Home Remodeling Magazine was so impressed with this REEF home, it became a feature article. We took a 400 square foot cottage built in 1942, and turned it into a wonderfully special summer home, right on the Barnstable Harbor beach. Years of effort finally resulted in the necessary permits, and quality construction of this idyllic Cape Cod retreat.

It’s worth a read:

“Persistence pays off.    Now, three years after they moved in, the retired couple can relax on their back porch with a cup of tea—as grandchildren happily frolic in the yard—and savor the view that stretches across Barnstable Harbor all the way to the dunes at Sandy Neck Beach.”

REEF creates a idyllic waterfront family cottage

We're getting lots of requests for more project photos. Here's a bungalow near Mayflower Beach that we were asked to replace. Our design team created a 4 Bedroom home with 3 Full Baths and 1 Half Bath to fit on the small lot. The finish carpenters are on site now creating some beautiful toucehes to the interior. I'll post that work in the future.

We started this project in September, and it will be ready for occupancy in April.

 The new home offers views of Cape Cod Bay from the updstairs deck and windows.

We'll be done before May, ready for move-in and summer fun! Walk to the Beach and Gina's Restaurant!

2012 was a turnaround year for the Cape Cod real estate market. Sotheby’s International Realty has several offices here on the Cape, and they do a great job with statistics and market analysis. Here is their recap of the 2012 market, illustrating a growing demand for real estate on Cape Cod. Read the report to understand how declining inventory, increasing sales quantity, and steady climb of sales prices are indicators of healthy market.

If you’re ready for your Cape Cod home, then now is a great time to start the process.

Sotheby's Cape Cod Market recap 2012

Last week I posted part of the evolution of a home that REEF is building here on Cape Cod. The blog received a lot of attention. It seems many people are interested in watching the metamorphosis of an old, rundown cottage into a modern waterfront or water view Cape Cod home. The home I featured last week overlooks the dunes on the north side of the Cape, and Cape Cod Bay.

Here’s another REEF project with southern exposure over a beautiful bay and river in Dennis. It’s the small one in the center of the first photo, right above the red and green buoys. You can see that the neighborhood has grown up around the old cottage. The scene is pretty tranquil now, as the photos were taken in November through January. However this area is alive with small boat activity in the summer, which will provide for endless hours of quiet enjoyment.  I’ll update the blog photos as construction progresses. The kitchen and living area, as well as most of the bedrooms in the home, overlook the water. It will be breath taking. Stay tuned…!

Outdoor living is a big part of Cape Cod. We are constantly designing new, bigger, and more exciting ways for our customers to live outside. Today’s outdoor spaces include relaxing water features, gourmet kitchens, expansive bar areas, and multiple levels. Often the focus is as much on outside amenities and living as it is on the interior spaces! Here’s some amazing decks to consider as you begin to plan your Cape Cod home.

Amazing Deck Designs

Many of our customers seek to replace their old cottages with new homes. There is no new land being created on Cape Cod, so often folks will purchase an older home for its location. Then they come to us to maximize the views, and create a wonderful home for their family to enjoy. Here are a few photos of one of our current projects. We designed the home to take advantage of commanding views of some north side dunes and Cape Cod Bay. The view from the kitchen window is breathtaking. Adjacent is a large living area with an expansive bank of windows and sliding glass doors. The last photo is the view from the soon-to-be-completed deck.

If you have a wonderful view and a not-so-wonderful house, or you’d like to enjoy a similar Cape Cod home, just call us. We are happy to help.

Bob Sheldon does a great job with his timely review of real esate transactions on outer Cape Cod, specifically Eastham. He includes highlights, commentary, year-to-year comparisons...even a report on sharks! It's a good read, with some interesting insights into the Cape Cod real estate market.

Eastham Cape Cod February Newsletter

The kitchen is the heart of your Cape Cod home, and even though it may be your Cape Escape cottage, it’s our job to ensure that your home design has access to the latest and greatest. Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) surveys its members to identify the latest design and specification trends in kitchen and bath design. This year, more than 300 NKBA member-designers participated in the 2013 NKBA Design Trends Survey, reporting the materials, product types, and styles that they specified in their kitchen and bath designs over the final three months of 2012. New products - like this touch-activated faucet - new ideas, great reading!

2013 Kitchen Design Trends

Join the REEF team live tomorrow, Saturday, on the radio for a discussion of the state of new home building on Cape Cod. Our team is a resource for building code changes, zoning issues, historic district and conservation issues. The new building codes have seriously impacted the cost of construction, and people have lots of questions. The folks at WXTK asked us to do their program tomorrow, so we'll be on at 10:15AM.

Just follow the link below,and click on Listen Live.

Cape Cod News Radio WXTK

Cape Cod in the winter? You may not know that the richness of life on Cape Cod and the Islands is celebrated with festivals all year long. We celebrate our clams, chowder and scallops, daffodils and strawberries, fine wines and culinary fare, extraordinary films and filmmakers, along with our seafaring heritage. February must be slow and quiet, right? Well it’s not as buys as July, but there’s plenty going on:

The Magnificent Splendor of Trees Exhibit, Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit; Van Gogh Through the Weaver's Eyes: An Exhibit of Woven Art, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, South Yarmouth; Presidents’ Holiday Antiques Show and Sale, a quality antique show featuring over 30 dealers, including fine and country furniture, Americana, quilts, stoneware, and more; Gershwin, By George!, Highfield Hall, Falmouth; Broadway and Beyond! A Salute to the Oscars, Orleans.

Here’s a great Cape and Islands Event Calendar to help you plan your year. You’ll be plenty busy!

Cape Cod Event Calendar