Inside the $950K Renovation That Revived a Bridgehampton Home for the Summer Season

South Fork homeowners know the urgency of preparing their house for the summer season, but when a home needs hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovations before Memorial Day weekend, something short of a miracle needs to happen. That’s where Chapter, a design-build renovation firm, comes into play.

Led by founders Eran Polack and Eli Moyal, the company just pulled off a $950,000-plus upgrade of a home in Bridgehampton just in time for the summer, including full bathroom overhauls, a reimagined outdoor space with a new kitchen and upgraded gunite pool and jacuzzi, updated landscaping, as well as a new media room.

The two-story home at 674 Millstone Road was your typical Hamptons residence (built in the early aughts) in need of some deep sprucing up before its owners rented it out for the summer. The eight-bedroom, eight-and-a-half-bath home sits on 1.8 acres with a Har-Tru tennis court, a two-car garage, and a pool, but it was lacking modern touches that could be appreciated by its owners and tenants alike.

“First of all, it was very important to understand what the purpose of the renovation was,” Moyal said, adding that the budget also determined the scope of the project. In this case, the home, intended to be shared between the owners and renters, needed to be ready for the summer season. For that reason, the interior and exterior renovations were done in two separate phases.

“The phased approach enabled detailed attention and precision, resulting in a smooth and enjoyable project with great client collaboration,” Moyal said, explaining that the construction window was limited to the periods between summer seasons and warmer weather months since certain work cannot be done in colder temperatures. “​Due to the short construction period, it was critical to have meticulous preconstruction planning, finalizing designs, securing permits, selecting and ordering all materials, and ensuring their delivery to the site before construction commenced. This preparation enabled us to focus exclusively on construction activities once work began, often working six days a week, and helped us avoid unexpected delays or scope changes.”

Outside, Chapter demolished the existing pavers and deck and installed a new covered patio and an ipe deck, completed a pool renovation with a new built-in jacuzzi surrounded by new bluestone and a new retaining wall, and constructed a gazebo with electricity, a TV, and a seating area. The biggest outdoor project, however, was a fully equipped outdoor kitchen with a barbecue, a pergola, appliances, and pressure-treated wood cabinetry designed for outdoor use. Moyal said clients have been requesting outdoor kitchens more and more.

“There’s been a rise in outdoor kitchens; people love to cook outside,” he said. “When you come to the Hamptons, you’re sitting in the pool, sitting outside, and cooking in front of your friends.”

All of this exterior work cost approximately $450,000.

Inside, the basement was another huge project, as it hadn’t previously been used as a living space. Chapter installed state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and worked in tandem with Inbar Meitus Sandler from Indesign Studio to create a cozy atmosphere with thick leather recliners and a stockpile of colorful pillows reminiscent of a sleepover party, as well as a pool table and bright pops of color with fun Ferrari wall art. So far, Moyal said, it’s the family’s favorite spot for movie nights and game days.

Of course, at over 20 years old, most of the home’s bathrooms needed upgrading, so they received new vanities, white marble slab showers, modern fixtures and fresh tiled flooring.

Chapter gave the kitchen a mini face-lift with a new coat of white paint on its cabinets and a new granite countertop, and replaced the home’s old floor with new hardwood planks. Indesign Studio used pops of blue across the home, particularly the furniture and wall art, for a cohesive look.

All of the interior work cost slightly more than $500,000.

Moyal, who has been in the real estate business for over a decade, co-founded Chapter about three years ago when he and Polack saw that there was a need for a more efficient and client-focused renovation process. He said knowing what the client goes through on the development side allows Chapter to better manage projects, like managing everything in-house, from interior design to construction. Having one team overseeing the project rather than multiple vendors provides a more seamless experience, he said.

“This renovation was genuinely exciting and rewarding,” Moyal said. “Collaborating closely with an excellent designer allowed us to thoughtfully modernize the home while maintaining its traditional Hamptons charm. The fact that we worked within a budget and were able to accomplish all the items the owner wanted was especially gratifying.”