Merry Christmas!  It's a special time of year.

Here are some Christmas images from our special place, Cape Cod.

REEF Custom Homes in Chatham, Orleans, Brewster, New Seabury and throught Cape Cod

It was inevitable, and now it's here. On December 16 the Federal Reserve Bank increased the interest rate. It's the first interest rate hike since the Iphone was invented. Some say "it's about time", while others think it's a bad idea.

But what does it really mean to you? Will it affect your mortgage? How about construction loans? There's lots of conflicting opinions flying around. Here's a comprehensive overview from an objective source:

What does the new Interest Rate rise mean to you and your Cape Cod home?

What does the new Interest Rate rise mean to you and your Cape Cod home?

We all have our dream homes...here's a real one! This parcel is tucked away near Skaket Beach in Orleans, with peaceful views of the marsh. The open floor plan, harwood floors, granite kitchen, carefree Azek deck, 1st floor Master Suite...it's a beautiful home.

Like every REEF Custom Home, it was delivered on time, at budget. Take a tour, then give us a call to start designing your dream home...

Tour the new Orleans Marshview Cape

Tour the new Orleans Marshview Cape

Did you know that Massachusetts is the 3rd largest producer of green energy in the country? Much of that energy comes from solar panels. Look around...they're everywhere!

Here at the REEF office we produce more energy than we use, selling the excess back to the grid. Many of the homes we design and build include solar power, both active and passive.

Is it time for you to join the wave and generate energy at your Cape Cod home? What does it take? How much do solar panels cost? What are the pro's and cons? Here's some great answers to get you on the path to generating juice!

Everything you need to know about Solar Panels for your Cape Cod home.

Everything you need to know about Solar Panels for your Cape Cod home.

OK. It's freezing. The outdoor shower is off and drained for the winter, as are the water fountains. Winter coats are out, and it's dark at 4:30. For the next few months we'll be spending a lot more time indoors.

And the air won't be so fresh. Air quality can significantly affect the way you feel, day and night. Pet hair, food odors, germs...they all add up over the winter days, weeks, and months. Air purifiers are a great way to clean the air, and help keep healthy during the indoor months.

There are hundereds of air purifiers on the market. Which one is best for you? Here's a great list of Top 10 Air Purifiers for your Cape Cod Home:

Best Air Purifiers for your Cape Cod Home

Best Air Purifiers for your Cape Cod Home

Thanksgiving may be your favorite time of the year. It certainly is mine. Family, friends, food...and no gift-giving stress.

And then there's all the fun stufff to do: Craft Fairs, Turkey Trot, Turnip Festival, Glassblowers Christmas, lighting of the Lobster Pot Tree, the Train to Christmastown...

Since the gang is together, or maybe they've headed back home, here are some great ways to enjoy Thanksgiving on Cape Cod :

Cape Cod Thanksgiving Events Calendar

Cape Cod Thanksgiving Events Calendar

Every day we are focused on designing, permitting, and building homes for valued Customers. We always have multiple projects happening, so it's easy to lose oneself in the details and business of just getting it done.

Last week a package arrived...and there was our good work, on the cover of Modern Buider + Design magazine. Cool! Very cool!

Modern Builder + Design feature article on REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder

Modern Builder + Design feature article on REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder

Check it out, and let us know what you think. We'd love to get your feedback!

Let us design and build a house for you, and maybe you'll end up on a magazine cover!

Wind farms off Cape Cod have been in the news a lot lately. Cape Wind's hopes of seizing Horseshoe Shoals are almost completely dead, and Denmark-based DONG Energy is proposing a 1,000 megawatt project 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard.

So how do you actually install 100 giant wind turbines in the ocean bed? It can't all be easy sledding.

The folks at Deepwater Wind have encountered all sorts of adventures in their efforts to install tubines off Block Island. Everything from humpback whales stopping construction, to huge barges breaking loose.

This is great stuff!:

Offshore Wind Farm encounters events making progress in Rhode Island near Cape Cod.

Offshore Wind Farm encounters events making progress in Rhode Island near Cape Cod.

Busy summer? Stuff everywhere? Me too! Winter is coming - you'll be spending more time inside. So it's time to store the summer stuff, and organize eveything else.

Decluttering is highly underrated: a clean space is happy, productive space. Make it clean and you'll be happier - really!

So where do you begin? Do you create a filing system first, or get stuff into piles? Start at the front door and work backwards?

Here's a great guideline to help you declutter and refresh for the winter season:

5 Ways to Jump-Start your Decluttering effort for your Cape Cod home

Many people are surprised to learn how much it costs to build a house on Cape Cod. One of the cost drivers has been accommodating the "Wind Borne Debris Zone" with Impact Resistant Glass. 

This special zone extends approximately 1 mile inland from mean high water, which includes thousands of Cape Cod homes. The current building code requires any glazed surface (a window or glass door) to be constructed of Impact Resistant Glass (IR Glass), or to have plywood cut to size and available with fasteneters to cover the glazed surface.

IR Glass almost triples the cost of an installed window. Ouch! So this requirement has been a significant comp0nent of the increased cost of building on Cape Cod.

Coming in 2016, the new Building Code is reported to have eliminated the IR Glass requirement:

Further detailed investigation by staff indicates the new wind speeds in this extended windborne area are less than the wind speed that triggered windborne debris requirements in the 2009 IRC. With that consideration, and not finding any historical evidence indicating windborne debris has been the primary cause of major structural damage after much investigation, the windborne debris requirement has been eliminated. This simplifies design and construction and significantly reduces cost."

So...there is hope that the rising cost of materials to build a home on Cape Cod may stall a bit, especially when you don't have to spend $1,000 for a simple window!

Want more info? Here's our updated report on building costs: