Cape Cod Custom Builder | REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder

Great Kitchen Ideas for your Cape Cod Home

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Wed, Apr 26, 2017

Been spending a lot of time inside? How’s your kitchen looking? Time for a little updating? As we approach another Cape Cod Summer, many folks are taking a second look at the heart of their home…the kitchen.

Ready to get inspired? Here are some great resources for thinking and planning for your 2015 kitchen overhaul. Modern; classic; warm hardware tones – who knew?

These photos and design sites for fresh new kitchen ideas are bound to get your juices flowing, and your kitchen plans going!

Modern Kitchen Ideas 2015 for your Cape Cod Home

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HGTV's Best Kitchens for Cape Cod

Cape Cod Custom Kitchen by REEF Custom Builders Dennis Modern Custom Kitchen By REEF Builders Truro Cape Cod Kitchen Design by REEF Custom Builders Chatham

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Fresh Kitchen Design Trends for 2015

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Tags: cape cod waterfront homes, renovation cape cod, construction costs on cape cod, coastal building, cape cod custom builder, cape cod custom homes, new home on cape cod, Construction Costs, Real Estate Investment, kitchen design, kitchen, Kitchens

Top Tips to prepare your Cape Cod home for Winter

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Wed, Oct 21, 2015

We all know it's coming...Summer was great...Fall is wonderful...and ol' man Winter is on his way. How will your home fare the storm season? I know I'll be stowing the porch furniture soon.

Nationwide has a great site with Winter Preparation Tips:

Nationwide Insurance Tips for Cape Cod Homes

Here's some Top Tips from the NAHB:

To help prepare your home for the winter weather, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers has provided home maintenance tips that are designed to increase energy-efficiency and decrease the chance of emergency repairs.

Check for gaps in insulation or crawl spaces that expose pipes to cold air and the risk of freezing and bursting.
Have your heating system checked by a licensed technician before cold weather requires daily use.
Block drafts around doors, windows and baseboards with weather stripping, window film and caulk to control heat loss.
Install storm doors and windows to improve energy-efficiency and keep drafts at bay.
Get chimneys cleaned by an experienced chimney sweep to prevent the risk of a fire from buildup or blockages.
Spray door locks with powdered-graphite lubricant to prevent freezing and sticking.
Set ceiling fans to rotate clockwise to force rising warm air back towards the floor.

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Tags: cape cod custom homes, custom home

How can REEF Builders guarantee the price before construction begins?

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Wed, Sep 09, 2015

Many of the folks I talk with are incredulous that REEF Builders guarantees the build cost and the occupancy date of their new homes. “How can you do that?” is a common question.

At REEF the Design – Build process is very carefully managed, and the cost of every process and fixture is captured. REEF invests a lot of time into understanding the conditions at the site, as well as developing comprehensive design specifications with and for the Home Owners. Ensuring that there are “no surprises” is crucially important to exceeding Customers’ expectations.

Watch as Brewster Home Owners share their experience. This brief video helps explain why REEF Builders consistently exceeds their Customers’ expectations, whether a simple cottage or oceanfront estate:

Cape Cod Homeowners describe their experience with REEF Builders

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Cape Cod Homeowners describe their experience with REEF Builders

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Best Security Systems for your Cape Cod Home

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Thu, Sep 03, 2015

It’s back to school, and back to work! You’ll be gone from home for most of the day… We don’t like to think about it, but crime is never going to go away. The nicer your Cape Cod home, the more it is a target for unsavory types.

Every home we design and build includes a security system. They don’t have to be expensive to be effective. But what if your home is already built? What’s the best security system for you?

Here’s some great research into residential security systems, what works, and what doesn’t. Over 60 hours of research went into this report, and the findings are easy to understand:

Best Security Systems for your Cape Cod Home

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Best Security Systems for your Cape Cod Home

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Off the Grid --> Power and Heat your Cape Cod home with a CHP

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Wed, Aug 26, 2015

Ready to get “off the grid”? Tired of paying high electricity rates, and wondering if the next storm will take out your power? Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units are gaining popularity around the world. The technology is not entirely new, but the application is changing the source of electricity and heat for many forward-thinking homes and offices.

CHP units use natural or propane gas powered engines to produce electricity, while channeling the heat by-product to warm hot water or heat interior living space. The result is economic savings, reduced environmental impact, and energy independence.

The units are compact, quiet, and clean. This short video will get you up to speed on CHP’s – part of the solution to the world’s growing energy needs, and an interesting alternative for your Cape Cod home!

