Call (508) 737-0691

Custom homes on Cape Cod · since 1983

Cape Cod homes,built to facethe water.

New homes, tear-downs and rebuilds, house lifts out of the flood zone and historic restorations, from Hyannis Port to Great Island.

See the workVisit the new showroom

Four decades of building on the water.

Ed Stafford has been building and renovating homes since 1983. With hundreds of new homes and renovations finished in coastal neighborhoods, we bring decades of experience with waterfront construction that has to answer to the weather.

Locally, and across the town of Yarmouth, we are known as the experts on flood zone homes and on how to approach existing structures in the flood zone. We have seen it all, and we have the confidence and the knowledge to take on any project.

Founded
1983
Years on the Cape
40+
Homes completed locally
Hundreds

Selected work

Ten projects, ten shorelines. Drag or scroll through them.

Shingled waterfront home on Hyannis Harbor behind a stone seawall

Hyannis Port

Hyannis Harbor

A full tear-down and custom rebuild on the harbor: rough taper-sawn red cedar shingles, a wine room and an entry under a mahogany vaulted ceiling.

On the magazine cover
Modern beach house on Great Island seen from above

Great Island

Great Island Custom

A modern beach house rebuilt with red cedar roofing and siding, Pella windows, Ipe decking, an outdoor kitchen and a private putting green.

Three levels of decks across the back of the house

Cape Cod

Heritage Beach House

A shingled beach house with a pergola entry, a home gym, bunk rooms, a cable-rail deck over the pool and a cedar-shingled covered porch that looks out to the water.

New shingled home with a two-car garage on the Bass River

South Yarmouth

Bass River Custom Home

We tore down the old house and built a new one on the Bass River for Kelly McGuill Homes, the well-known interior designer.

Featured in Boston Design Guide
Water side of the house with stacked decks and a covered porch

Bass River

Salt Works Custom

Another custom home we built on the Bass River: a beamed great room open to the kitchen, a screened porch under a cedar ceiling and decks that look out over the water.

Great Island home and deck with the water behind it

Great Island

Great Island Bathroom

A custom bathroom addition with a freestanding tub, a walk-in shower and a vaulted shiplap ceiling. Along the way we found leaks and replaced the roof too.

Restored barn interior with reclaimed wood beams, bar and leather chairs

South Yarmouth

Historic Barn Rebuild

An early-1800s barn reimagined for family and friends, with the staircase, paneling and bar crafted from hand-picked pieces of the original.

Featured in Boston Design Guide
Beach house near West Dennis Beach seen from the air

West Dennis

West Dennis Beach

A full custom build that keeps classic Cape Cod architecture and plans the living spaces around the beach.

Custom home above the water in Yarmouth

Yarmouth

Lewis Bay Custom

Timeless Cape design on the bay the company is named after, with details tailored to the owners.

Shingled cottage with a white porch on a fieldstone base

Hyannis Port

Hyannisport Cottage

A custom cottage with coastal charm: white porch, fieldstone base and a shingled shell built to weather well.

Cover of At Home on Cape Cod, Fall/Winter 2023, showing the Hyannis Harbor home built by Lewis Bay Builders

In the press

On the cover of At Home on Cape Cod

Our Hyannis Harbor home made the cover of the Fall/Winter 2023 issue, with an eleven-page feature, “Waterfront Bliss,” starting on page 32: the double-gambrel design, the climate-controlled wine room and the mahogany vaulted ceiling over the stairs.

Story by Carol K. Dumas · Photos by Amber Jane Barricman

Read the feature
Living room of the Bass River home Lewis Bay Builders built for designer Kelly McGuill

In the press

“At Home with Kelly McGuill” in Boston Design Guide

The Bass River home we built for interior designer Kelly McGuill of Kelly McGuill Home is featured in the Cape & Islands Design Guide 2025: an open, flowing layout, cozy guest suites, Carrara marble and her curated heirlooms and original artwork, with Lewis Bay Builders credited as the builder.

Photos by Erin Little · Original artwork by Susan Farrington

Read the feature
The Hyannis Harbor home Lewis Bay Builders built, seen from the water side

In the press

A snowy morning in Hyannis, in the Cape Cod Times

The Cape Cod Times photo gallery of a snowy morning in Hyannis, February 3, 2025, opens with our Hyannis Harbor home: the early morning sun in its windows above Veterans Park Beach after a light snowfall.

Photos by Merrily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times

See the photos
The early-1800s barn Lewis Bay Builders restored, with its shingles, slider and carriage door

In the press

“A Cape Cod Legacy Barn Restored” in Boston Design Guide

Boston Design Guide tells the story of the barn Abraham Baker built in the early 1800s beside his 1795 Cape: how we stabilized the frame in stages instead of tearing it down, gave it a new foundation and floor system, and brought every original beam and wall panel back inside, down to a bar made entirely of barn wood.

