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Out on the East End, where ocean meets legacy and no parcel is ordinary, the story of a home isn’t just in how it looks when it’s done. It’s in how it’s built. The rhythm of the work. The thinking behind each material. The team that shows up, day after day. These are the things that shape a home in ways you won’t find on a spec sheet.

Call it a guest house, a cottage, a pool house with a secret. Whatever the name, accessory dwelling units—ADUs—are having a quiet moment on the East End. And not just because they’re charming. These compact, standalone structures are becoming one of the most flexible ways to add value and function to a property, without the headaches of a full-scale renovation.

You might not have seen one yet, but someone you know probably has. A shadow at the edge of a field. A bush rustling near the golf course. Something caught on a Ring camera. Coyotes are creeping east across Long Island, and the days of saying “that’s just a Nassau problem” are numbered.

There’s something about the way late light hits a teak table at dusk, or how the smell of wood smoke carries on a bay breeze, that makes a backyard feel less like an afterthought and more like a destination. In Westhampton Beach and its neighboring enclaves, the idea of outdoor living has evolved well beyond the occasional grill-out.

You don’t always see it right away—that’s the point. What used to sit loud and obvious on top of a roof is now being folded into it. Solar, without the spectacle.