The Builder Who Lives Down the Road

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.

That’s why who you build with matters.

Boutique contractors—tight-knit crews with deep ties to the area—offer something larger firms often can’t: presence. And in Elderco’s case, it’s not just professional, it’s personal. The company was born and bred in Westhampton Beach, and CEO Nancy Burner is a longtime resident of the community, as are several members of her team. The connection to place runs deeper than the project itself. This isn’t just where we work. It’s home.

With coastal construction, no site’s straightforward. There are flood zones, uneven grades, high water tables, and nor’easters that arrive sideways. Builders who’ve been here long enough know how to read a lot before breaking ground. They’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and what lasts.

Having local knowledge with boots on the ground isn’t something that can be manufactured or imported. That experience plays out in subtle, lasting ways: how a foundation is waterproofed on a soggy site, which wood weathers best under salt air, or how a simple slope change keeps a swale from overflowing. It’s understanding that south-facing trim takes a beating in winter, or that venting a roof ridge just a little wider can make a summer home feel breathable all season long.

When an architect wants to tweak a stair run or rethink a finish, it’s not a disruption, it’s part of the process. That kind of responsiveness doesn’t come from a hierarchy. It comes from being present. From knowing the site, the plan, the weather forecast. From being far enough in the details to spot a better option and close enough to act on it.

Everything tightens. Meetings become problem-solving sessions. Missteps get caught before they spread. And the final result? It reflects that closeness.

At Elderco, this isn’t a strategy. It’s simply how we’ve always worked. We’ve been building in Westhampton Beach and the surrounding towns for years—for neighbors, friends, and families we see in town or walking the beach. We’ve watched our homes stand up to winter storms and settle into late-summer light. That kind of wisdom doesn’t come from a project management platform. It comes from living here. Working here. And caring deeply about what comes next.

That perspective can’t be found in spreadsheets. It comes from living down the road, sharing the same shoreline winds, and knowing what endures.Because in a place like this, a home is never just a structure. It’s part of a life. And the care you put in on day one makes all the difference—years, even decades, down the line.