A Name You Can Build On

Cape Cod Lumber

For 50 years, Cape Cod Lumber (CCL) has been committed to serving builders, remodelers, and homeowners in southeastern Massachusetts for all their building supply needs. Located in Abington, MA, CCL’s corporate culture is based on quality. Says the company, “High quality isn’t one of the options we offer. It’s the only option we offer.”
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In 1958, just two years after Patti Page crooned, “You’re going to fall in love with old Cape Cod,” Sam Hurvitz purchased a wrecking company on Bedford Street in Abington, MA and since Bedford Street was the main route to Cape Cod at the time, he named his new company the Cape Cod Wrecking & Salvage Co.: New & Used Building Material.

The name choice was both evocative and apt. Cape Cod calls to mind the craftsmanship of snug wooden houses built to withstand North Atlantic gales and the romance of “the taste of a lobster stew served by a window with an ocean view.” Certainly fitting, as the renamed Cape Cod Lumber Company, Inc., (CCL) a family/employee-owned company with over 100 employees, provides those ocean-view windows, as well as kitchens for producing bowls of steaming lobster stew in its Homescapes Design Center & Showroom.

In fact, last year, CCL’s design center was named one of Boston magazine’s Best of Boston Home® 2017 in the category of Best Kitchen & Bath Designer, South. Each year, the magazine releases a guide containing the Boston area’s top home improvement experts with the goal of providing readers with a helpful resource of the “finest local designers and resources in the region.”

“We’re very happy to be featured in this year’s list,” says Chris Vaughn, Inside Sales Manager for CCL. “The award by Boston magazine speaks volumes to the level of quality provided by HomeScapes, its products, services and team.”

But we’re jumping ahead in the story of CCL, as business success is seldom an overnight phenomenon but rather the result of deliberate planning and development of relationships with clients, homeowners, builders and contractors.

According to the company website, “serving our customers is infused into everything we do. Homeowners, builders, contractors and our very own employees solidify our foundation. Our company is built on quality and fortified with genuine interaction. It is designed to withstand the elements and change with the times.”

So back to 1985. That was the year Sam Hurvitz retired and his son Harvey, who continues today as President, took over the business. Since then CCL has grown to become one of the area’s largest suppliers of lumber, building materials, interior and exterior millwork, doors, replacement and new construction windows and kitchen cabinets.

By 2012 CCL had outgrown its first location and moved to a 135,000 square foot facility on Groveland Street, which includes a retail store and corporate headquarters. Also on the 12-acre parcel of land is one of the largest lumber yards in the Boston/South Shore area. Building materials on offer include composite pavers, deck rail systems, flooring, pine boards and pattern stock, primed finger jointed boards and stairs, as well as supplies — ladders, tools and hardware, adhesives and fasteners.

Then in 2015, CCL opened its brand new, state-of-the-art HomeScapes Design Center & Showroom on the same site. Services provided here include 3D rendering, bathroom remodeling, custom cabinetry, kitchen design and remodeling, custom countertops, outdoor kitchens and wine cellar design.

According to the company website, the 12,500 square foot facility features products from some of the industry’s premier manufacturers. There are stunning displays from Schrock, Omega and Dynasty; exterior doors and windows from Marvin, Andersen and Mathews Brothers; interior doors from Masonite, Woodgrain and Rogue Valley; decking and railing from Azerbaijan & Timbertech, and much, much more.

An impressive part of that “much, much more” is the consumer education CCL provides. For example, in the blog post, ‘Should You Invest in New Windows for Your Home?’ the designers at HomeScapes take homeowners by the hand to explain the difference between replacement or new construction windows, options for energy efficiency which will provide a return on investment, and options in frames — wood, aluminum, vinyl, and fiberglass. Now homeowners, armed with facts, can make informed choices.

Other guides offered by the company include the Beginner’s Guide to Kitchen Layouts; Deck Comparison Guide; and Creative Construction: Unique Features that Increase Home Value

Rather than pouncing upon customers the minute they walk into the design showroom, which CCL acknowledges can be overwhelming because of the choices available, the team advises stopping to consider four basic questions:

1. Why am I here? Walk in with a plan, they advise, well aware of what project needs you have and where to look for them.

2. What am I doing? Are you updating your kitchen or patio area to enjoy and entertain friends and family? Or are you looking to improve certain rooms to sell your home in the near future? Defining the purpose is important, the company’s designers maintain, as it allows customers to enter a showroom in search of products or advice that is catered specifically for them or the needs of their home. Once the purpose is clearly defined, designer Kate Marchisio promises, “Our HomeScapes Kitchen Designer will lead you through the creative, aesthetic and functional aspect of the design process, using state of the art showroom and 2020 design software, to present your final project in 3D.”

3. How much do I have to spend? According to the blog, knowing your budget before you start product hunting is critical to keeping project expenses under control, because impulse buying can rob you of the joy that comes with completing a home project. Kevin McIver of CCL HomeScapes assures that “our product lines encompass every budget and your kitchen design associate will absolutely consider your budget needs.”

4. How am I going to get this done? “Even if you’re confident that you’ll be able to complete a project yourself, it’s always a good idea to run ideas by an expert to see if there are unforeseen consequences that would’ve been avoided if you contracted tasks out. Often times, you’ll save time, money and anxiety by having a professional do it,” the blog advises.

Wise words from a company that is not necessarily determined to move product but instead wants to develop long-term relationships with clients, which will result in repeat business.

Posting on the company’s Facebook page, David Balkcom, the former owner of Handy Helper in Hanson, MA writes: “This is in regard to John Stewart. John is more than a salesman; he makes me feel comfortable every time I’m in. He takes the time to make sure I have everything I need. Even though I’m a small contractor he treats me the same as the large contractors. Every time I call, whether he answers or not, I know he will follow up with what I need. I feel he is a friend and we can joke with each other. He offers help when I need help; he goes out of his way to make sure I’m satisfied.”

There’s also this post from Dan Jewell, manager at Jewell Contracting in Quincy, MA. “I have been dealing with Cape Cod Lumber since fall of 2001 and they have been great to deal with. They take care of their customers and their pricing is great. As a contractor, I get frustrated when I am working too far away to drive back to CCL for materials. Seems like I am always disappointed in both products and pricing when I have to go somewhere else. I also send my customers to CCL for their kitchen cabinetry. I tell people straight up that I will not install cabinets that come from the big box home centers. That’s just not worth the headache. With CCL you have a direct connection with someone who can walk you through product selection and through any potential problem resolution. That’s worth a million bucks.”

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