Cape Cod Times, August 30, 2019

ORLEANS — From its humble façade facing Beach Road, you couldn’t begin to fathom the many layers of this 1810 sea captain’s home. Capt. Elkanah Snow lived here in the early 1800s, and the home has been expanded a few times over the centuries, with evidence that renovators took care to retain the home’s antique qualities. The current owner is no exception, and not only was the perfect balance achieved of antique and modern, but the modern elements actually bring out the antique features, making them pop.

Photo Gallery: Orleans sea captain’s house

Light, seafoam-colored walls combined with recessed lighting in the upstairs bedroom, for example, complement the original refurbished wide floorboards and exposed wood ceiling beams. A first-floor master suite was created in which wide floorboards live side by side with art deco-inspired elements in the bathroom; details such as the design on the tile floor, the oversize glass stand-up shower and unique fixtures were well thought out. The suite is closed off from the living room by a sliding barn door. Exposed ceiling and support beams carry into the ultra-modern kitchen, which boasts a unique island with built-ins, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and a farm sink. Light from a deep skylight creates a pleasant ambiance, but the backsplash is what makes us go “wow.”

Even the outside is awesome, with a new shell driveway and a garden patio. The barn out back is all original: doors, floors and beams.

According to town records, the home was built circa 1810. An 1831 map of Orleans does not show a house in what is the general location of 74 Beach Road, however, so historians believe the house was moved there. The barn also was subsequently moved to the property. Records show that Capt. Elkanah Snow went to sea at age 15, and in addition to being a captain, he was an entrepreneur. He operated a dry goods and fish store out of the barn, and spent a number of years in the lobster business. We think he’d be pleased by the TLC that’s been put into this home.

Cape Cod Times, August 23, 2019

SOUTH DENNIS — Imagine you are renovating a 1791 sea captain’s home, and you decide to remove the attic floor to create more space in an upstairs bedroom. You’re pounding away, removing floorboard by floorboard, when something falls out. It’s an 18th-century child’s shoe. And then another shoe, clearly having belonged to an adult.

There is a phenomenon, particularly in England, but in many other countries as well, of single shoes having been found hidden away in historic homes. “Concealed shoes” were apparently so common that England’s Northampton Museum retains a Concealed Shoe Index, in which findings of such shoes are recorded. Theories abound that the hidden shoes were meant to ward off evil spirits, bring good luck or bring fertility.

And that’s not all that the current owners discovered upon renovations in 2012; reading primers, powder horns, a woman’s hat and a poster were also found, as were coins and buttons from the Revolutionary War, from both “Red Coat and Colonial uniforms,” according to the owners. In its 200-plus years of existence, they’re only the third owners of this home, said to have been built by the sea captain Nathaniel Baker.

Photo Gallery: Take a look inside this home

Renovations meant raising the entire structure to carve out a full basement and build a solid foundation. All of the original bricks were kept, as were pots from a “bottle dump” discovered upon excavation — this was where colonists placed items no longer needed — pots, bottles, etc., many of which are now filled with plants and adorn the outside of the house. Other unique features of this home include a tiny room, known as a “borning room,” to the side of the dining room, and a “trap door” to the basement.

Cape Cod Times, August 16, 2019

CHATHAM — Not only is this property located in Chatham’s desirable Stage Harbor area, but the home is completely renovated, redesigned and ready — move-in ready, that is. It checks all the boxes for the discerning house hunter — water views: check. First-floor living: check. All new everything: check. Cedar Swamp Lane is a little road off of Stage Harbor Road that leads to a marsh, and this property’s pretty backyard water views are framed with weeping willows and wildflowers. The yard is newly manicured and landscaped with hydrangeas and roses, and a new stone patio to the side has an overhead trellis. New shingles adorn all sides of this home. With all this newness on the outside, you just can’t wait to see what it looks like inside.

Walking in from the side patio, the kitchen gleams with white cabinets and clear glass subway tile. Soft-close cabinets are a fine extra feature. The island boasts a white quartz countertop and built-in cabinets. The rest of the countertops are a smoky granite, and, of course, we have stainless steel appliances, including a six-burner stove with pot filler, and an oversize farm sink (staring out the window from here, you’ll lose your thoughts in patches of wildflowers). The kitchen, and the rest of the home, has wide-plank hardwood floors — the new kind, with the desirable distressed look.

The space flows into the living room, where the granite on the base of the wood-burning fireplace matches that of the kitchen countertops. Behind the kitchen, the first-floor master suite is spacious and upscale, with the master bath boasting such extra touches such as a leathered granite countertop, and beveled tile and stone flooring in the shower. The details don’t stop here — custom molding throughout gives the home a uniformity of design. Upstairs, the shared bathroom boasts a huge tub and beautiful tile work. Both bathrooms have wood-look tile flooring, plus radiant floor heating.

The stylish home also boasts plenty of storage space and an all-new laundry room. The entire property was transformed by Joseph Butler and crew of Northbay Enterprises with the redesign expertise of Lisa Butler.

Cape Cod Times, August 2, 2019

EAST SANDWICH — The gates open to a long, narrow driveway lined with lush rhododendrons which, at the right time of year, blossom in rich magentas. Then you set eyes upon this fine home — an unexpected design for Cape Cod — something you might find perhaps in the English countryside. It was custom built for the only owners it’s ever had, and they sure know a thing or two about style.

Photo Gallery: Take a look inside this home

Marble floors and a marble staircase greet you in the foyer, and the longer you stand there, the more details you begin to notice, from custom molding framing each doorway and window, to ornate ornamental corner pieces, to stained-glass. To the right is a formal dining room with electric fireplace, the mantel of which is imported from the United Kingdom and refurbished, as have been the majority of the other mantelpieces in this lavish home. To the left is a family room, with wide pine floorboards and another electric fireplace with intricate mantel. We might say that the kitchen is the highlight of the home, with such fine points as imported stone moldings around the windows, custom cabinets with beadboard and detailed molding, and oh, the island — it boasts Carrera marble (like the rest of the kitchen countertops) and is shaped like a grand piano. Yes, we could easily say the kitchen is the highlight — but then, you haven’t seen the garden room yet.

The room is so called because it looks out to the backyard English garden. Not only is this room outfitted with a spectacularly high-end cocktail bar, but it was featured in Sotheby’s online publication, “The Art of Living.” And the garden, like the home itself, is absolutely stunning, with a stone fountain in the center and paths that meander around perfect plantings, and even lampposts, for lighting the way in the dark.

The home boasts a flexible floor plan, with either a first-floor or a second-floor master suite. Most bedrooms are equipped with a wet bar, and even the bathrooms are gorgeous, “especially if you like Carrera marble,” says Realtor Tori Harrison Farr. An office over the two-car garage features hardwood floors and a kitchen, and the finished walk-out basement boasts an electric fireplace and built-ins, for a homey feel. In this estate, every detail has been well thought out, right down to the full outdoor kitchen on the back deck.