Culinary to Construction: Carbon Custom Builders' Sam Fertik Discusses His Transition From Catering to Luxury Home Building

Builder in 5 is our five-question series with the leaders behind standout custom homes.

Up Next: Sam Fertik, the CEO and founder of Carbon Custom Builders, a Pound Ridge, N.Y.-based firm that focuses on sustainable luxury home building. Fertik’s path in construction wasn't typical. He started out as a chef, training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and launching a corporate catering company in Manhattan. His transition began when he designed and oversaw the creation of the company’s commercial kitchen and tasting restaurant, among other real estate developments. Over time and with an entrepreneurial spirit, Fertik launched into work on a variety of other design-build projects, eventually founding Carbon Custom Builders.

1. Tell us more about your career transition from culinary to home building. What led you to founding Carbon Custom Builders, and what was that process like for you?

Sam Fertik: When you work in hospitality, you’re creating an experience that is short-lived—just a moment in time. As a chef, it was all focused on that first bite and taste that made the interaction. While the memory may remain, once the meal is finished, the experience is done. By contrast, when we build homes, we are creating a “living experience” because our homes change, exist, and adapt over time. When I set out to find a new home for my own family, I quickly realized that nothing on the market met my standards for strength, safety, and energy efficiency, so I decided to build it myself. I started this company with the belief that I could build homes in a better way—and the blueprint for Carbon Custom Builders was my own home.

2. Tell us about your approach to custom homes. What would you like others to know about using insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and other sustainable building methods?

Sam Fertik: My mission is to build homes that are stronger, safer, and more energy-efficient. Most American houses are still built with the same basic materials and methods used in George Washington’s day, and the industry needs to evolve to meet modern-day needs. Our homes are built with a concrete core and steel framing, making the complete structure more resilient and a smarter solution for areas facing wildfires, hurricanes or earthquakes. Homes that can withstand harsh weather are needed now more than ever.

Although concrete may seem like a higher-carbon choice compared to wood, the home quickly offsets this initial “carbon debt” through its exceptional performance over time. ICF construction creates an airtight building envelope that, paired with geothermal heating and cooling, triple-pane windows, and integrated smart systems, delivers remarkable energy efficiency. In fact, my home balanced its carbon footprint in just two years.

In short, our homes are obsessively better built.

3. What would you say consumer demand is like for green building practices?

Green building practices are always in style. It’s not just about energy usage, it’s about producing a better product. Green codes push builders to use better materials, require better ventilation, and ultimately create healthier environments for both inhabitants and the environment. Health and wellness really are our core drivers at Carbon Custom Builders—sustainability is a crucial, yet secondary component of this. People are craving homes that perform better, so the demand will always be there.

4. Tell us about a time you took a risk on a project and how it paid off. What can others apply from that?

I was one of the first in the industry to apply commercial-grade practices such as reinforced concrete and steel-framing to luxury residential construction. Choosing to go against established norms and pilot a radically different approach for my own home was inherently a huge risk. Building my own home was a trial run for how I would ultimately run the company, so every detail was crucial. Could we accomplish everything we wanted to while staying on budget, without compromising on quality?

Every construction project ultimately involves risks. Issues that you don’t foresee will arise, and sometimes you have to exhaust every possible solution before you find the right path forward.

5. What’s one decision you’ve made that defines how you build?

Our work is about quality first and foremost. We define ourselves as collaborative builders, so transparency plays a big role in how we work. It’s important for us to be heavily involved in pre-construction, which allows us to get to know our clients on a deeper level. We continue to collaborate with them throughout the whole process. No stone is left unturned. We’re constantly looking over every detail, double-checking plans to see what could be done differently or what could be stronger to meet our client’s needs.

Our mindset is that a home is never truly finished. There’s always room to improve or redesign as inspiration strikes.