A Broker Turns To Building

The building industry in the Hamptons has been seeing some unexpected new players lately—first it was former NHL left wing Sean Avery and now it's luxury real estate broker Tim Davis, who, with help from his son, Jonathan, recently completed his first new build in Southampton Village.Located at 60 Herrick Road, the asking price for the Davis's seven-bed, 9.5-bath traditional is $8.75 million. The Corcoran brokers hosted an open house cocktail party on September 3.

I always wanted to do a project, and I thought that when the right piece of property came along, I would know it and that would be my inspiration to do it," said the senior Davis, who spoke with The Press while standing in the butler's pantry that connects the kitchen to the formal dining room.

When this corner property became available, the entry for the original house was on James Street. "I thought, 'You know what, if I could come in on Herrick Road, and develop this property north to south, have a southern exposure … I could really make something special,'" said the broker, who checked with the village about whether that was possible. It was, and he bought the property for $2.55 million in 2013.

Mr. Davis assembled a team of professionals he has worked with during his more than 30 years in real estate, including architect Brian Brady, interior designer John Bjornen, kitchen and bath designer Peggy Fruin, and landscape designer Joseph Cornetta.

The home was leveled, and they worked on the property from the outside in, starting with the perimeter, where Mr. Davis bought and planted 144 18-foot arborvitae. "I didn’t want the neighbors to feel like we were building something too big; I didn’t want them to feel like they were going to be impacted by what was going to be built here," he explained.

Set on one-half acre, the 6,500-square-foot home has a finished basement slated for a media room and a modestly-sized gym with a nearby steam shower. Just outside the workout room sits a private hot tub with a waterfall that will eventually be accompanied by an outdoor television affixed to a wall. A stairwell from the Jacuzzi leads up to the backyard featuring the pool and attached spa bath as well as a pool house.

"I wanted a basement in the pool house for pool equipment, so if you’re lying by the pool you don’t hear the filter," said Mr. Davis, adding that it will spare the neighbors as well from having to listen to the droning machinery.

Two years after going into contract, Mr. Davis and his son put the home on the market, and it may be just the beginning.

"I think if I find another piece of property that speaks to me the way this one does, yes, I’ll do another project," said Mr. Davis. "I’m not necessarily going to develop a building brand for my business, but I will take on another project, probably within the next 12 months, and maybe every couple of years bring something to the market."

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