Renovating The Inherited Family Cottage

Have you inherited an older cottage from your family, a cottage that gave you so many wonderful memories throughout your childhood?

The memories you have are wonderful but when you take possession of it and walk through the place you and your partner realize something; 

• the cottage is very small.
• the cottage is very old.
• the cottage is starting to fall apart.
• the cottage just doesn't work for you and your growing family.
• the cottage is missing a lot of the modern things that you and your family have come to rely on.
• there's parts of the cottage that aren't safe for children.
• the cottage cannot be used when it gets colder.

The best thing you can do is find a contractor that you can work with, a contractor that won't lie to you just to get work, someone that will tell you exactly what you don't want to hear.

First things first. The cost of fixing up the cottage, making it bigger and winterizing it could cost as much or more as building a brand new cottage!

But the reason that you have the old family cottage isn't because of a financial decision it is more a sentimental one. That means that the cottage has more value to you then to anyone else. So tearing it down is not an option for you.

So renovations and additions it is, that is the only way to keep the cottage that your family has had for generations and still make it livable for you and your family.

The good thing about renovations and additions is that they don't all have to be completed at one time. They can also be done in a way that still allows you to use the cottage, probably in a limited capacity but still enough to make more family memories.

Most young families don't have the budget to fix up the entire cottage at one time. So a fazed approach into renovations and additions is what most people opt for. 

The order in what you do the work is more personal choice then anything. Usually safety is the first priority. You should repair or replace anything that posses a threat to your children or your health like rotten wood or mold. Or foundation problems that could lead to structural damage over the winter months.

The addition per square foot will cost the most out of all the work but it does give you something that the rest of your renovations or repairs doesn't; more space. Most cottages are small, the only way to get more space is to add more square footage to the cottage.

For major renovations and additions you need to work with your contractor, they can help you get drawings and plans that you will need to get permits and approvals from the local municipality.

Construction is expensive, so the better your plans the better chance you will have in maximizing every dollar and getting exactly what you want.

Plans will also allow you to keep the character of the family cottage while updating it and modernizing.

If your wanting to give that family cottage an update then email me and let's see if I can help.

greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Terrible Drinking Water At The Cottage? Fix it!

Do you have terrible water at the cottage?

A lot of the cottages on the shore of Lake Huron in the Bruce Peninsula have the same problem. There water is terrible, it looks, smells and tastes wrong.

Because of this you have basically been hauling water from either home or the grocery store to the cottage to drink and in some cases to wash dishes.

Well in most cases you don't have to live with this, all you need to do is talk to a professional about it. They will come and test the water, there water test will be able to tell them what is actually in the water.

In most cases of wells into the limestone of Lake Huron its way to much Iron. This is one of the easier things to fix. They have Iron filters that are amazing and depending on the level of iron in the water will depend on the size of the iron filter you will require.

There are other problems that could be in the water, you could require a UV light which removes all bacteria and viruses out of the water. You could also have to hard of water and require a water softener.

The overall cost of these water purification is not cheap but when you start to compare it to the cost and inconvenience of bringing your own water it doesn't sound to bad.

If you are going to the trouble to cleaning your water then you should change the hotwater tank while your at it. Hotwater tanks are not that expensive and changing one guarantee's that there is nothing left from the uncleaned water in your system.

Remember you don't have to live with terrible water at the cottage.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

A Fireplace For Your Cottage Basement

Is your basement in your cottage or chalet feel damp and cold. Does it feel like no matter how many heaters you put down there you just can't get it to feel more comfortable? Do you worry about people having to sleep down there because their always cold and uncomfortable?

Well there is probably a lot of reasons for this and to fix it right you will need a major renovation that takes time and a lot of money.

Now if you don't have the money or the time to do that type of major renovation right now then there is one thing that could help in the short term, something that will make your basement feel more comfortable while you save up for your major renovation.

You can add a fireplace in the basement.

Now you can't simply put any kind of fireplace in the basement. The simplest kind of fireplace to install with the simplest chimney venting is a gas fireplace.

