Renovating whether it is in your home or at your cottage is expensive, the cost of material and labour has steadily risen every year, especially the last couple of years. Because of that you need to be smart with your renovations, no matter how much money you have everyone has limits to their budgets. The best thing you can do is prioritize what you want to get out of your cottage and what you need to have repaired or remodeled. This will help you get the most out of your renovation budget no matter how big or how small it is.
Cottages are different then the home you live in, they are not used all the time, that means that they are closed up for long periods of time. The way you use your cottage will determine what you need to focus on. If you don't use it in the winter then the heating system isn't as important as other parts of the cottage.
Roof
The roof is one of the most important parts of the cottage and is usually the one thing that is neglected until its to late and the rain is coming in.
There's no reason to finish anything inside your cottage if there's a chance that it could be ruined by an old leaky roof.
If you don't want to re-roof then you can opt for a steel roof which will last as long as you own the cottage.
Electrical
Old cottages have old electrical. Fuses are not only annoying to change when they blow but they can also be dangerous as people will keep upsizing them so that they don't blow them as often. This can lead to electrical fires.
Updating electrical panels and wiring will help when you go to renovate, if you plan to add lighting, heaters and plugs then you need more room in your panel and maybe a bigger panel overall.
Plumbing
Old plumbing can be just as damaging as a leaky roof when they fail. Re-do the plumbing, especially if you are planning a bathroom or kitchen renovation. The cost isn't great but the new plumbing will last a life time.
Bathrooms and Kitchens
No matter if its your home or the cottage kitchen and bathrooms are always worth the renovation. Kitchen and bathrooms are used more then any other room in the cottage and renovating them always adds more value to the resale value so you never lose money if you invest in them.
Outdoor Space
4 season rooms, screened in porches and decks. These are the places that are going to be used the most and also where your going to make the most memories. Done right and they can make the cottage experience memorable.
There are always other things that you can fix or renovate in a cottage. You can renovate the entire thing if you really want too, but everyone usually has a budget, that means that you should prioritize what you want to fix. Start with the above mentioned and then if you have money left in your budget move on to some of the other rooms in the cottage that aren't used nearly as much.
Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.
