Duffany Chatham Cabana

ENDLESS SUMMER: ACRE ANCHORS A CHATHAM POOLSIDE RETREAT

Project Overview

M. Duffany Builders, a trusted Cape Cod builder since 1983, set out to deliver a coastal-inspired retreat in Chatham, anchored by a new pool, cabana, and landscape design. Two years of planning and nine months of construction brought a program of high-end amenities together with a cabana that had to read refined from every angle and perform at the edge of a pool deck on the Cape Cod coast.

Challenge

The existing residence is trimmed and finished in red cedar, and the brief was to carry that material language onto the cabana without inheriting cedar’s maintenance cycle. Building on the Cape adds its own demands: wet locations around the pool, salt air off the Atlantic, and high-visibility surfaces that show every flaw.

“We wanted a durable product, as much of the installed product has high visibility and wet locations. A natural wood product would present ongoing maintenance issues.”
— M. Duffany Builders

Solution: ACRE by Modern Mill

ACRE was specified as the cedar substitute. Made from upcycled rice hulls, ACRE mills, cuts, and finishes like premium wood, while resisting the water, weather, and rot that put natural cedar on a maintenance schedule from day one. Over 1,500 square feet of ACRE went onto the pool house, painted to match the cedar on the primary structure.

“Once painted, an unnoticeable look vs. the cedar on the primary structure,” the team noted. ACRE also came in at a lower cost than red cedar, an advantage on a long-horizon custom build where every square foot was visible.

The cabana exterior is clad in ACRE V-Groove. The profile’s vertical shadow lines add depth and movement without competing with the architecture, giving the cabana a finished, considered façade that reads as crisp in full sun and softer at dusk under the integrated lighting control.

Inside the cabana, custom ACRE cabinetry was milled to the space. ACRE accepts custom profiles, holds tight tolerances, and finishes cleanly, allowing the team to build true-to-design built-ins with the moisture resistance a poolside install requires.

Installation asked more of the crew than traditional wood, with cortex screws, plugs, and a careful eye on edge details. “The product is easy to work with, but it requires attention to detail in the installation and finishing,” the Duffany team noted. Material familiarity from previous ACRE projects made the work move on schedule, and the project delivered on time, with no schedule impacts.

“Two years from original installation, it still looks like new.”
— M. Duffany Builders

Beyond This Project

The client got exactly what they asked for: a pool, a cabana, and a landscape designed for endless summer fun, built to last well beyond a single season. The Duffany team plans to use ACRE on future projects and recommends it as a substitute for red cedar in both modern and historic builds.

ACRE In This Project

EXTERIOR ACRE V-Groove cladding, cabana façade
INTERIOR Custom ACRE cabinetry, milled to spec
PERFORMANCE Water, weather, and rot resistant for poolside and
coastal exposure