Story by Maddie Brisbane · Photos by Keith Shaffer

Read the story

Great Island

Great Island Custom

Shingled Great Island home seen from the front lawn Front of the house with its cedar roof and white trim Front elevation in the afternoon sun Private putting green in the side yard Putting green with the neighborhood beyond Lawn and putting green along the cedar fence Cedar outdoor shower enclosure beside the entry walk Inside the cedar outdoor shower Outdoor shower with its bench and fixtures Rear stairs and cedar enclosure The house above the dunes and beach grass The house seen from the beach, past the dunes Ipe deck above a white skirt, seen from the drive Wraparound deck with cable railing Deck and stairs from the side yard Golf simulator room Lounge with the golf simulator and shiplap walls Sauna on the lower level Outdoor kitchen with grill on the deck Deck bench looking over the trees Kitchen island under copper pendants with an ocean view Kitchen with island seating Kitchen island and stainless appliances Kitchen looking toward the range Barn-door pantry with built-ins Living room with water views Dining table by the windows Bedroom with ceiling fan and water views Bathroom vanity with a mosaic backsplash Bathroom with built-in shelving Open living and dining room facing the water Living room seating toward the windows Kitchen sink under a picture window Guest bedroom with twin beds Stair wall papered with a nautical chart Primary bedroom with a built-in headboard wall Primary bedroom with built-ins Bedroom looking out to the water Red cedar shingles at the roof edge Cedar roof above the tree line Balcony with cable railing over the ocean Ocean view from the upper deck Cedar shake roof above the dunes Bedroom with built-in bunks Linen closet with open shelving Staircase beside a nautical chart mural

Cape Cod

Heritage Beach House

Shingled beach house with a white pergola over the front entry Side of the house with the garage and the pergola Brick path along the lawn to the garage Home gym with mirrors and rubber flooring Stairway with a wood handrail and a window well Upstairs hallway with leaf wallpaper and wainscoting Bunk room with built-in beds under the skylights Built-in bookshelf beside shiplap walls Bedroom with a daybed and wood floors Sliding doors open to the deck and the water Deck with a cable rail looking out to the water Rocking chairs on the deck above the pool Cedar-shingled dormer over the deck Deck stairs down to the pool and pool house Pool and pool house seen from the deck Pool patio from the upper deck Deck rail framing the pool and the water Covered porch with a ceiling fan and wicker seating Cedar-shingled covered porch opening to the water Covered porch seating with a view of the bay Covered porch with wicker seating and a cable rail Shingled porch opening framing the trees Porch opening above the pool with the water beyond The house among the trees with the harbor behind it Front entry and garage from above The house with the pool beside it, from above Back decks and the brick chimney from above Rear of the house with decks over the pool Pool and house seen from above the trees Upper deck and sliders under the dormers Covered porch tucked into the center dormer Three levels of decks across the back of the house Rear decks, stairs and the pool patio Top view of the house, pool and pool house Front walk, pergola and garage from above Center dormer above the pergola entry The neighborhood and the bay from above the house

South Yarmouth

Bass River Custom Home

New shingled home with a two-car garage on the Bass River White kitchen with a long island and a lantern pendant Living room with two tufted sofas and a plaster fireplace Plaster fireplace with framed art on the mantel Black-framed Pella sliders opening to the yard Walk-in pantry with white open shelving Floating oak shelves with towels and baskets Bath with brass faucets, marble top and subway tile

Bass River

Salt Works Custom

Aerial view of the new home on the Bass River, lawn running down to the beach Front of the new home with a gabled entry and a wood front door Water side of the house with stacked decks and a covered porch The home seen from across the Bass River, with the dock and beach below Open great room with beamed ceiling, living area and kitchen beyond Living room under a beamed ceiling, with a linear fireplace and windows on the river White kitchen with a large stone-top island, glass pendants and wide-plank oak floors Kitchen island looking across the dining and living areas to the river Dining table at the island with river views through the back windows Shiplap wall with the fireplace and an open stair with a white-oak rail Hallway lined with built-in louvered closets and drawers Bathroom with a double vanity and round mirrors Bathroom with a tiled walk-in shower and glass door Screened porch with a tongue-and-groove cedar ceiling and a ceiling fan Deck with a cable railing looking out over the Bass River Rear deck with sliding doors on two sides of the house

