Over the last week we have made some good progress on what is probably the most important part of the work involved in building on this waterfront home site. Our design, engineering and environmental team was able to negotiate some sand replenishment and fencing down on the beach to protect the owner's investment in their new custom home. The first step was to demolish the old house at the site (always fun to watch)

 

A post shared by REEF Custom Builders (@thecapecodbuilder) on Apr 14, 2017 at 5:37am PDT

The sand replenishment plan has 2 phases, first, the construction of a very robust oak and green heart sand fence, set on large pilings dug several feet into the beach.

The 2nd phase involves using the excavated clean sand from the future foundation, and placing it behind the fence. As you can see from the photos, this operation involves some detailed coordination and several pieces of heavy equipment on both the home site and the beach below. As the excavator gathers the sand above from the foundation hole, it is cast down to the beach where smaller machines install it behind the fence. The theory here is that the fence will reduce wash out of the sand on the beach during winter storms, providing a stable building platform and high level of protection for the future home. Based on the sensitive nature of this site, permitting and planning for this phase alone has taken well over 6 months. Our team was able to get permission from the town board of selectmen to access the beach from a nearby landing. However, we are only allowed to access the beach for a very short time, so good coordination with the subcontractor team is critical.

The next steps will be to finalize the architectural details and begin home construction.

The kitchen is the focal point of all of our custom homes that we design and build here on Cape Cod. It's a place where family and friends gather to cook, eat, and celebrate throughout the year. Kitchen design trends continue to evolve, but clean, classic lines, and eclectic textures and materials appear to remain as a theme this year. Take a look at these kitchens from Houzz.com

Best of Houzz - Kitchens from Around the World

We will definitely incorporate some of these design motifs over the next few years as we work to design and build all types of custom homes on Cape Cod. Here are a few we complted recently

If you are need architectural design or building services for your Cape Cod home or renovation project, consider REEF for your next project

If you want to see what we're working on  follow us on Instagram

Coastal and waterfront properties are in high demand here on Cape Cod. From Falmouth, Mashpee and Osterville, to Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, and Truro and Provincetown, waterfront land and homes are one of the great treasures of Cape Cod. Here at REEF, we are currently working on several waterfront and coastal custom home design and building projects, both on raw land and land with existing homes for teardown or eventual renovation.

We recently came across a great coastal real estate guide published by the Barnstable County Cooperative Extension and the Woods Hole Sea Grant program. This guide provides a good guideline for those considering purchasing a waterfront property, or current waterfront and coastal home owners considering a major renovation or addition.

Click here for the 2017 Updated Waterfront Property Guide

REEF Provides complete design / build services, and specializes in design, permitting and building custom homes and major renovations throughout Cape Cod.

REEF Custom Builders has been awarded Best of Houzz for exceptional customer service for the 4th year in a row!

Over 40 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals in North America and Around the World

On January 13, 2017 – REEF Builders of West Dennis, MA  was awarded  “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. REEF's custom home, design- build team was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.

"We could not have won this award without the exceptional, talented and versatile team here at REEF who work every day to take our customer's vision for their Cape Cod Home, and make it a reality.  We would also like to thank our customers for working with the REEF team , and their confidence in our capabilities,  and creativity" said Matt Teague and Jim Hagerty, principals at REEF.

The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography.  Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2016.  A “Best Of Houzz 2017” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of  their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

REEF has been in business now for over 30 years and has completed over 1500 new home and renovation projects here on Cape Cod.  So why do people choose REEF to design and build their new Custom Home?  We here at REEF could give you several reasons, but sometimes it's best to hear what our customers have to say. 

Click Here to to read some recent reviews of our work!

Fall 2016 has been a very busy time for the design and construction teams here at REEF! This is tradionally our busiest time of year for the construction team as many of our custom home projects begin after Labor Day.  Our design team has also been busy, working on several new projects from Bourne to Truro.  Currently, we're seeing strong demand for not only traditional cape-style homes, but contemporary home designs as well. Contemporary design styling affords a lot of flexibility and versatility for a custom home plan.   If you want to see what we're working on - follow us on Instagram - click here to see our latest work

We are also starting a few exciting custom home projects in select waterfront locations.  After several monts of design and regulatory review, we're excited to begin these new homes!

If you are considering designing, building, or renovating your Cape Cod home and want a custom design and building team, please consider the team at REEF!

"You've been coming to the Cape your whole life, isn't it time you stayed?"

     The State of Massachusetts is going to adopt a new building code starting in January 2017.  Since 2010, the building code has changed several times and many of those changes were dramatic and have resulted in significant increases in the cost of new homes, remodeling and additions throughout the state.  Designing and building on Cape Cod was further impacted by the adoption of the "Windborne Debris Zone" which required the use of impact resistant windows  and doors or storm shutters for all homes within 1 mile of the shore.

   The changes that are forthcoming with the 9th Edition of the Massachusetts Building Code (780 CMR) in 2017 are not quite as dramatic for new custom homes, and some of the changes serve to reduce the cost of design and construction. For instance, the "Windborne Debris Zone" will now be eliminated, and the geographical areas requiring impact resistant windows and doors will be substantially reduced.

There are some things that will add costs.  The 9th Edition will require more stringent design and construction methods for homes located in flood zones.  The new mapping available, allows officials to clearly determine a "Coastal A" flood zone, which is subject to wave action of 1.5-3'.  The code will now require design and construction of homes resistant to wave action in this zone, which can dramatically increase engineering and construction costs.   The State is also slated to adopt the "Existing Building Code" which will have substantial impacts on the design and costs associated with renovation and remodeling projects, as it provides different thresholds which can trigger other improvements not required in the past, such as insulation, mechanical systems, or structural systems, which were previously considered "grandfathered" or "non-conforming conditions.  2017 is the first year this Existing Buildng Code will come into play and we will wait and see where the true impacts are of these new regulations.

If you are considering designing or building a custom home on Cape Cod, this code change is something you will want to pay attention to these code changes as they will definitely impact the final cost and design of your new Cape Cod Home!

Here's a good summary of the pending code changes from the Board of Building Regulations and Standards: Summary of 9th Edition Building Code

Interior trends are changing quickly, and we are fortunate, as a designer and builder of custom homes, that we get to see broad spectrum of styles and selections in the new homes we build.  There are some exciting trends in color, materials and style this year and we came across this blog as we were doing our research. Natural fabrics, neutral colors, and simple style are the consistent themes this year.   Click Here  to Check out the latest for Fall 2016 Interiors 

When designing and building your Cape Cod Home, the interior selections are one of the major items that should be considered early on in the process.  A coordinated plan, with tasteful selections, furnishings, and paint colors can create that timeless style that is quintessential Cape Cod!