Power and Heat your Cape Cod home with a CHP" target="_blank">Off the grid --> Power and Heat your Cape Cod home with a CHP

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Power and Heat your Cape Cod home with a CHP" target="_blank">Off the grid --> Power and Heat your Cape Cod home with a CHP

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Power and Heat your Cape Cod home with a CHP" target="_blank">Off the grid --> Power and Heat your Cape Cod home with a CHP

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Laundry Room ideas for your Cape Cod Home

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Wed, Aug 19, 2015

The Kitchen may be the heart of the home, but the Laundry Room pumps out the clean linen and clothes. Let’s face it, you probably spend more time in the Laundry Room then you’d like. The summer clothes line is handy, but there is no replacement for the washing machine. Virtually every REEF designed and built home offers a 1st floor Laundry, some of them with a view!

With a little creativity you can create a Laundry Room that even the kids will enjoy. Here’s some great ideas to take your Laundry Room from dingy to dynamite!

Laundry Room ideas for your Cape Cod Home

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Laundry Room ideas for your Cape Cod Home

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What is a Blower Door Test on my Cape Cod Home?

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Thu, Aug 13, 2015

Many of our Customers are surprised to learn how very technical and highly regulated the residential building industry has become. Much of the increase in the cost of building homes is attributable to new regulations and codes.

Of course these regulations are designed to protect consumers, and ensure that homes are well built and energy efficient. But the fallout is often higher build costs.

The building code update issued in July 2014 required a maximum of 3 Air Changes per Hour (ACH) in any newly built home. The prior building code allowed about 7 ACH, so the new code meant that homes were required to be twice as “tight”, allowing less air in and out of the home.

How does one measure ACH? A Blower Door Test.

Professional energy auditors use blower door tests to help determine a home's airtightness. These are some reasons for establishing the proper building tightness:
*Reducing energy consumption due to air leakage
*Avoiding moisture condensation problems
*Avoiding uncomfortable drafts caused by cold air leaking in from the outdoors
*Determining how much mechanical ventilation might be needed to provide acceptable indoor air quality.

A blower door is a powerful fan that mounts into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed cracks and openings. The auditors may use a smoke pencil to detect air leaks. These tests determine the air infiltration rate of a building.

Blower Door Tests are now a regular part of the home building process. Here’s a look at the how this test is actually performed:

Blower Door Testing 101 for your Cape Cod Home

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Blower Door Testing 101 for your Cape Cod Home

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56 cool Outdoor Kitchen designs for your Cape Cod Home

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Wed, Aug 05, 2015

It's summer! And time to soak in all the outdoors you can get! Cool breezes, long days, moonlit nights...that’s why an outdoor kitchen is the best idea!

Outdoor dining keeps you out of the house, and an outdoor kitchen keeps the cook in the fun.

Here are some great outdoor kitchen designs that will make your Cape Cod home even better. Enjoy!

56 cool Outdoor Kitchen Designs for your Cape Cod home

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56 cool Outdoor Kitchen Designs for your Cape Cod home

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What is a HERS Index Energy Rating for my Cape Cod Home?

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Wed, Jul 29, 2015

Like most disciplines, changes are constantly happening in the home building industry. Because we are constantly designing, permitting, and building custom homes, the team at REEF is expertly familiar with the building code requirements. These requirements change with increasing frequency. We have experienced a new building code almost every year for the past few years.

What does this mean to you? One of the most significant changes in the code has been the increasing energy efficiency requirements. The energy code is now fairly complex.
In order to verify compliance with the current energy code, the Home Energy Rating (HERS) must be determined before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. The HERS test is an independent review of each of our custom homes by a HERS Index Certified Energy Rater.

REEF-built homes rate very well in these tests. An Energy Star home generally scores an 85 on these tests, and REEF consistently performs 30% better!

The homes we build are so “tight” and energy efficient, one Customer thought the central A/C wasn’t working – it rarely turned on because the house was so tight it stayed cool!

Here’s a couple great explanations of HERS ratings, and how they work:

The HERS Index rating system explained...

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How is a HERS Index Rating calculated?

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Best Guide to Beaches on Cape Cod

Posted by REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder on Thu, Jul 23, 2015

New to the Cape? Or maybe you're ready to try a new beach. How do you know which beach is a good bet for you, or for the kids? How’s this for a description:

Long boardwalk extends over salt marsh partway to beach. Excellent view of plant and marine life. Across the river is Dennis' Chapin Beach. Rather small. Picnic area. Not crowded. Large parking area. Some free parking. Lifeguards. Good for little kids. Bugs. Boardwalk only partway to beach.

And that’s just the beginning! This site has a clickable map that leads to descriptions of salt and fresh water beaches all over Cape Cod. This is the best, most comprehensive guide to Cape Cod beaches:

Guide to all Beaches on Cape Cod

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