Gas fireplace venting doesn't have to rise up and out of the roof of the building like a typical fireplace, gas venting can go out the side wall near the unit as long as it ends up being a couple of feet above the finished grade outside.

To make the installation of the gas fireplace simpler you can have a stand alone gas stove installed. This kind of fireplace does not require you to do anything to the walls or floors around it. It can actually be placed anywhere in the room and be perfectly safe.

Gas fireplaces work on remotes that have built in temperature gauges, that means that they work just like your furnace. You set the temperature and the fireplace will regulate itself to that temperature (if left on), your basement is turned into a space that has a regulated temperature that is warmer and more comfortable. It also gives a focal point to the basement, a gathering point where people want to be together. They come with built in fans to help push the warm air around the room as well.

If you have other problems like leaking foundations or flooding problems in the basement then this won't fix your problems and that should be addressed first, but if it's just a simply problem of a cold and damp basement then a fireplace could be an easy fix.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Construction Drawings For Your New Custom Home or Addition

Are you wanting to build a new cottage or put an addition on your cottage on the Bruce Peninsula but don't know where to start?

Are you asking yourself "do I need to find a contractor or do I need to get my plans created first and then find a contractor?"

In a tight construction market where it is hard to find contractors and tradesmen you should never stop looking for your contractor, as they are hard to find. But if you don't have plans when you find the contractor then they might not be available to you as they will already be to busy and booked to far in advance.

You really should have your construction drawings created, created as soon as possible in fact, getting your drawings created is the least expensive thing you will be doing if you are wanting to build or add to your home/cottage. Construction costs have risen dramatically in the last decade.

Getting your drawings created even years earlier then you need them will not be a waste of money, your drawings will always be relevant.

Busy contractors will take you as a client more seriously if you already have drawings, it says to them that you are committed to a build project and you are not just kicking tires.

Sometimes if your lucky you can find a contractor that can help you not just build your project but also get your drawings created.

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc. is one of those contractors that can help you do that. We work with a variety of Architects, Draftsmen, Architectural technologists and interior designers to help you get your dreams put down on paper.

Clients that ask us to help get their plans are kept on file so that when they are ready to build there is always a spot made available for when they want to build.

So when you are wanting to build that new home or addition and you also need someone to help you through the creating of your construction drawings then email us at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Hiring Your Contractor For Your Spring Cottage Build

Well the weather has turned and the mornings are a lot colder then they were just a couple of weeks ago. The leaves have started changing on the Bruce Peninsula, this is the real sign that fall has arrived. 

This is the time that most of the real work gets done on the peninsula. Everything gets finished up in a rush before the heavy snows and wind of winter arrive.

This is also the time when anyone that wants to build a cottage in the spring needs to lock down their contractor. Even if you are thinking about adding a major addition or renovation in the spring then now is the time to contact them and start the ball rolling.

If you have spend anytime looking around for a contractor on the Bruce Peninsula you will have realized that there are not a lot of us and the ones that are around are booking 6 months in advance.

If you are having plans for your new cottage drawn now then you need to start talking to a contractor, this will allow you to get estimates for the house and help with the permits and the layout of the entire property.

Building new cottages on the water is not a simple build, there are many things that you have to consider and the layout of where everything goes on the lot is important. 

You need to start now or you risk having to wait to start your cottage build to a later date. 

If you are thinking about building a new cottage in the spring send me an email and lets see if I can help.

greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Hire A Licensed Professional To Renovate Your Bruce Peninsula Cottage

Recently I asked a local community group about creating a preferred contractors list for building, fixing, renovating and repairing their cottages. This is something I have been involved in before in different places and different groups.

The reason for the group is take the guess work out of finding a reliable tradesmen to fix whatever you need fixed.

The logic is that as a group you have more purchasing power then as an individual. That might not make the job cheaper but it does give you comfort that the person you hired will want to do the job right because of all the other people that potentially need their services that you the homeowner know.

Now this sounds like a simple thing, to create a list of people and companies to do work for your neighbors, it usually is, except in cottage country.

