Westhampton Beach-based FD Building Co., aka Flawless Design, is the brainchild of Long Island born and raised Mike Alberti. Alberti initially grew up in Farmingdale, but in 1998 his family moved to the East End. He graduated from Eastport South Manor Jr-Sr High School in Manorville, where he makes his home. Nothing in his early life trained him for the construction business.
“I really got started in this business almost as a coincidence,” he says. “I am from a family of nurses, civil servants and bankers; no entrepreneurs or construction workers. My father did have some influence in sparking my interest—I would tackle home projects with him on the weekends, but had no formal training.”
But, he says, while working for a contractor during his college years, he “fell in love” with the business, particularly fine millwork. He went from being apprentice to starting his own company.
At first it was just him and “a few guys, boots on ground.” But fast forward 10 years later to 2015: “As the projects grew, clients were asking me to do more and more,” he says. He changed the name and his scope to reflect his growing expertise in design and management in addition to construction and carpentry. Today he employs seven in the office and in the field, working from Remsenburg to Montauk, and has created evo-Hamptons, a partnership with evoDomus to bring high-end, energy-efficient, uniquely designed modern prefab homes to the market.
Southforker: Not having come from the construction trade, how did you get started?
Mike Alberti: My position was “carpenters helper,” which is short for do the worst, most labor-intensive jobs imaginable. This may have broken most kids my age, however I embraced it. I felt a tangible satisfaction in being part of this world. Seeing your work transform something old and tired into something beautiful and functional felt rewarding.
SF: You started so young and grew your business at an age many are just getting started. What was that like?
MA: My business journey started when I was 23, back in 2005, and it evolved organically. As my business and confidence grew, the project size did as well. As that progression was taking form and the demand was changing I decided to change the company over to FD Building Co., a name that felt more appropriate for the work we were doing. The FD still pays homage to the original entity, FD standing for Flawless Designs. Today, we do major renovations, large scale remodels — about 70% — and new construction, but our sweet spot is complex projects that benefit from a strong pre-construction and project management process.
SF: What sets you apart from other companies in the trade?
MA: I think we excel at our communication, our transparency and our customer service. We’re really trying to be their partners through this journey, connecting all the dots and really just trying to ease some of that stress and take some of that burden off of all of the logistics and planning.
SF: What are some trends you’re seeing in the trade and in local markets?
MA: There’s been a resurgence of high-end carpentry work and people really appreciating that. I see more attention to detail in fine finishes, [which] is coming back or retrending. Generally speaking, the tone has really changed from stark white and minimalist to really bringing in a lot of warm colors, natural woods, beams and accent walls with wood finishes and paneling on them, incorporating things like accent lighting. Nowadays it’s not just a summer place anymore: People want personal retreats and more of a lived-in functional space—still luxurious and beautiful, but I think the focus is more like: How does this space really work for the family, and their guests?
SF: You sound busy, but you must have some spare time—how do you enjoy spending it?
MA: I have an eight-year-old daughter, so that takes up a lot of my free time, but we like to get out in the community. We go to the beach, like fishing … go to Moriches Bay a lot. But also to the North Fork – Love Lane [in Mattituck] and Greenport—it feels very lived in, comfortable and has a lot of culture.
