Everyone would love a new home, but the challenge of finding land, designing, building, and budgeting for a new home can be a daunting process.  We here at Capecodbuilder.com  always suggest starting with the most important factor, the budget.  With a realistic budget in mind, it is possible to craft a design that will still meet an owner's expectations, given the known financial constraints.  We will often suggest a meeting with a lender, very early on in the process, to ensure an owner can have access to the funds necessary to build their home. If you are in the early stages of your Cape Cod Home project, and are thinking about Building a New home, here is a calculator from the National Association of Home Builders that allows a homeowner to determine how much mortgage they can afford and help them establish a budget.  Here is the spreadsheet: How Much House can I Afford?

You can also use the information provided in our Construction Cost Guide to help establish your budget, Click Below to download:

The holidays are a great time to enjoy time by a warm fire. However, wood burning fireplaces can be extremely dangerous, and can result in a house fire, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Here are some tips to ensure safe use of your fireplace this holiday season.

* Never leave a burning fireplace unattended.
* Have your chimney swept annually, and inspected by a licensed chimney sweep every two years.
* Properly start your fire, and use only dry hardwoods to prevent creosote build-up.
* Leave flue open overnight, even if you think the fire is out. Carbon Monoxide can continue to build and most be exhausted out of the house.
* Ensure Carbon Monoxide detectors are nearby, and functioning.
* Keep roof area and gutters free of leaves, and pine needles, as embers could ignite them.
* Here is a good article covering more details about safe use of your fireplace from Freshome.com: How To Enjoy Your Fireplace Safely

And lastly, from all of us here at REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder, we hope you have a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season!

   This is a great time of year to look back at what trends were popular in Home Building for 2012.  Annually, Builder Magazine publishes the top 10, best selling house plans, and we have noticed some consistency with all of these plans.  First of all, 80% of them are 1-story plans, indicitive of demand coming from an aging population.  Other commonalities include open living spaces, indoor / outdoor entertaining areas, and as always, classic styling with a modern touch.  If you are considering Building a New Home on Cape Cod, or Remodeling, or Renovating your Cape Cod Home, take some time to look at these plans, as you might want to include some of these features in your project.

If you are considering a project for your Cape Cod Home, contact REEF today to see how we can incorporate these ideas into your home: CONTACT US

Click Here to See the full article and slideshow from Builderonline.com: Top 10 Best Selling House Plans

The kitchen island is the focal point of any home design, combing functionality for cooking and food preparation, with the style and taste of the homeowner.  A Kitchen Island is a great way to express your style, and could be considered a more a piece of furniture than a conglomeration of cabinets.  When designing your Cape Cod kitchen, take the time to look at all of your options, from size, style, lighting, countertops etc. In many of our Cape Cod Homes, we have sen trends towards a kitchen island that is a different color or style than the rest of the cabinetry. If you are planning to Remodel, Renovate, or Build a Custom Home on Cape Cod, a stunning kitchen island is definitely something to consider.  To see how REEF can help you design your next project, please CONTACT US today.

Here is an article from Decoist.com with some ideas that just might inspre you: Kitchen Island

    We have been asked several times to take over jobs started by homeowners or unlicensed contractors.  Most of the times, these jobs were started without plans, permits, engineering or any of the other prerequisites for a legal construction project.  After a town building inspector has been notified of an illegal project, they will issue a "stop work" order, bringing the New Home, Remodeling, or Renovation project to a halt.  The time and money a homeowner might save by skirting the permit process is far outweighed by the headache, embarrassment, and costs associated with correcting un-permitted work.  In general, the homeowner has to start from scratch, and usually ends up removing any of the work that was done so the critical items can be properly inspected.

   So if you are thinking of performing your own work, and not hiring a contractor, or even worse, if you are thinking of hiring an unlicensed contractor to do your work without a permit you are setting yourself up for failure.

Don't make this mistake, because you will regret it in the long run.  Sometimes people are unable to sell their homes because of poor workmanship, or discovery of un-permitted work. 

If you are thinking of a New Home, Renovation, or Remodeling Project on Cape Cod, click below to download our guide to hiring a contractor! Here is an article from MSN.com that talks about the risks: Work Without Permits

                                               REEF's BLUEPRINT BASICS

     Learning a new language can be a real challenge.  Learning to read and understand blueprints for your home construction project is a language unto itself, so for this article I have assembled some resources to make the process of understanding blueprints a bit easier.

An excerpt below, from HousePlansandMore.com, offers a very good primer for blueprint reading.

