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.

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.

Easter Is The Start Of Cottage Renovation Season

As the thanksgiving long weekend approaches a lot of people will be heading up to their cottage to open them up for the start of COTTAGE SEASON!

What some of them will find will be damage from the winter that will need to be repaired.
While others once they are there will look around and realize that the place is really in need of some major repairs/renovations if they plan to keep using it.

This is the start of the spring cottage renovation season, were my phone and email start going off like crazy in the next month and an a half.

This is the nature of being a contractor that services cottage country, it's very quiet until its not...

If you are thinking about renovating your cottage this spring then the sooner you start calling around to find a contractor the better your odds are that you will actually find one that isn't completely booked for the entire spring and summer.

It doesn't matter if you are thinking about doing a bathroom renovation, a basement conversion, an addition, a major face lift to the outside of the cottage, building decks or docks, mostly the same contractors do most if not all of it. And once that long weekend comes they not only start getting really busy working on peoples cottages but also pricing a lot more work for later in the year.

Remember that there are only so many good quality contractors up in cottage contractors, so if you really want work done this spring/summer you need to get a hold of them soon, they will need sometime to get you a proper quote, pricing and schedule you in for the actual work.

If you are looking to renovate your cottage on the Bruce Peninsula email me at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.