply or drain lines can be completed in one to two weeks once materials are on-site. A full gut renovation with plumbing relocation, electrical upgrades, and new waterproofing typically runs three to five weeks of active construction.
The bigger timeline factor in Queens is the permit process. An ALT-2 filing with the NYC Department of Buildings typically takes one to three months for review and approval on a well-prepared submission. That’s not construction time that’s paperwork time before the first wall gets opened. We factor this into the project schedule from the start, so the permit is in process while you’re finalizing material selections. For Hollis Hills homeowners planning a renovation before a sale or before a specific date, starting that permit process early is the most important scheduling decision you can make.
In most cases, yes but the return depends on what you do and how it’s done. The Queens real estate market hit a significant milestone in Q2 2025 when the average price for one-to-three-family homes exceeded $1 million for the first time. In Hollis Hills specifically, the median sale price reached $990,000 in late 2024, up 7 percent year-over-year. Buyers at that price point have high expectations, and a dated or poorly maintained bathroom is one of the most common reasons a showing goes sideways.
A well-executed bathroom renovation properly permitted, with updated plumbing and finishes that match the home’s character consistently ranks among the top two renovations recommended before listing. The key word is “well-executed.” A rushed, unpermitted remodel can actually create problems during inspection rather than solve them. Our process permits handled, licensed trades, proper waterproofing produces work that holds up to the scrutiny of a buyer’s inspector, which is what actually matters when you’re trying to close at $990,000 or above.
Yes. We offer financing up to $200,000, including 0% APR options, along with traditional home improvement loans and promotional rate programs. For a full gut bathroom renovation in Queens that runs $30,000 to $55,000, that kind of financing access makes a meaningful difference especially when the work your home actually needs is more than what you planned to spend once the walls come open.
Hollis Hills homes are worth protecting. Many of the families who’ve moved into this neighborhood in recent years drawn by PS 188 and the neighborhood’s character purchased at or near $1 million and are immediately investing in renovation work. Financing lets that investment happen on a timeline that makes sense, rather than waiting until the savings account catches up while the bathroom continues to deteriorate. The 0% APR option in particular means you’re paying for the renovation, not for the cost of borrowing. That’s worth asking about when you call for a consultation.
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