Custom Home Builder
Imagine. Design. Build. Your Dream Home Awaits.
Custom Home Builder on Long Island
Center Island Contracting is a Long Island-based design-build firm that manages design, material selection, permitting, and construction under one organization for residential construction.
The firm serves Nassau County and Suffolk County through to the East End, with completed custom home builds from Manhasset to Montauk. Every custom home build begins with a custom design.
DESIGN-BUILD NEW CONSTRUCTION | LONG ISLAND
What Is a Custom Home Builder?
A custom home builder works directly with a client to understand their specific wants, needs, lifestyle requirements, and design goals, then creates and builds a home specifically for that individual client.
Center Island Contracting is a design-build firm, meaning the same organization that develops the design also manages permitting and executes construction. This is a structural distinction from production builders, who offer limited floor plan variations, and from the traditional model of hiring a general contractor separately from an architect.
Center Island Contracting has operated on Long Island since 2005, is licensed and insured in New York, and holds active membership in NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), LIBI (Long Island Builders Institute), NKBA, and BBB Accredited status.
Unlike a speculative builder who builds homes for the mass market without a specific buyer in mind, a custom home builder creates a home tailored to the unique needs of a particular homeowner.
Center Island Contracting builds custom homes. We don't:
- Fix-and-flip projects
- Production housing developments
- Handyman services
- Small repair projects
THE BUILD PROCESS | DESIGN THROUGH COMPLETION
How Does Center Island Contracting's Design-Build Model Work for New Home Construction?
Center Island Contracting is a design-build firm, meaning the same organization develops the design, manages permitting, and executes construction. The process begins with a Project Development Agreement (PDA), a paid pre-construction phase that converts a client's goals into a documented project before any construction contract is signed. The PDA produces floor plans, spec sheets, and 3D visualizations.
Once the PDA is complete and scope is fully documented, a fixed-price construction contract is executed. All project communications, change orders, and documentation are managed through Buildertrend, a third-party project management platform that is mandatory for every active Center Island Contracting client.
Construction follows a six-stage production model:
Site Work and Foundation
Excavation, grading, and foundation installation. This stage is the structural baseline for every phase that follows and is specific to new construction.
Shell Construction
Framing, exterior sheathing, roofing, and windows. The structure is enclosed and weather-tight before interior work begins.
Mechanical Systems
Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-in. All systems are installed before walls are closed.
Close-In Work
Insulation, drywall, and interior finishing preparation. Walls are closed, preparing the interior for finish installation.
Finish Work
Cabinetry, flooring, tile, fixtures, and trim. Client selections made during the design phase are installed.
Punch List
Final walkthrough, corrections, and client sign-off. No project is closed until all items are resolved.
DESIGN & SELECTIONS | IN-HOUSE TEAM AND PRIVATE SHOWROOM
What Can Be Fully Customized in a Center Island Contracting-Built Home?
Center Island Contracting offers full structural and finish customization through its in-house designer and on-site Design Center. Clients work directly with The Design Team, CIC's in-house interior designer, to develop a material and finish plan before construction begins. Design intent and selections are documented before the relevant construction phase starts, reducing the most common cause of field delays.
CIC Designs produces 3D visualizations as part of the PDA phase, giving clients a visual reference for the home before any construction work begins. The Design Team produces per-room mood boards that document all material selections adjacent to plan views, which are used by both the client for approval and by the field team for execution.
The CIC Design Center covers the following selection categories:
Fixtures
Cabinetry
Tile
Appliances
Finishes
PRICING & CONTRACTS | FIXED-PRICE NEW CONSTRUCTION
What Does a Custom Home Cost on Long Island?
Center Island Contracting builds custom homes in the $700,000 to $2,500,000 range on Long Island. All construction is delivered under a fixed-price contract, scope is defined and priced before work begins, and changes to that scope require a formal written change order.
If you're in the early planning stages and want a better understanding of costs, timelines, and the factors that influence pricing, take a look at our Long Island Custom Home Pricing Guide. It provides a more detailed breakdown to help you plan your project with confidence.
| Square footage | Primary driver of labor and material volume |
| Site conditions | Foundation type, grading, and site access |
| Finish selections | Allowance overages processed as change orders |
| Structural scope | Ceiling heights, room configuration, specialty systems |
| Location | Permit fees and municipal complexity vary across Long Island |
A fixed-price contract is not issued until the PDA is complete and scope is fully documented.
WHY CENTER ISLAND CONTRACTING | EIGHT OPERATIONAL DIFFERENTIATORS
What Makes Center Island Contracting Different from Other Custom Home Builders on Long Island?
Center Island Contracting operates as a single integrated organization. For a custom home build, this means one team holds accountability for the entire project from concept to punch list.
In-House Designer Embedded in Operations
Raquel is a Center Island Contracting employee, not a referral partner or outsourced vendor. She participates in daily project operations and resolves design-construction conflicts in real time without scheduling a separate meeting or waiting for a third-party response.
