When people are considering their retirement home, a key factor is how much space they will really need.  At an earlier stage in life, a large home with a big yard and 4 bedrooms was important, especially with children in the home.  As you approach the retirement years, many people realize that they don't need all of that extra space, along with the headaches of maintaining a large home and yard.  As such, the idea of downsizing for your next home is a good consideration.  Fortunately, downsizing doesn't mean giving up on the features that you loved about your larger space. New materials allow a lot more flexibility for open living spaces, just on a smaller scale.  When considering your next Custom Home or Remodeling Project on Cape Cod, you should consider downsizing or right-sizing your home.

Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal that talks about making the decision to downsize:

Downsizing your Home

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and there is no better time to show off your new Custom Home or Remodeling project than the holidays.  A new custom kitchen, or family room is always designed for entertaining and sharing time with friends and family on Cape Cod.  Here are some ideas to really enhance the look of your new space with some fun table setting ideas for Thanksgiving.  If you are thinking of updating your interior space with a remodeling project, or by building a new home, contact us today to see how we can help make your holidays extra-special!

Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas

  So the election has come and gone, and one of the key issues is still the economy and the impact of the housing and real estate markets.  So what does the next 4 years hold for those looking to own or build a New Home? Builder Magazine explored this issue in a recent article and there is some good news.  It looks like intrest rates will stay low to promote re-financing and new construciton. It also looks like the precious mortgage deduction will be protected, again promoting housing as a key sector of the economy.

Click Here to read the full article: Housing-after the election

   The master suite is an important feature in any new home or remodeling project.  Balancing the need for space, storage, and style can be challenging in this space.  The most important feature is the functionality of the space, and making the area appealing and useful is always a combination of art and science.  Housingzone.com recently brough together their team of design experts to showcase and review some master suites.  The featured designs are a little elaborate, but there are some great ideas here, that you might provide inspiration for your next project.

Click Here to see the full articl: Master Suites

   Can you believe that it is November already?  Thanksgiving and the Holidays are right around the corner, and next thing you know it will be 2013! This is an exciting time of year for a number of reasons, but mostly because designers and manufactures start talking about the new hot trends for the upcoming year.  So if 2013 is the year for you to build that Custom Home on Cape Cod, or to Renovate that Cape Cod Cottage, you might want to take a look at what is on the horizon. 

Here are some interior trends from brightboldbeautiful.com that might help: 2013 INTERIOR TRENDS

   We have talked about changing trends in home designs, and we are finding that many of our new homes and renovation projects now include a home office.  With easy access to information over the internet, many of our customers are able to work remotely, and what better place for a home office than Cape Cod! Unfortunately, much of the information about design and styling for home offices is tailored towards men, with dark cabinetry, heavy desks and an overall feeling of traditional office design.

 Well, what about home office designs for women? Well, here are some fun design ideas that show a bit more of a woman's touch in the home office, and might give you some inspiration! So bid fairwell to the big cherry desk, and brown leather chair... how about some color, style and flair! So, when you are planning your New Home, Renovation, or Remodeling Project on Cape Cod, remember that the home office is not just for men anymore!

Click here for: A Home Office For Women

Builders in coastal environments like Cape Cod know one thing: water is your enemy, and the combination of wind and water can wreak havoc on a home.  So on a day like today, when we are experiencing our second “superstorm” or nor’easter in less than 10 days, we felt that a little discussion on weatherizing might be appropriate.  A weathertight home is a combination of a number of factors, and the proper installation of everything from the framing and siding, to the house-wrap, flashings, and of course the roof, windows and doors.  Properly installed house wrap is a great place to start, with seams that overlap, and do not allow wind-driven water to be pushed into the home.  The building code now provides guidelines for minimum standards for weather barrier installations to guide builders through the process.   Windows and doors can always be a problem, and for the last several years, we have advocated the use of flexible flashings like Vycor, or Typar Tape, to create a virtually impenetrable seal around the windows.  All windows should also have a cap or head flashing made of plastic, aluminum or lead.   Doors are much the same, but also need to be caulked and flashed at the threshold to prevent water from blowing in underneath.  We use a rubber or lead pan to catch any water and divert it back outside the home. 

Here is a great article from Coastalcontractor.net that gives good overview of what you should be seeing on your next New Home, Remodeling or Renovation project on Cape Cod. 

Weather Barriers for your Coastal Home

  Here are some fun decorating ideas for your upcoming or holiday or winter event on Cape Cod! Once you have decided build your dream home on Cape Cod, there is nothing more fun than decorating it for each season.  This slideshow from DigsDigs.com has some interesting, yet simple ideas that are a lot of fun!  Click here: WINTER DECORATING

So everyone loves a nice outdoor living space, and a deck is one of the most popular spaces we design and build on our Cape Cod Homes.  An elevated deck can be a very nice addition to a home with a walkout basement, or as a feature off of the 2nd story of a home to take advantage of water views.  The problem with an elevated deck is that they can create a dark space, that is not weather resistant, and can't be used when it is raining.  Well there are now several solutions available to turn the space below your deck into a covered porch. These systems use a series of panels that attach to the underside of the framing and direct water out to a gutter system.  So now, instead of a dark, wet, space under your deck, you can have a bright clean outdoor space to enjoy during inclement weather.  One of the better products we have came across is called the Zip-up system.  Click here to see their brochure: Zip-Up System

    So, everyone has heard of Fashion Week in NYC, right? Well the Italian tile industry holds it's own "fashion week" event every year called Cersaie in Bologna, Italy. This year, color and texture seem to be leading the style trends in tile for 2013.  We like the wood-textured tiles shown in the slide show.  So if you are planning on Building a New Home, Remodeling, or Renovating your Kitchen or Bath here on Cape Cod, you may want to consider some of these Italian tiles for your project!

Here is an article and slideshow from builderonline.com: Italian Tiles

Here is a link to the official show website: Cersaie