Great Island

Great Island Bathroom

New bathroom with a freestanding tub under a vaulted shiplap ceiling Double vanity in natural wood with sailboat wallpaper Bathroom addition seen from the vanity to the tub Walk-in tiled shower with a rain head and a window Bathroom through the door, tub under the window Glass shower beside the tub and the window Great Island home and deck with the water behind it The house among the trees on Great Island Roof stripped and wrapped during the replacement New roof going on over the addition Roof work seen from above Great Island from above with the ocean beyond View from Great Island across the water Finished roof seen from above Finished roof and the back of the house

Hyannis Port

Hyannis Harbor

The shingled harbor home from the water side, lawn running down to the stone seawall Open kitchen with a long island, pendant lights and windows on the harbor Living room with a stone fireplace, built-ins and a wall of harbor-view windows Sitting area by the sliders looking out to the harbor Dining room under a coffered ceiling, with the wet bar built-ins on the left Wet bar with blue tile backsplash, wood counter and glass-front cabinets Wood entry door opening straight onto the water Main entry with the curved staircase under an arched opening Stair hall under the mahogany vaulted ceiling and lantern Looking down the stairwell from under the mahogany ceiling Wine room with wood racks and a porthole window Bedroom with paneled wall and French doors to the harbor Bedroom with French doors opening to the water Bunk room with white built-in bunks and harbor-view windows Double vanity bathroom with shiplap and harbor-view windows Walk-in shower in white tile with a glass door

South Yarmouth

Historic Barn Rebuild

The restored barn with its shingles, slider and carriage door The barn from the back lawn Lounge under the reclaimed beams, with the bar and staircase behind Bar and lounge in one open room Leather chairs around a rope ottoman by the windows Lounge with the staircase built from the original barn wood Barn posts framing the bar Bar island in reclaimed wood Bar counter with a TV wall in barn board Powder room with a soapstone sink and a rope-framed mirror Powder room paneled in reclaimed barn wood Leather chairs at the foot of the stairs Whiskey decanters and glasses on a barrel top Bar stools along the reclaimed wood bar Leather and wood armchairs by the window Loft bedroom with twin beds under the old beams Twin beds in the loft Rope handrail on the barn staircase Staircase with rope rail and barn board walls Rope-framed mirror between two sconces
Drone view of a Lewis Bay house frame going up

From footing to finish.

  1. Foundation

    Flood-zone rated footings and foundation walls, engineered for the site. On the water, this is the part that matters most.

  2. Frame

    Walls, floors and rafters go up square and tight. Every wire, drain and water line is photographed and recorded before the insulation goes in.

  3. Roof

    Hipped and gabled roofs in red cedar or architectural shingles, copper flashing where the house deserves it.

  4. Shell

    Red cedar siding, Pella windows, crisp white trim. Built to weather into the landscape, like our Great Island Custom.

  5. Finish

    Ipe decks, millwork, kitchens, baths and the details people remember, coordinated with the architects and designers our clients choose.

Aerial view of Lewis Bay with moored boats

Named after the bay. Built around it.

The details people come back to.

Wine cellar in western red cedar with mahogany racking
A wine cellar in western red cedar tongue and groove, sapele mahogany racks, its own cooling and humidity control.
Home bar built from the stern of a real boat
A bar built from a real boat stern. It suits the name.
Cedar coffered ceiling above a staircase with a lantern
A cedar coffer over the stairwell.
Rope handrail on a barn staircase
Rope rail on reclaimed barn wood.
Open living room with exposed wood beams and water views
Exposed beams, open plan, the water in every window.

Sometimes the house has to go up.

Lewis Bay lifts and relocates homes, and handles it start to finish: engineering and plans, the lift itself, excavation, flood-zone rated footings and foundation walls, and setting the house back down properly.

On one recent job: a full lift onto a new 9 ft foundation, with the ocean at the end of the street.

Barn lounge with leather chairs and reclaimed wood stairs

A barn from the 1800s.

  1. 1791

    Abraham Baker starts buying land in South Yarmouth. He builds an antique half cape and this barn.

  2. 1895

    The town directory carries his ad: watches, clocks, jewelry, sterling silver, spectacles and eyeglasses.

  3. Today

    Ed Stafford and the owners restore it as a place for family and friends, for another hundred years.

What we build

Built alongside architects and designers like Gary Ellis, Peter McDonald Architects, Kelly McGuill Home and Belle Interiors.

Start a project

Tell us about the house.

A new build, a lift out of the flood zone, an old cape that needs saving. Send a few lines and Jake will get back to you, usually within a business day.

Rather talk? Call or text (508) 737-0691.

Best way to reach you

Opening on Route 28

Come sit down with us in West Yarmouth.

The new Lewis Bay Builders showroom is the place to see the work up close, talk through your lot or your old house, and start planning the next one.

547A Route 28
West Yarmouth, MA 02673

Call (508) 737-0691 uslewisbaybuilders@gmail.com