Everybody I know is looking forward to spending a lot of time outside…but it’s still cold! The frost is gone, but the chill in the air still remains. How do you enjoy an evening beverage with friends, without enduring the chill?...FIRE PIT!

Outdoor fireplaces and fire pits have become very popular with many of our Customers. They have become a design component which is on the “must have” list in the first design meeting for many of our custom homes. It is a natural gathering place after the sun sets, and the Cape Cod fun continues.

Quiet talks, marshmallow toasting, campfire stories around which memories are made…these are all benefits of a carefully planned fire pit. Here are some great ideas for fire pits and outdoor fireplaces. Let us know where you’d like to have YOUR fire pit!

Fire Pit ideas for your Cape Cod Home

Fire Pit ideas for your Cape Cod Home

Fire Pit ideas for your Cape Cod Home

We’re home builders. Every day we are focused on designing and building beautiful custom homes. So Easter Eggs…? These are really cool Easter eggs! They’re amazing! And fun to make.

I remember growing up on Cape Cod, and the first signs of Spring…the daffodils, the warmth returning to the ground, ice no longer under my feet, frogs beginning to peep, the lake unfrozen. And then…Easter! It was a pretty big time at our place. And the Easter Egg Hunt was always huge!

Here are some really different new ways to make some wonderfully fun eggs for Easter. Drizzled, chirping chicks, metallic dipped, puffy paint…crazy! Welcome Spring !!

Get Creative with your Cape Cod Easter Eggs

Get Creative with your Cape Cod Easter Eggs

Outside living in on everyone’s mind. Cabin fever is rampant after such a long, cold winter! Living outside means enjoying the breezes and fresh air regardless of the weather…that’s where the porch comes in handy.

Front, side and even rear porches sometimes become a focal point of our custom homes. It seems our Customers often spend more time outside than they do inside! So exterior spaces are very important. But how do you make a porch a graceful and utilitarian extension of the living space?

Here are some great ideas to pique your creative juices. Refreshing or upgrading your porch may greatly enhance your enjoyment of your Cape Cod Home.

Charming Porch Ideas for your Cape Cod Home

Charming Porch Ideas for your Cape Cod Home

FEMA's new Flood Insurance Rate Increase has caused much anxiety and confusion in areas in and around the new flood maps. Real estate values and purchase transactions for homes in the new flood zones have been significantly impacted. The effect on insurance premiums has been drastic for homes in flood zones.

It is obvious to many that FEMA did not properly analyze the effect on these areas, and their economies, before promulgating the new flood maps. Legislators have been banging the drum for relief for months. Finally there is some relief, if only temporary. The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act was recently signed into law:

The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act repeals FEMA’s authority to increase premium rates when a property is sold. It also refunds the excessive premium to those who bought a property before FEMA warned them of the rate increase. The bill limits premium increases to 18 percent annually on newer properties and 25 percent for some older ones. The senate approved the bill on March 13, and the House of Representatives March 4.

Here’s a link to more information:

Obama signs Flood Insurance Relief Law for Cape Cod

Obama signs Flood Insurance Relief Law for Cape Cod

Forget tomorrow’s blizzard! Daffodils and crocuses are on my mind. Cape Cod is wonderful environment for all sorts of flowers, flowering shrubs, vineyards…you name it! Many of our Customers plan their garden spaces right on their site plan. One of the home sites with which we’re currently working includes a “deer garden” for an outdoor enthusiast.

It’ll be 50 degrees on Friday, with more warm weather right behind. Flower gardens, vegetable gardens, even casual spaces filled with modern grasses benefit from the wisdom of Cape Cod Organic Gardeners. Here’s a link to their blog, which is filled with great information for your Cape Cod garden:

Cape Cod Organic Gardeners blog

Cape Cod Organic Gardeners blog

Virtually every custom kitchen we design and build has solid surface countertops. They clean easily, wear very well, and look fabulous. But what are the options to granite? Creating a focal point in your kitchen, or just jazzing up a powder room, can be as simple as selecting a not-so-common countertop.

Before deciding on your next kitchen or vanity countertops consider some of these unusual materials. Here is a succinct over view of some different materials to consider, complete with square foot price ranges.

Kitchen Countertop Materials for your Cape Cod Home

Kitchen Countertop Materials for your Cape Cod Home

Spring is around the corner, and then Summer will be here! Visitors will arrive, and there may be a small child or two in the mix.

Many of our Customers ask us to design and build homes for active, busy family life. It’s a real joy to create spaces for families to enjoy life together. A little forethought can ensure that the Cape Cod family vacation home is safe and accommodating to even the youngest in the party.

Grandparents will agree that without the small ones around all the time, it can be easy to forget about child-proofing.

Here are some creative and useful tips to ensure your home is ready for all sizes of inquisitive visitors!

Is your Cape Cod Home safe for the kids?

Is your Cape Cod Home safe for the kids?

Spring is in the air! Or at least the snow is melting. Soon we’ll be tending gardens, and rejoicing in the sprouts returning even after such an arduous winter.

What is your garden’s personality? Introvert, with careful, protected spaces? Or extrovert, with pathways and multiple spaces with different sorts of offerings?

Here are some wonderful ideas to get your gardening juices flowing. Small spaces, entertaining spaces, walking spaces. These ideas are simple to implement, and can transform your Cape Cod Home.

Garden Personalities for your Cape Cod Home

Garden Personalities for your Cape Cod Home

Once upon a time…a long time ago…I had a bathroom remodeled. I returned home to find an enormous oak threshold as a transition from my new bathroom tile to my hardwood floors. It was so big the contractor had to cut a half inch off the bottom of the bathroom door! Ouch.

So how do you transition from one floor material to another? Done correctly and it can define spaces, and compliment the flow of your floor plan. Done poorly, and it chops up the house, and can be a dangerous tripping hazard.

Learn from the pro’s, and not from your own mistakes. Here are some great examples of how to transition from one floor material to another, comfortably, attractively:

How to transition from Tile to Hardwood Floor in your Cape Cod Home

How to transition from Tile to Hardwood Floor in your Cape Cod Home

Staying current with new products is one of the really fun parts of building custom homes. There are constant innovations in our business. Everything from roof shingle materials, to HVAC system refinements, to insulation, countertop materials, window and door advances…you name it, there is no end to developments and improvements in building materials.

The annual Kitchen & Bath Show is the premier venue for introduction of new ideas, designs and materials. Copper and stainless steel infused sinks, French door ovens, in-wall wine coolers, and alligator-patterned cabinets. This a great roundup of new ideas, textures, and creations for your Cape Cod kitchen and bath:

Standouts from the 2014 Kitchen & Bath Show

Standouts from the 2014 Kitchen & Bath Show