Cape Cod, Nantucket
Simulators for second homes in Osterville, Chatham and Falmouth, and on both islands, with the ferry and the off-season planned in.
Many Cape and Islands houses are second homes, or first homes that fill up with family from June to September. A simulator gives those houses something to do on rainy days in August and through the quiet months when the courses close.
We design the room, supply the simulator, install, calibrate and train. On the Cape that also means planning around the bridges and the summer traffic. On Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard it means planning around the ferry.
Cape and Islands houses
Many Cape houses do not have the kind of basement a simulator needs. Near the water the groundwater is high, so a lot of homes sit on shallow foundations or crawl spaces. The better rooms are usually above ground: a room over the garage, a carriage house, a barn or a converted garage bay. Shingle-style homes in Osterville, Cotuit and Chatham often have one of those, and some have a lower level that was built tall on purpose.
Exterior changes are tightly reviewed in much of the region. The Old King's Highway historic district runs along Route 6A from Sandwich to Orleans, and Nantucket's Historic District Commission covers the whole island. A simulator inside an existing room usually does not need their review. A new garage, an addition or new windows may. Your builder or architect will handle that process, and we give them the room size the simulator needs.
Newer homes in Mashpee, Falmouth and the Upper Cape tend to have attached garages and more conventional basements away from the water. Those can make good bays if the height is there.
Salt air, humidity and empty houses
The Cape and Islands are damp. Salt air and summer humidity are hard on electronics in a garage or carriage house that is closed up between visits. The simulator room should be heated, cooled and dehumidified, and the equipment should stay in that room.
If the house sits empty for months, we can add remote monitoring through a smart home system so you can see the room's temperature and humidity and warm it up before you arrive. Boston Automations designs and installs those systems. It is optional, but it is worth it on a house you do not see from October to May.
Winters are milder than inland New England, so a well-sealed room needs less heat. Spring and fall are the comfortable seasons for installs on the Cape, and they avoid summer traffic on the bridges.
Rooms that work on Cape Cod and the Islands
Rooms over the garage
This is often the best simulator room on the Cape. It sits above the water table, away from the bedrooms, and is usually tall enough.
Carriage houses and barns
They have room for a full bay with seating. They need heat and dehumidification to protect the equipment.
Converted garage bays
A heated bay with a retractable screen, so the car or the golf cart still fits.
Family game rooms
A simulator that also plays movies and multi-sport games for houses full of guests in summer.
Towns we serve on the Cape and Islands
- Sandwich
- Bourne
- Falmouth
- Woods Hole
- Mashpee
- Osterville
- Cotuit
- Centerville
- Hyannis Port
- Barnstable
- Yarmouth
- Dennis
- Harwich
- Chatham
- Brewster
- Orleans
- Eastham
- Wellfleet
- Truro
- Provincetown
- Nantucket
- Edgartown
- Oak Bluffs
- Vineyard Haven
- West Tisbury
- Chilmark
We cover the whole Cape from the canal to Provincetown, plus Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
How a project runs on Cape Cod and the Islands
On the Cape we schedule installs to avoid summer weekends on the Sagamore and Bourne bridges. Spring and fall are easiest. Most installs take two to five days on site, and the crew stays nearby for longer jobs.
For Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, the truck goes over on the Steamship Authority freight ferry, which needs a reservation that can fill up weeks ahead in season. We book the crossing as soon as the design is approved and plan the install around it. Island jobs usually mean the crew stays on the island until the room is done. If you are not there, we work with your caretaker and send photos as the room comes together.
Tell us about the room
Use the design form to send photos and rough measurements. We reply within one business day with a first read on whether a simulator fits.
Site visit
We laser-measure the room and model swing clearance for every player in the house, then look at power, lighting, ventilation and where the equipment will live.
Design and proposal
You get a room plan and one price covering the simulator, screen, enclosure, installation, calibration and training.
Room preparation
If the room needs framing, electrical or HVAC work, we coordinate it with your builder or bring in local trades and manage them.
Installation
Most residential rooms take two to five days on site. Rooms that need construction first take longer.
Calibration, training and service
We calibrate the launch monitor, set up your software and courses, train everyone who will use it, and stay on call afterward.
Common questions
- Do you really install on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard?
- Yes. We bring the equipment and the crew over on the freight ferry and stay until the room is finished. Book early for spring and fall, when crossings are easier to get.
- Can the simulator stay in the house over the winter?
- Yes, if the room stays heated and dry. We will set the room up so you can check it remotely if you want.
- My house has no basement. Where would a simulator go?
- Usually a room over the garage, a carriage house or a garage bay. We look at all of them during the site visit.
Plan a Cape or Islands room
Tell us where the house is and when you are there. Photos and rough measurements help. We reply within one business day.