February 2021 – Marina Davalos Freelance Writer

Cape House Hunt

Ridge Club home designed for family, entertaining

By Marina Davalos February 21, 2021

Cape Cod Times, February 21, 2021

SANDWICH — The Ridge Club is one of the Cape’s premiere family-oriented golf communities, featuring an 18-hole, 71-par championship course, two tennis courts and a swimming pool. Homes in this gated community are much coveted, and residents say this is one of the friendliest communities they’ve ever lived in. (When we drove in to see this week’s House Hunt home, a lone jogger smiled and waved as we drove by.)

This home exudes simple elegance, with a half-circle driveway in front of the portico entrance, plus a second driveway to a two-car garage. When you walk in, the living space feels large but cozy, with an elegant staircase and high ceilings that capture the light. The kitchen is off to the right, and we love the turquoise walls accented with white shaker cabinets and black granite countertops. Stainless steel appliances include a double oven. Entertainment, anyone?

It’s got the perfect entertainment layout. First, there’s a family room with a super cozy gas fireplace. And a large formal dining space looks into not just the kitchen, but also to an open sitting room, where the current owners have a grand piano — we can just picture someone at the piano while others sing along, with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Sliding glass doors bring you out to a red brick patio.

The first-floor primary suite boasts a sizable walk-in closet and bathroom with both jet tub and stand-up shower. Upstairs are two more bedrooms with a shared bath, plus a bonus room over the garage.

Suggestions for a home review may be sent to news@capecodonline.com. Home selection is made by the Cape Cod Times. This does not imply any endorsement or warranty.

And for you golf aficionados: The golf course at the Ridge Club was designed by Robert Von Hagge (1927-2010), who is credited with having designed about 250 golf courses worldwide, including in Puerto Rico, France, Jamaica and three in Mexico — Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Mexico City. Von Hagge, incidentally, helped finance his college education with freelance commercial art and acting gigs, and starred for a time as the Marlboro Man.

While smoking may not be cool anymore, we say hats off to you, Mr. Von Hagge, for leaving Cape Cod with a piece of your legacy.

Marina Davalos is a real estate agent and freelance writer who lives in Cotuit.

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Community

In charge of electric vehicles

By Marina Davalos February 19, 2021

Barnstable Patriot, February 18, 2021

In the decades to come, fuel stops at gas stations may be a thing of the past.

In September 2020, the State of California passed an executive order to ban the sale of internal combustion passenger vehicles and light trucks by 2035. In January of 2021, Massachusetts followed California to become the second state to ban sales of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, part of a broader plan to reduce emissions by 2050, as outlined in the Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap at www.mass.gov.

It’s a lot to think about. Over time, the use of electric vehicles (EVs), by lowering carbon emissions, will change not just our environmental landscape but our cultural landscape as well.

David Anthony, Barnstable’s Chief Procurement Officer, said making the switch to EVs will result in new ways of thinking for both drivers and town services.

“There’s a different mindset for drivers of electric vehicles,” Anthony said. “If you drive a vehicle that has a 200-mile range, you have to plan your travel around that limitation and/or find a charging station in a convenient spot.”

Six years ago, as part of a state grant, Barnstable installed EV charging stations at Town Hall, the North Street Hyannis parking lot and Barnstable High School. ChargePoint charging stations have since been popping up all over town. Plans are in the works to install even more at Cape Cod Gateway Airport in 2022. The town is currently considering how it can place new charging stations in the many public lots around town, Anthony said.

When it comes to making the switch to EVs, Anthony said, the average consumer may not know what’s available around town for charging stations, and this alone can affect how seriously they are considering buying the new technology.

Not to mention, what kind of cars are out there? How much do they cost? We talked with Boston area EV expert Steve Birkett to find out more.

Emerging selection

Birkett loved his first EV – a 2012 Chevy Volt – so much, he’s become somewhat of an EV crusader. A UK native, he’s lived in Boston for five years and is on his second EV, a 2020 Chevy Bolt. He’s an EV specialist for findthebestcarprice.com.