What is different in cottage country? Well there are a lot of "handy people" who charge for services that they do, whether that is repairs, maintenance or just keeping watch on other peoples cottages. A lot of these people charge cash, as in they are avoiding paying tax, avoiding telling the government that they are running a business.

Now not paying tax might seem like a great thing because you spend less money as the homeowner, but it also has a lot of problems associated with it;

• Insurance. Any trade or construction company that you hire to work at your cottage or home should be fully insured. This is so that if they damage your home then you are made whole. If they do not have insurance then your own home insurance will be void as well, meaning if the home was to be destroyed from fire or structural damage you wouldn't be covered at all!
• WSIB. Companies require wsib for their employee's. Individual contractors that are working for you the homeowner do not require it. But they do require personal liability insurance and insurance to protect them if they get injured. If they don't and they get really hurt or worse their family could sue you the homeowner for compensation because it happened at your home. Also if someone didn't have insurance and got hurt at your home you the homeowner are considered the contractor,that means that legally you could be charged with negligence for not making sure that the person was working safely.
• Warranty. When cash is exchanged that means that there is no warranty. Now if someone is doing some simple maintenance maybe you don't care about maintenance, but for larger jobs like a new deck or windows where there is a lot of money involved you want a warranty. When you spend a lot of money you should expect a warranty.
• Resale. Cottages have risen in value in the last decade everywhere. The amount of people looking to buy cottages have never been higher. Nothing raises your cottage value like a good renovation. Nothing hurts your cottage value like a bad renovation. Buyers now are more picky hiring home inspectors and they can also ask if the work on the cottage was completed in a legal manner.

Now as properly insured and registered company that employ's professionals for all aspects of the cottage renovation process I spend a lot of time explaining to homeowners why I have to fix someone else's work. The damage that is caused by people who don't know what they are doing is worse then you can imagine. 

I recently had to repair a wall that was full of carpenter ants. The wall was so wet and damaged that we had to completely remove the wall and build a new one, why? Because the guy 5 years earlier who installed the new siding failed to put a proper flashing/drip edge between the siding and the deck above. This allowed the water from snow and rain to run down the siding, hit the deck and run behind the siding into the wall cavity. In 5 years the entire wall was destroyed.

Things like improperly installed windows void the manufactures warranty immediately. The same as improperly installed siding and shingles. The cost of material has never been higher, installing it improperly shortens its life span. 

One other thing is that professional companies spend time educating themselves on new techniques and new products. The construction industry has never changed as fast as it is now, with new products coming out to help homes last longer and survive the ever changing weather that is affecting us, these products have very specific ways that they need to be installed or they will fail.

So in the future when you are looking for repairs, renovations or even to build a new cottage look for a professional company that is insured and that will do the work the right way. Yes you will have to pay tax, but you will also be protected in more ways then one.

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc. 

Cottage Renovators Bruce Peninsula

Nothing transforms your cottage like a large renovation.

But a large renovation must be done right or it could turn into a nightmare.

Because of that you need a contractor that is not only good at renovating cottages, they are also good at designing, organizing and planning.

Your contractor doesn't have to be an interior designer but they should know the latest trends, how they are completed and what will make your cottage function and feel better and more family friendly.

Older cottages were built for function more then comfort and fashion, but as times change so does the need for what cottages have become.

Cottages now are used 12 months of the year and are considered a second home not just a place to go on the weekend to enjoy swimming in the lake. People want to be comfortable when they go to the cottage, they want to be able to feel like they are at their own home, they don't want to wake up feeling cold and dirty and dreaming of sunday afternoon when they can drive home.

The need to hire a contractor that can sit with you as the homeowner and re-design the interior of your cottage, the exterior of it, change the bathrooms, the kitchen or even the basement into something that makes you feel like you never left home is at a premium.

Great Lakes Custom Homes is that kind of contractor.

Building and renovating cottages on the Bruce Peninsula is something that we take pride in, something that we are exceedingly good at.

If you are thinking about renovating your cottage send us an email at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Let us make your cottage more your home and less like the 70's era camp that it looks like.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.