Private On-Site Design Center
The CIC Design Center is a physical, CIC-operated showroom at the firm's Farmingdale office. Material selections are made in a structured, guided environment, not from a product sheet or at a third-party retail location. The Design Center is available by appointment.
Project Development Agreement (PDA)
The PDA is a paid pre-construction phase that produces floor plans, spec sheets, and 3D visualizations before any construction contract is signed. Clients enter a documented project; not a verbal promise, before committing to construction.
Fixed-Price Contracts
All projects are priced from a fully defined scope. No work proceeds outside that scope without prior written authorization. Every change order is issued, priced, and approved through Buildertrend before field work begins.
In-House Permit Management
Center Island Contracting manages permit filing in-house and follows up with Long Island town building departments weekly until permits are issued. Unlike many residential contractors, the firm maintains dedicated permit tracking staff as part of its core operations.
Buildertrend Platform (Mandatory for All Clients)
Every active client is onboarded to Buildertrend, a third-party project management platform that tracks all communications, photos, documents, change orders, and approvals in one place. No work proceeds without written portal authorization. This is a condition of every Center Island Contracting engagement, not an optional add-on.
20 Years of Long Island Construction Experience
Center Island Contracting has operated on Long Island since 2005, with completed new construction projects across Nassau County, Suffolk County, and the East End. Two decades of direct operational history on Long Island represent firsthand knowledge of the region's variable municipal permitting landscape, from Nassau County to individual Suffolk County towns to Hamptons municipalities, that develops only through sustained local practice.
Your Vision, Perfectly Built
Ready to discuss your custom home project?
Speak directly with the Center Island Contracting team about feasibility, the PDA process, and realistic budget range for your project.
Nassau County: (516) 481-4707 | Suffolk County: (631) 465-9765
PORTFOLIO & RECOGNITION | COMPLETED NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
What Projects and Recognition Validate
Center Island Contracting's Custom Home Capability?
Center Island Contracting has completed new home construction projects across Long Island, with documented work in Nassau County, Suffolk County, and the East End. Portfolio projects include completed new construction in Islip, Farmingdale, Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Lawrence, East Islip, Wantagh, Port Washington, and Carle Place. The full portfolio is available at the Center Island Contracting Project Gallery.
Proudly recognized by Houzz, LIBI, and PRO New York for outstanding craftsmanship and service, our award-winning team continues to raise the bar in Long Island homebuilding.
PRO New York
Remodeler of the Year
Awarded for Exceptional Design & Construction
SERVICE AREA | NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTIES
Where Does Center Island Contracting Build Custom Homes on Long Island?
Center Island Contracting builds custom homes across Long Island, from the Nassau-Queens border to Montauk. The firm's service area spans Nassau County, Suffolk County, and the East End including the Hamptons. Completed new construction projects are documented in Islip, Farmingdale, Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Lawrence, East Islip, Wantagh, Port Washington, Carle Place, and additional communities.
Long Island's municipal permitting landscape is among the most complex in the region; requirements, timelines, and review processes vary significantly between Nassau County, individual Suffolk County towns, and East End municipalities. Center Island Contracting has 20 years of direct operational experience.
Nassau County
- Carle Place
- Garden City
- Mineola
- New Hyde Park
- Westbury
Suffolk County
- Bridgehampton
- Commack
- Dix Hills
- East Hampton
- Melville
- Montauk
- Quogue
- Sag Harbor
- Southampton
- Water Mill
North Shore
- Cold Spring Harbor
- Glen Cove
- Great Neck
- Huntington
- Kings Point
- Lloyd Harbor
- Locust Valley
- Manhasset
- Northport
- Old Westbury
- Port Washington
- Roslyn
- Sands Point
- Sea Cliff
South Shore
- Babylon
- Bay Shore
- Bellmore
- Cedarhurst
- East Islip
- Farmingdale
- Hewlett
- Islip
- Lawrence
- Massapequa
- Merrick
- Wantagh
- Westhampton
- Woodmere
Center Island Contracting serves 50+ additional communities across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
GETTING STARTED | THE FIRST STEP IS A CONVERSATION
How Do You Start a Custom Home Build with Center Island Contracting?
The first step is consultation to establish whether the project is feasible, what the PDA process involves, and what the realistic budget range looks like for your specific site and program. No architectural drawings, site plans, or completed specifications are required before the consultation.
Buyers Evaluating a Property for New Construction
Some clients approach Center Island Contracting during or after a property acquisition, evaluating whether a purchased or under-contract property is a viable teardown-rebuild or ground-up construction candidate. Center Island Contracting works with buyers who are targeting undervalued properties in established Long Island communities with the goal of building a high-end home aligned to neighborhood comparables.
This approach is most common in Nassau County and East End communities. Buyers considering this strategy are encouraged to contact Center Island Contracting before or during the purchase process.
Our Family of Brands
An Integrated Vision for Building, Designing, and Living Well
Center Island Contracting brings together a group of expert divisions dedicated to turning your home vision into reality, from concept and design to construction and completion.