• Cover Sheet – is an artist's rendering of what your home will look like upon completion.
• Foundation plan – identifies the layout of the foundation (crawl space, slab, pier or basement) that you have chosen based on your home design and location.
• Floor Plans – shows the sizes and locations of all rooms, windows and doors, as well as plumbing, electrical, and other built in features.
• Elevations – Drawings of interior walls and the elements they include such as fireplaces or cabinets, as well as drawings of exterior walls with details of materials and dimensions.
• Cross-sections – drawings of the home for a particular section sliced from roof to foundation. These renderings allow you to see important structural elements from additional points of view.
• Details – Detail drawings break down certain components of your new home into step-by-step instructions. A few that may be included are framing plans, roof plans, electrical and plumbing schematics, stairways, and decks.

 In addition, many plans will contain structural drawings, specifically for the engineer, framers, and building inspectors to communicate effectively and efficiently.

Another very useful blueprint reading summary by England Design Company is available by clicking here.

Once you familiarize yourself with the language of blueprint reading, you will find the process of designing your new home a lot more enjoyable, and in the process you will have learned a new language.

   Planning an addition to your home can be a fun and exciting process.  The dreams of new and additional space for you Cape Cod Home can allow room for entertaining and guests, especially in the busy Summer season. There are some things to think about as part of the Remodeling, and Addition process, that can prevent problems down the road.  Here are some factors we take into consideration when designing and building an addition here at REEF:

1. What are the real needs for the additional space?
2. Does it make sense to "built out" or "build up"?
3. Is there sufficient space on the lot for the desired addition?
4. Do you plan on living in the house during the project?
5. Are there other impacts on utilities, grading, or the septic system?
6. Does the project make sense given the condition of the existing structure?

All of these factors come into play as part of our comprehensive planning process, and can mean the difference between a successful project that meets the owner's budget and design expectations. Sometimes, depending on the size and cost of the addition,  it may even make sense to look at tearing down the house and building a complete new home.

Here is an article we found from HGTV.com that has some other tips about planning your addition: Building Up or Out

   Bob Sheldon has provided another update on the Eastham Real Estate market.  This month, it looks like things have continued to move in a positive direction. Home sales are up 31% on a year over year basis, and the steady demand continues.  If you are thinking of Building, Remodeling, or Renovating your Cape Cod Home in Eastham or on the Outer Cape, please CONTACT US today.

If you are thinking about your project, you should definitely take a look at our Critical Planning Guide so you know the steps involved to get your project off the ground. Click below to download:

Here is a link to Bob Sheldon's update: Eastham Real Estate Update

  Good news continues in the Cape Cod and Massachusetts Real Estate markets! Here is another update from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors

   There were 3,685 detached single-family homes sold this October, a 22 percent increase from the 3,017 homes sold the same time last year. This is the 16th straight month of year-over-year increases. The October condominium market was up 34.8 percent compared to the same time last year. (from 1,056 units sold in 2011 to 1,423 units sold in 2012). This is the 15th month of the last 16 that condominium sales have been up.  

The median selling price for single-family homes in October was $287,000 which was up 4.4 percent from $275,000 in October 2011.  

Condominium median selling prices in October were up 2.0 percent from the October 2011 median price (from $259,900 to $265,000). 

Inventory and Days on Market:

The inventory of single-family homes as of October 2012 decreased 23.5 percent from October 2011. This was also the largest single month year-over-year decrease since MAR has been tracking this data.

The inventory of condominiums on the market in October was down 32.2 percent compared to the year before.  

Detached single-family homes stayed on the market an average of 102 days in October 2012, which was down from 114 days in October 2011. Condos stayed on the market an average of 102 days, which was down from 111 days in October 2011.

So far, it looks like 2012 will be the start of the rebound for the real estate market, and as you know, demand will continue to increase. If you are considering Building, Remodeling or Renovating your Cape Cod Home, please CONTACT US today!

I

   Green construction is still a big trend in home building, and we here at REEF have continued to monitor trends so see when it might be economcally feasible to build a "net-zero" home.  The "Net-Zero" concept is quickly becoming a reality, when you consider a high performance building envelope, coupled with high efficiency HVAC and some form of energy production.

  Many of our New Home customers here on Cape Cod have decided to make an investment in these types of technologies, now that building codes have increased the minimum energy-efficiency guidelines to very high levels.  Here are some of the factors your might consider when planning your Net-Zero new home on Cape Cod. 

1. Building orientation
2. Efficient Insulation / Building Envelope
3. High Efficiency HVAC and Control Systems
4. Energy Production
5. Use Monitoring

If you are considering Net-Zero for your New Home, Remodeling, or Renovation Project on Cape Cod, please CONTACT US  today to see how REEF can help!

Here is an article from Housingzone.com discussing Net-Zero concept: Net Zero Homes