Homeowner’s Headquarters: A Discussion with Custom Crafted Homes on Remodeling

Photo courtesy of Customcraftedcc.com

Welcome to Homeowner’s Headquarters, brought to you by the good folks at Mid-Cape Home Centers.

Each week, we will have a discussion with a builder on Cape Cod to talk about what they do, where to find them and the processes involved. Listen to our chat below, read the article and check out more information on Custom Crafted Homes.

Custom Crafted Homes specializes in building and remodeling. Owner Jeff Baroni said the company does quite a bit of historic renovation and also has a window and door division that specializes solely in that area.

“The (historic home) project we’re working on is on Atwood Ave. in Provincetown,” said Baroni. “We’re about eight months into the actual building process of it, but we’ve been working with the client for about two years to get it through the permitting process, get plans together and really plan out the project so that we can complete it successfully.”

In historic renovation, builders and remodelers must always work hand-in-hand with local restrictions and requirements, and often within the boundaries of the local historical societies’ rules in each town. The biggest challenges on this project included coordinating subcontractors, vendor deliveries, working within a tight space, and working to make sure the historical society liked the design, which they did.

On this particular project, he said, “In order to appease the historic society, we had to lift part of the house and put it up on stilts, and then put in a new foundation underneath it, and then lower the house. It was a lot of coordinating, and we’re excited to have that a part of our portfolio.”

Baroni said that, outside of historic homes, people still want to maintain that cottage-y Cape Cod feel, and that’s where Custom Crafted Homes comes in.

“We specialize in upgrading the inside of the home, all the mechanicals, etc, get them insulated properly, and try to get them back together and still look old, while having modern conveniences. People are very interested these days in smart technology, and energy efficiency is huge. People love to be able to use their cell phones to turn on the radiant heat but they still want the old paneling on the walls,” he said, laughing.

Photograph courtesy of Customcraftedcc.com

Most people are calling, he said, because they want a kitchen or bathroom remodeled. Many times, when they’re calling about a kitchen, they want a wall down. That generally turns into changing the flooring and, ultimately, changing the trim details and everything else that goes along with it. They want open concept, they want the island in the kitchen where friends and family can gather.”

Outdoor living is another huge trend, Baroni said. “We are seeing that people want to turn their backyards into living spaces. Custom Crafted Homes has been working with landscapers locally to help them with that.

“People come to Custom Crafted Homes usually because they saw us working and asked their neighbor about us, or they heard about us,” he added. “We have a great reputation out there.”