Our History

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CAPE COD'S LEADING CUSTOM BUILDING & REMODELING COMPANY

Since 1971, we've seen many changes and built hundreds of custom homes on Cape Cod.

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At Cape Associates, our mission is building life-long relationships with our customers and with our employees, based upon an uncompromising commitment to quality and integrity.

Cape Associates, Inc. is a third generation family business now owned by the grandchildren of founder Lester F. Langhans, Jr.. We are a full-service custom home builder that offers design, permitting and cost-estimating services, as well as renovation and improvement services like painting, tiling and millwork. With now more than 120 of our own full-time, year-round employees, we're proud of the path we've taken and where we are today. 

  • April 1, 1971

    Cape Associates is established in 1971 by Lester F. Langhans, Jr., a World War II veteran and life-long builder. Cape Associates began with 5 employees, including Lester.

  • 1975

    Michael Cole becomes vested in the ownership of Cape Associates, Inc., moving from the field to the office, which was in the basement of Lester Langhans' house.

  • 1978

    An office, warehouse, and shop encompassing more than 5,000 square feet is constructed at our present site at 345 Massasoit Road in North Eastham.

  • 1986

    Lester Langhans retires in 1986, after having developed a transition plan for Cape Associates. Michael Cole, who had previously held a field position, then became project manager and finally Vice President, became President and majority owner of the company. Read more about Michael Cole here.

  • 1990s

    During Michael Cole's tenure he cultivates a greater diversity of work for the Cape Associates team by establishing and growing new departments: Services (renovations and additions), Painting and Property Management.

  • Late 1990s

    Cape Associates opens a second office in Barnstable, which is now the Yarmouthport office, and develops a major presence in Provincetown.

  • 2011

    Planning for the future of the company, an executive committee is formed. The Executive Committee consisted of Michael Cole, Mark Kinnane, Matthew Cole and Rich Bryant.

  • January 1, 2013

    2013

    Michael Cole retires, turning over majority ownership of Cape Associates to his three children, Lindsay, Matthew, and Casey Cole.  Read Michael Cole's message about this transition here.  Lindsay is Human Resources Manager, Matthew is President & CEO, and Casey is Senior Accountant. 

  • April 18, 2014

    April, 2014

    Cape Associates opens their new office building at 325 Massasoit Road in Eastham, adjacent to the long-standing headquarters at 345 Massasoit Road. Built by the Cape Associates team, the building was designed by Brown, Lindquist, Fenuccio & Raber Architects, Inc. of Yarmouthport.  ZeroEnergy Design of Orleans and Boston did the HVAC design, energy modeling and consulted on LEED certification. A sizable crowd attended the April 18th ribbon-cutting event and after a short speech, Matthew H. Cole cut the ribbon with help from his niece, Olivia.

  • 2017

    Cape Associates is named the Best Sustainable Builder by Boston Magazine and ranked #15 out of the top 550 remodelers nationwide. 

  • 2018

    Cape Associates expands its offerings with the addition of a Kitchen & Bath department and design team. 

  • 2020

    In an effort to provide comprehensive service offerings for the construction and maintenance of homes, Cape Associates adds a service of heating, cooling and ventilation systems (HVAC) maintenance to its suite of property management services. 

  • November, 2020

    Cape Associates' longest tenured employee, Peter Corbett, retires after 43 years of employment. This was a special milestone for Peter and Cape Associates as it represented what a special place Cape Associates is to work. 

  • April 1, 2021

    2021

    Cape Associates celebrates their 50th anniversary. Taking the opportunity to reflect upon the anniversary, Matthew H. Cole noted that the monumental celebration was about the community, partners, clients, and team. To celebrate this anniversary, Cape Associates rebranded with a new logo. 

  • 2023

    Cape Associates invests in the Chatham community with the construction of their new Chatham office at 784 Main Street, Chatham. This new building not only expands Cape Associates' office space, but also contributes to the company's commitment to improving available housing on Cape Cod with the addition of at least two apartment units within the building. 

OUR APPROACH

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Cape Associates has been committed to employing its own trades persons – carpenters, painters, laborers, tile setters, plumbers and more! This approach helps us maintain constant, effective communication between us and our customers necessary for successful custom construction. Another advantage to in-house employees is quality control through better continuity of responsibility. The employees of Cape Associates take pride in their work; many have worked here for over ten, fifteen, twenty, and even thirty years!

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OUR MISSION

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At Cape Associates our mission is building life-long relationships with our customers and with our employees, based upon an uncompromising commitment to quality and integrity.

Project Goals

  • Produce the highest possible quality
  • Exceed our customers’ expectations
  • Complete the project on time
  • Complete the project within budget

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES AND ASSOCIATIONS

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