Southampton, NY Construction Consulting & Owner's Rep

What We Do

• Site meetings and notes. We attend the owner-architect-contractor meetings and send written notes with action items, owners, dates, and photographs after every visit.

• Submittals and selections. We track product selections, submittals, and lead times so that decisions are made before they delay the job. Design approvals remain with the architect or engineer of record.

• Change order review. Each change order is checked for scope clarity, pricing logic, and schedule effect before the owner signs it.

• Milestone walkthroughs. Documented walkthroughs at the stages listed below, with photographs of the conditions that will be concealed.

• Scope and bid review. Before contract, we review the scope for gaps and put competing bids on a comparable basis.

• A project record. Meeting notes, decisions, change orders, and a photo record of the concealed work, kept in one place and handed to the owner at closeout.

Building Diagnostics at Each Milestone

Our principal is a NYS licensed mold assessor and home inspector, and that background is what we bring to a construction project. Many of the moisture problems we diagnose in finished homes began at one of these stages.

Foundation and below grade

Footing and foundation drainage, damp-proofing or waterproofing, the vapor retarder under the slab, and the crawl space vapor retarder and conditioning plan. A crawl space under an air-conditioned floor needs a moisture strategy before the floor goes down.

Dry-in and close-in

Window and door flashing, laps in the weather-resistive barrier, deck ledger flashing, and roof-to-wall transitions. Before insulation and drywall we measure and record the moisture content of the framing and sheathing, because framing closed into a wall while it is still wet is a source of mold growth in new homes.

Mechanical rough-in and startup

Duct location and sealing, air handlers in attics, bathroom and dryer exhaust terminating outdoors, dehumidification, and a whole-home ventilation system that is commissioned and left running. Tight homes depend on mechanical ventilation; in a study of 70 new California homes built under a mechanical ventilation code, the required fans were running in only 26% of homes when researchers first visited.

Energy code testing

New York's 2025 energy code, in effect for building permit applications filed on or after December 31, 2025, requires a blower-door air leakage test on new homes, with a limit of 3.0 air changes per hour at 50 pascals in climate zone 4, which includes Suffolk County. It also requires duct leakage testing for ducted heating and cooling systems. We review the test results with you and what they mean for ventilation and humidity control in the finished home.

Pre-closing and punch

A documented walkthrough with photographs and a written punch list, and a check that warranties, equipment manuals, and test and commissioning records are in hand before final payment. A newly built home that has never been occupied falls outside New York's legal definition of a home inspection, so this walkthrough is how we inspect new construction for buyers and owners.

Southampton Approvals and Rules That Affect the Schedule

In the Village of Southampton

• Architectural review. Every building permit application for construction of a building or structure, other than interior alterations, swimming pools, and playing courts, is referred to the Board of Architectural Review and Historic Preservation, not only projects in the historic districts. Village-designated landmarks and properties in a Village-designated historic district also need a certificate of appropriateness.

• Wetlands. Structures within 150 feet of a wetland, watercourse, or tidal water, septic systems within 200 feet, and clearing or grading within 125 feet require a wetlands special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals, or from the Town Trustees where the wetland is under their jurisdiction.

• Flood zones. New construction and substantial improvements, meaning work costing 50% or more of the structure's market value, must put the lowest floor at least two feet above the base flood elevation in most flood zones. The Village rewrote its flood law in October 2025.

• Coastal erosion. New structures and major additions in the mapped coastal erosion hazard area need a coastal erosion management permit.

• Septic. Suffolk County requires a nitrogen-reducing I/A septic system for all new construction, and the Village also requires one for bedroom additions and County-required septic upgrades in its high- and medium-priority areas.

• Work hours. Construction is permitted 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and not on Sundays or holidays. Pile driving is prohibited on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

In the hamlets of the Town of Southampton

• Town Trustees. Docks, bulkheads, and other work in Town waters, below the mean high-water mark, or in the wetlands associated with them need a permit from the Southampton Town Trustees.

• Town wetlands. Work within 200 feet of a wetland boundary needs a Town wetlands permit.

• Coastal erosion. The Town administers its own coastal erosion hazard area law.

• Septic. Suffolk County requires an I/A system for all new construction, and the Town adds requirements in its high-priority areas, including floor-area increases of 25% or more.

• Work hours. The Town sets its own construction hours, which differ from the Village's.

We track these approvals, inspections, and sign-offs on the project schedule and in the project record. Permit applications and code compliance remain with the architect, engineer, and contractor.

How Engagements Are Structured

We set the engagement to the project:

• Hourly consulting for a specific question, a bid review, or a change order dispute.

• Monthly support during active construction, with regular site meetings and notes.

• Milestone visits at foundation, close-in, mechanical startup, and pre-closing and punch.

• Joining mid-project to organize the documentation, update the schedule with the contractor, and document the job's current status.

Related Southampton Services

Southampton services overview · Mold testing · Indoor air quality testing · Home inspections · Water quality testing · Construction consulting across the East End