Looking To Buy A Cottage But Need To Know The Renovation Cost?

In cottage country when you are looking to buy a cottage that is older the first thing that you think about is "how much is it gonna cost me to renovate this old cottage?" That is something that every person thinks about when they are looking to buy a cottage that has been previously "enjoyed".

What most people do is start calling around to contractors and asking them questions over the phone about what they charge and then they try to come up with their own price for what they think things will cost. Some people even try to convince contractors to come look at the cottage before they have even bought it. That sounds like a good plan except that in cottage country contractors are busy enough with renovating that they don't have time to come out and look at a cottage you haven't even bought yet.

What you need is a contractor that's willing to come out and look at the cottage or cottages that you want to buy as a consultant. When a contractor works as a consultant they are billing per hour to look at the home, find out what the renovation needs are and what the wants are of the home buyers for changes, designs and style. Then the contractor will be able to produce a budget on the potential costs of doing the renovations. These budgets are not a price from the contractor to actually do the work, they are a budgeting tool for the homeowner so they know what they are getting into if they buy the cottage.

The contractor is not doing this to get the renovation work, in fact a lot of contractors do not have the time to take on the renovation work that is proposed, they are their solely working as a consultant to help the homeowner decide to buy or not buy the property.

We at Great Lakes Custom Homes do this type of consulting work for potential cottage buyers. We will bill you per hour and produce a report with a budget so that you can understand what you are getting into if you buy a certain piece of property.

If you need help with renovation budgeting for your cottage purchase send me an email at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

We would be glad to help you.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Building Cottages On The Bruce Peninsula

I hear people talking about how they can't find a cottage builder on the Bruce Peninsula, well let me put this as simple as I can, "WE BUILD COTTAGES AND HOMES ON THE BRUCE PENINSULA".

Great Lakes Custom Homes builds new cottages and new homes on the Bruce Peninsula. Who is Great Lakes Custom Homes you ask, it is me! I am the owner and operator of Great Lakes Custom Homes.

We build custom homes and have been in the construction business since 1980, me personally since the 1990's. I am a second generation of custom home builder.

I don't only build cottages and homes on the Bruce Peninsula but I also own a residence up in the Northern Bruce Peninsula. I have a place in Bradley Harbour on the Lake Huron side of the Bruce Peninsula.

Being a second generation builder, I learned everything from my father in a family run business that I worked in since I was 12 years old. We prided ourselves on building high end quality homes while giving our clients the best building experience possible.

I would love to be your Contractor on the Bruce Peninsula,

email me at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Looking forward to talking with you.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc. 

I Can't Find A Contractor On The Bruce Peninsula

"I can't find a contractor on the Bruce Peninsula," this is something I hear from people everywhere I go on the Bruce Peninsula, especially the northern Bruce Peninsula. The limited permanent population compared to the much larger summer population means that the contractor that are working in the area are fully booked.

Well, look no further. Great Lakes Custom Homes does operate in the area of the Bruce Peninsula as I personally own a place there, this allows me to service the summer population that requires good, quality contractors.

Great Lakes Custom Homes doesn't just build new homes and cottages we also construct garages,addition and renovations.

Fully licensed and insured we are hear to help you with your next project.

If you would like to chat about your next project or you would like me to come out and give you and estimate send me an email at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Do You Find That Your Cottage Is Too Noisy?

A lot of people I talk to tell me how on busy weekends at the cottage it is so noisy that they have trouble concentrating even when they are inside with the windows and door closed because of the amount of noise that people are making outside. Other people have the same problem but because of how hot their cottages can get when the doors and windows are closed they are forced to listen to all the exterior noise as they have to leave them open.

The second problem is fixed by adding an air conditioner or a complete furnace with an air conditioner that would allow you to keep your doors and windows closed. That doesn't mean that will reduce all the noise, but it will fix the problem of having your windows open all the time.

For the first problem there are several things that can be done to combat the problem of noise transmitting inside from outside;

• Replace your windows. Cottage windows are usually older windows and are either single or double pane windows. New windows are made to deflect and absorb sound so much more efficiently then older windows. They also create much better R value to help you when you are heating and cooling. If you are in an extremely noisy environment and you want to stop all noise from coming through your windows then you can actually purchase triple pane windows, triple pane windows can deafen noise to the point that you wouldn't hear someone on the other side of the window if they were yelling at you.
• Update your insulation. Insulation makes a big difference in dampening sound. A lot of older cottages have little to know insulation. Older cottages that are built out of 2x4 exterior walls (instead of today's standard 2x6) are peculiarly poor at dampening sound. Foam is one of the best ways to improve this, either having it sprayed into the walls or attached to the inside or outside of the walls as sheets. This will not only help dampen those unwanted sounds but it will also help you with your heating and cooling.
• Trees and shrubs If the sound that is annoying you is coming from a road or your neighbours then you can add trees and bushes. This will help dampen the sound that travels to your actual house. If its coming down the driveway then putting a bend in your driveway along with planting bushes and trees down it will help dampen the noise.
• White noise. Turning on fans or installing ceiling fans in your cottage can help create background noise or "white noise". White noise helps cancel out other noises, this technique doesn't remove any of the unwanted noise but it does trick your brain and ears into not actually hearing a lot of the other noise as it concentrates on the constant white noise.

