The Greening of the Hamptons

By Lauren Aitken

What makes a house “green”? Energy efficiency is the number one feature, according to Peter Sabbeth. As head of Modern Green Home, a Bridgehampton firm since 2006, he ought to know. Following close behind, he says, are air quality and sustainable materials.

The company, which builds both custom and spec houses, installs high-efficiency heating systems, mostly geothermal, and makes sure to fully insulate the building envelope to prevent heat from escaping… which leads us to the issue of air quality. If air is unable to circulate outside then toxics will be captured. “Construction materials are notorious for off gassing,” says Sabbeth, who said volatile organic compounds can leech into on the interior atmosphere for years. Thus green houses are made with toxic-free materials such as carpets, cabinetry and paints. To keep a small environmental footprint, Sabbeth sources his lumber and shingles from farms managed by the Forest Stewardship Council rather than from clear-cut forests.

Sabbeth has just finished a modern-style green home in the Amagansett Lanes ($5.95 million) and has started three more traditional shingle exteriors, modern interiors—also in the village, but a tad north of the highway ($4.5 to $5.5). He’s erecting another trio, this time “California vineyard style” on Hands Creek Road.

Yankee Barn Homes, known for its post and beam construction, is also making significant inroads into greening the Hamptons. The New Hampshire company, which only sources timber from members of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, has built six green spec houses in East Hampton. The homes are the brainchildren of Jeffery Rosen, Yankee Barn’s Creative Design Director and principal of Jeffery Rosen Interior Design, with his partner, Gerard Mingino.

Laurel Hollow on Toilsome Lane was designed to appear to have existed in its location since days of yore. Among the house’s energy saving elements are a high-efficiency natural gas boiler and hot water radiant heat. Designed for maximum solar gain, it also boasts a “shell package” that includes proprietary roof and wall panels containing insulation with a high R-value to create an impeccable energy seal.

On Northwest Path in Sagaponack, a “very modern and totally green” house listed at $6.650 million is in the final stages of construction. The 3.4-acre, 8,500-square-foot home has received third-party Leeds certification, the most widely used green building rating system. Giving a tour of the house, John Barrows who is managing construction on the site for Newmark Development, explained the “passive” aspects of its heat conservation, namely its south-facing orientation allowing sun to crawl up the back wall to impart sun during winter. An overhang prevents too much sun in summer. The walls of glass accordion doors open the kitchen/living room almost completely to the outside, creating generous cross ventilation – to enhance a ventilation system that constantly supplies fresh air with minimal energy loss. The Intus windows are super energy efficient, about the same as a 2-x-4 wall, says Barrows. As principal of P3 Builder Group and a “green consultant,” he is an expert in these kinds of things, having penned The Complete Idiots Guide to Green Building.

Foam core SIP panels (as opposed to standard construction panels with wood framing and cavity insulation) optimize solar benefits by being more airtight. “Their skin is made of magnesium and is fire rated and totally healthy,” says Barrows. Speaking of health, the heating system incorporates humidification, according to Terry Cohen, who has a co-exclusive on the property with Mala Sander. “Your skin feels so much better in winter,” she says.

The question remains: Does greenness sell a house? The sad truth is: “I rarely come across a buyer that demands a green home,” says Sabbeth. “It’s never the driving factor; it’s icing on the cake.” In a land where aesthetics rule, “It’s got to be a sexy, well-built, high-end house” first, according to Cohen, who cites the warmth afforded by the reclaimed wood cabinetry and beams in her Sagaponack listing. Perhaps the biggest selling point is that, with its energy-efficient systems, a green house costs less to run.