Pre-Fabulous In The Hamptons

The traditional “site-built” or “stick-built” home comes in all shapes and sizes in the Hamptons and the same can be said for modular homes built in a factory… the latest trend in new home construction. The advantages of building “Pre-fab,” or “modular” are less time, less money, and more energy efficiency. These homes are anything but “cookie-cutter.” They are custom designed, utilizing sustainable materials, crafted to the homeowner’s individual taste.

The pre-fab home is built in a controlled factory setting, usually in Pennsylvania, while the site is being prepared and the foundation installed. Approximately 80% of the house is completed in the factory, then delivered in sections by truck to the site and erected by a crane. Local general contractors complete the finishing work on site. The process from start to finish, with permits in hand, generally takes from 3-6 months compared to a year for site-built homes.

Barry Altman, President and co-owner of Custom Modular Homes of Long Island, with Steve Graboski in Southampton, has been in the modular industry for 30 years. They are the largest custom modular homebuilders on Long Island and build one dozen modular homes a year in the Hamptons. From a construction vantage, all raw materials are delivered, stored, and built indoors under controlled conditions, unlike site-built homes where weather can affect the lumber. From a cost savings perspective, plants buy in bulk directly from the mills for less than local builders buy materials, and labor is cheaper. The modular home is built at the factory while the foundation is prepared simultaneously on site, saving time. Altman says, “The trade off is zero for a modular home compared to site-built.” He remarks, “A small very hot niche are extreme modern homes. The plant site is ideal for building rectangular and linear style homes with wide open glass and flat metal roofs.”

Hampton Modular, a modular homebuilder and real estate developer in Bridgehampton, owned by Jon Sirkin and his wife Christine, began in 2005. They have built 20 modular homes in the Hamptons. Sirkin explains, “Modular homes are better insulated because we build from the inside out rather than the outside in, where drywall goes on first and the exterior goes on last, eliminating all air leakage to the interior of the home so nothing can penetrate the envelope of the house.” There is a smaller carbon footprint as all materials in the factory are cut to precision and recycled. Sirkin says, “Modular has evolved as another means of constructing a home. It is the same product, just built somewhere else.”

New World Home in Southampton, was co-founded by Tyler Schmetterer and Mark Jupiter in 2006. With New World Barn, co-founded by Schmetterer and Bradford Goven in 2009, specializing in “11 different species of reclaimed antique hardwood flooring,” they are on the cutting edge of modular home design. They have built 10 modular homes in the Hamptons. Says Schmetterer, “We are an award winning producer of sustainable housing dedicated to fulfilling the convergence of historically inspired design and state-of-the-art green products with advanced building science and ultra-efficient manufacturing methodologies.” Their trademark, New Old Green Modular® (NOGM^®), “integrates all of the modern amenities of the 21st century.” The company has earned the certifications “1st USGBC LEED Platinum Factory-Built Home in New York, New Jersey, Long Island, and Georgia (2012).”

Resolution: 4 Architecture, based in New York City, is an architecture and design firm co-founded in 1990 by Joseph Tanney and Robert Lunz. They have designed a dozen modular homes in the Hamptons. Says Tanney, the benefits of a modular home are, “higher value proposition and a much higher level of predictability in time and cost. All houses are designed specifically for each client and each site.” Their homes are all modern, all green, with LEED standards, using sustainable materials. Or as Tanney says,  “lean, mean, clean, and green.” They were recently awarded “The winning entry in the DWELL Home Design Invitational for modern prefabricated homes.”

From traditional to modern, modular and pre-fab homes have evolved as a new option in home construction. The advantages of modular combined with all the custom amenities, offers another alternative to the site-built home.

Ruth Thomas, a freelance writer on the East End enjoys history, music, literature, art, nature, the beach, and her cute dachshund, Clancy. She can be contacted at [email protected]