Brace for sticker shock. “The sticker price for an EV can be $5,000 to $10,000 more than its gas equivalent,” Birkett said, although EV models introduced this year are more likely to be very close in price to gas models.

There are incentives, such as the federal government’s tax credit of up to $7,500 for EV models (except for manufacturers Tesla and GM, which Birkett said have used up their allocation). Birkett also said Massachusetts offers a $2,500 rebate for a qualifying purchase or lease. Find out more at: www.greenenergyconsumers.org.

“Over the life of the vehicle, you could save thousands of dollars, “Birkett said. “You’re looking at $9 or $10 to charge up an EV for up to 250-300 miles, as opposed to $20-$25 at the gas station,” he said.

A lot of L2 charging is either free or similarly priced akin to domestic electricity ($0.15 to $0.20 per kWh). Some L2 stations require use of an app or RFID card from the network (like ChargePoint, the most common in Massachusetts).

On Birkett’s YouTube channel, Plug and Play EV, he compares and contrasts three EVs currently on the market from the big-name carmakers. Here are a few of his highlights.

The Nissan Ariya crossover builds on the success of Nissan’s Leaf, the world’s first mass-produced EV of the modern era. Aiming for 300+ miles on a single charge and 130 kilowatts fast charging, Ariya is expected to enter the market at around $40,000.

Just under $40,000, the Volkswagen id-4 has 250 miles of range and three years of free, fast charging on the Electrify America network.

With a style based on the iconic Mustang, the Ford Mustang Mach-E crossover boasts a range of up to 305 miles and DC fast-charging of up to 150 kilowatts.

Compare and contrast with the Chevy Bolt, the first all-electric model to surpass the 200+ miles of range, for less than $40,000. Bolt has been a slow-but-steady seller since its launch in 2016 and now delivers 259 miles on a single charge. Birkett added that GM has just announced that both the 2022 Bolt and Bolt EUV will be priced below $35,000.

EV expenses also depend on how much you drive, as well as the cost of your home electricity, Birkett said. Home charging usually requires a dedicated station with a 220-240-volt outlet, around the same as the plug for your washer or dryer. Power is delivered at around 6 or 7 kilowatts, which is good for a full, overnight charge. Can a car be charged with a regular home outlet? It could take days, Birkett said, as standard outlets of 110-120 volts deliver power at around 1 kilowatt per hour.

Most commercial or municipal charging stations use the 220-240-volt chargers, which run on an alternating current (AC), while some commercial ones use a fast-charging direct current (DC) that can charge a car up to 80% in 30-40 minutes. Fast chargers are harder on a battery and more expensive than charging more slowly, so most drivers typically only use them when they’re on lengthy trips. The EVgo network offers fast and Level 2 charging stations to charge the Nissan LEAF, Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model S/3/X/Y, BMW, Kia Niro, Audi, Jaguar or other EVs.

Fun fact: some EVs connect to WiFi, so we can monitor our usage.

Access is key

Noting that transportation is the second-largest generator of carbon emissions after energy production, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross said the region’s climate action plan is still so new, there is no position or policy statement yet. She said that studies suggest more retailers are eager to install charging stations, as people will come to charge up and shop.

“The success for EVs to be highly desirable will be an effective and broad array of charging stations available,” Northcross said.

She said the Cape Cod Chamber, along with the Cape Cod Commission, is in the beginning stages of shaping the region’s plan.

“We’ve participated in focus groups to engage businesses in commenting and sharing their ideas,” Northcross said.

Marina Davalos is a freelance writer who lives in Cotuit.

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Cape House Hunt

Unique split-level home features fabulous backyard landscape

By Marina Davalos February 14, 2021

Cape Cod Times, February 14, 2021

MARSTONS MILLS — Behind the unassuming façade of this house we find some wonderful surprises, from the unique split-level style to a spectacularly designed backyard.