One of the biggest problems at your cottage will be how sound carries over water, it doesn't matter how quiet your neighbours are being you are bound to hear them and everything they are doing. Trees and bushes are not going to help this as most people don't want to block the view of the water, that's one of the main reasons that they are at the cottage in the first place. The best way to stop the noise is to upgrade your cottage with the above mentioned ideas.

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

There's Great Opportunity To Build Yourself A New Cottage In The Bruce Peninsula

If you are thinking about buying a cottage but can't seem to find one that you like or one that is not so old that it isn't worth the purchase price? Then you should think about having a cottage built, a custom cottage built were you want it, how you want it and the best part is it will be brand new!

The prices of cottages has climbed over the last 4 years since the real estate market in the Bruce Peninsula bottomed out. There are very few cottages for sale and a lot of the ones that are for sale are older then the people that are looking to buy them. A lot of the cottages on the Bruce Peninsula were constructed in the sixties and seventies, these cottages are now in need of major renovations, repairs or utter removal and replacement.

One thing the Bruce Peninsula seems to still have is an abundance of vacant land, vacant land that can be anything from cheaper residential treed lots to larger pieces of land and bush parcels all near the water. What is truly amazing is the amount of waterfront lots that are priced very reasonably. Waterfront lots especially on the Lake Huron side (most of them facing west) that are priced at the same number or cheaper as normal residential lots that you would find in most towns and cities.These lots are not small, most being at least 150 to 190 feet wide and are 200 to 400 feet deep.

Waterfront lots like these are great to build your cottage quite near the water for the great views, keeping you close to your docks (still allowed to be built on Lake Huron) and allowing you to place your septic system, garages and other storage facilities at the back out of the way of the views and the fun activities like horse shoes, badminton, volleyball or lawn bowling.

The building fees from the local municipalities are way under the average for Southern Ontario and restrictions on building are fairly lacks. 

All of this points to an amazing opportunity for people to build a brand new waterfront cottage instead of having to buy something that needs more work then its worth.

If you are thinking about buying a cottage in the Bruce Peninsula then email me and let me help you not only find a great place but also construct you a wonderful new cottage.

I can be reached at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

The Art Of The Custom Cottage Build

Not Everyone can build a custom home or cottage and not everyone should even attempt to build one, there are so many things that you have to know to build it right.

Gone are the days of building the little cedar bunglows that were never used past the labour day long weekend, today's new cottages are expected to be used all year round. They are bigger, more modern and much more complicated then ever before. Cottages are more like normal residential homes then they are the old "camps" as they are called up north.

One of the biggest differences between a modern residential home and a cottage is the remoteness of a cottage. Because of the distance great care most be taken when building a cottage so that it can survive without homeowner supervision for long periods of time and work perfectly when someone requires it.

Because of this hiring someone that doesn't know a lot about building custom cottages means that you could end up with a lot of problems months and years later that would not be covered under any warranty whether it is the builders warranty or Tarion which does not apply to a lot of cottages.

Great Lakes Custom Homes is not only a home building company it's also a tradition going back to the late 1970's of building quality custom homes and cottages. I am the second generation in the family to take up this business and have been in it and around it my entire life. The collective knowledge that is within Great Lakes Custom Homes allows us to have the answers, ideas, techniques and know how to build a great custom home or cottage.

If you are looking to build a custom home or cottage send me an email at

greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Bought Yourself a Cottage-Now Is The Time To Renovate

You've just bought your cottage, if your like most people you realize that the cottage is going to require some work, old cottages always need a helping hand.

What you should do is have anything major repaired right away that can't wait; roofs, foundations, water lines, toilets, sinks, well and septic system.

Having these things fixed will allow you to use the cottage over the summer if only briefly, this way you have a safe place to stay and you also get the chance to get a feel for what you want to do to the old cottage.

The best way to find out what needs to be done to your cottage is to use it and stay in it,this way you will know what works well for you and what doesn't work well for you.

Make a list of everything you want to change and everything you think will need repairs and start your planning and designing. This is when you should call your contractor, call them now so that come the fall and winter they can book you in to do the work. The summer season is the busiest time for contractors in cottage country and you don't want to have to try and hire one on short notice(it wouldn't happen). It's better to hire them to come and do the repairs and renovations in the fall and winter when you aren't using the place and they aren't that busy. Don't worry about not being there a good contractor can do most things over the phone or email with pictures and drawings.

If you retain a good contractor then you will be able to get them to come out and look at your cottage and give you advice on what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. Through email you guys can then hash out a plan and a price for the work that needs to be done in the fall.

This way the place is completed by the time you want to use it in the spring and you won't have to worry about living through the noise and dust of a renovation.

If your looking for renovations for your newly bought cottage send me an email and I will see if I can help you with it. The earlier you can schedule your renovations the better chance they will be ready for the spring.

greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.