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

Best Security Systems for your Cape Cod Home

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

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

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

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

Laundry Room ideas for your Cape Cod Home

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

Blower Door Testing 101 for your Cape Cod Home

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

56 cool Outdoor Kitchen Designs for your Cape Cod home

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...

How is a HERS Index Rating calculated?

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

Guide to all Beaches on Cape Cod

From the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): "Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU's) — also referred to as accessory apartments, second units, or granny flats — are additional living quarters on single-family lots that are independent of the primary dwelling unit. The separate living spaces are equipped with kitchen and bathroom facilities, and can be either attached or detached from the main residence."

ADU’s are not to be confused with rental housing. Many communities restrict ADU’s to family use only, and don’t allow housing units created under the ADU guidelines to be used as rental units.

In any event, ADU’s are a creative, efficient, and fun way to enhance the lives of all concerned. Aging parents get the support of nearby family members, while the affordability of ADU’s benefits everybody.

This HUD case study cites Barnstable and Wellfleet as communities that have been progressive in their approach to the development of ADU’s (page 12).
It’s worth a look:

HUD Case Study on ADU's, including Cape Cod

HUD Case Study on ADU's, including Cape Cod

It’s a common problem: You walk into your Cape Cod kitchen one day to find it buzzing with pesky little fruit flies zipping about your fruit bowl, or worse, floating lifeless in your guest’s glass of red wine. You’re not a slob, and you don’t leave your doors open, so where the heck do these things come from and why? And more important, how do you kill fruit flies?

Common house fruit flies have an incredibly short life span. In just a week, the eggs turn from larvae to pupae to adults. That’s why it always seems as though they show up out of nowhere in your kitchen.

Here are some links to simple recipes and home grown techniques to keep your Cape Cod home free of pesky flies!

Good Housekeeping recipes to kill Fruit Flies on Cape Cod

How to get rid of pesky Fruit Flies on Cape Cod

God Bless America! July 4th is upon us, and it’s time to celebrate America!

What does America mean to you? Well if you’re reading this then you’re probably on Cape Cod, headed to the Cape, or wish you were here right now! Wherever you are, soon you’ll be celebrating the birth of our nation, and all the independence that makes the U.S.A. so very special.

And what will you do to celebrate? Enjoy a day at the beach? Climb Provincetown Monument? Catch a big fish and fire up the grill? Whatever you choose, the choice is yours – Thanks to America!

Here’s a schedule of parades and fireworks around the Cape. And a link to a good calendar of events for July and beyond. Happy Birthday America!

Fireworks and Parades Schedule for Cape Cod towns

Cape Cod Events July 2015