And, of course, all the details in between.

In the living room, wide-plank hardwood floors combine with a high angled ceiling and a modern wallpaper accent wall. The brick around the fireplace is painted white and framed with railroad tie-style wood, which gives it a truly rustic-chic vibe, setting the tone for the rest of the house.

From the living room, a half-staircase leads to the bedrooms. There are three bedrooms, but the current owners of the home have a surprise — they’ve used the middle one not as a bedroom but as a “walk-in closet room.” The primary suite, at one end of the hallway, features an ultra-modern bathroom, and a second bedroom at the other end of the hall is across from a bathroom with a pretty turquoise distressed-wood vanity.

Back on the main level, the kitchen is totally contemporary, with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and recessed lighting. The natural stained and finely-crafted cabinetry again gives a touch of the modern-rustic. And let’s talk about the island, with a simple yet quite possibly revolutionary touch — a round countertop. Not only are there no corners to bump into, as real estate agent Shaelyn Hegarty remarked, but it’s pleasing to the eye and still well suited for gathering. Might this not change the future of kitchen design? It’s the simple things …

This kitchen opens to a great room, light and airy with exposed beams and a cathedral ceiling, with a sizable deck on the side of the house.

Then we step down to the finished lower level, where sliding glass doors bring in the light and bring you outside to the fabulous backyard, designed by Marstons Mills-based Lighthouse Landscaping for some serious outdoor entertaining. There’s an outdoor kitchen, need we say more? A patio with intricate stonework features a custom bluestone fire pit. Meticulous stone walls are carved right out of the landscape, and plantings — edged and mulched — finish the fine touches. Lighthouse Landscaping owner Pedro Spiguel is also the homeowner. “We just wanted to create an outdoor living space to have some friends over,” he said.

Marina Davalos is a freelance writer who lives in Cotuit.

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Cape House Hunt

The world is your oyster in this townhouse-style Hyannis condo

By Marina Davalos February 7, 2021

Cape Cod Times, February 7, 2021

HYANNIS — If you’ve wondered what the condos at 615 Main St. are like – you know, the site of the former West End Marketplace and the infamous Guido Murphy’s, now home of the Seaside Pub on Main and the Cape Cod Harley-Davidson retail store – read on.

The front entrance on Main Street takes you into a secure lobby, from where you’ll be buzzed in via an intercom system. You go up a flight of stairs, and a long, hotel-like hallway leads past entrances to 12 units. This week’s House Hunt is number 11, doorway to the right, and thus all units on this side are, as an old radio commercial from the ’80s used to jokingly say, “overlooking the beautiful Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot.”

That said, this is perhaps the most happening spot in Hyannis.

Spotlight on the condo: you step into a wonderfully open floor plan, bathroom and laundry to the left, kitchen to the right. The kitchen is done in granite countertops with a bar/breakfast nook. White Shaker cabinetry pops with brushed nickel hardware, and chic industrial-look pendant lights hang overhead. These touches create an instant upscale vibe when you walk in.

The living space is all open, with hardwood floors and lots of windows that bring in the light. A sliding glass door off the open dining area leads to a huge deck. This is the end unit, so revel in the fact that it has perhaps the most space, as this deck stretches the length of the building, and each unit on this side boasts a shared portion of the deck. There’s lots of history here – this is the same deck that was once the upstairs at Guido’s, where after a day of sun at the beach, locals and visitors would come for happy hour, totally happening, with guys on guitar playing tunes like “Brown Eyed Girl” and “American Pie.”

Did we mention the townhouse style of this condo? From the dining area, a flight of stairs leads you up to the two bedrooms, which share a bath. This condo is so surprisingly spacious, comfortable and well appointed, it’s no wonder the owner has loved living here. While you’re right in the heart of downtown Hyannis, being in here makes you feel like you’re away from it all – the best of both worlds.

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