What Parts Of Your Cottage You Really Need To Renovate

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.

Buying Or Building A Cottage Part 1

Now that spring is here in the Bruce Peninsula people are coming up and looking to buy themselves a cottage. The Bruce Peninsula has never been so busy as it is in the last couple of years and the actual real estate market for cottage's and especially for waterfront property has never been more hot and expensive.

One of the main reasons for the rising prices is not just that people want a cottage up the Bruce Peninsula its that there is a lack of cottages for sale as people are not selling their cottages like they were 4 or 5 years ago. This is driving the price of waterfront or near waterfront cottages to ever new heights. There's a saying; they don't make new waterfront, meaning that there is a finite amount of cottages that can be bought or sold that are on the water.

In these kind of market conditions if you really want a waterfront cottage you have two choices;

1. You buy a cottage that you don't really want but is in the right location;
2. You buy a vacant lot and build yourself a brand new cottage.

Those two options are not ideal, the 3rd option of buying exactly what you want really doesn't exist, not even if you have an unlimited budget, even the higher end priced waterfront cottages have their flaws and problems. 

Let's talk about the Pro's and Con's of 1. You buy a cottage that you don't really want but is in the right location;

There are a lot of older cottages that are in need of repair or updating but are in the area that you want or are on waterfront that everyone wants. Some of the pro's to buying an older cottage;

Pro's

• You can move right in and start enjoying cottage country right away without waiting.
• Using the cottage before making major changes allows you the ability to get used to the cottage and help bring your vision of what you want out of the cottage to life.
• Buying and renovating a cottage is cheaper then building a brand new cottage from a vacant piece of property.
• When your ready to renovate or ad an addition to your cottage most of the work can be completed in the off season when you are not using the cottage.
• With modern technology your contractor can keep you updated on the progress of your renovations when your home at work.
• Some older cottages are in area's that you are not allowed to build on anymore or are closer to the water then what is allowed today. A lot of times that means that you have a better view of the water then your newer built neighbours, its great fro resale.
• Older cottages usually come with all the furnishing when they are sold, yes a lot of stuff will go to the dump but a lot of the stuff can be used at least for the first couple of years, this allows you to enjoy the cottage right away without having to shell out a lot of money on furniture and other stuff.
• Older cottages are usually easy to carry financially as the taxes are low.
• New cottages never give you that old cottage feeling that a lot of people dream about when they want a cottage, some unique and rustic, not a new modern home.
• An older cottage has usually been around longer then the last time the water in the great lakes has been at its peak in the 80's/90's. That means that even at its highest point the cottage was positioned in a place that it wasn't affected or at least survived. That means that your cottage should be fine in the future from the rising water.
• Older cottages have an established flora/fiona, this means that you will see lots of animals because they are use too the cottage being there and are comfortable around humans.
• Older cottages have neighbours, which means you will have friends as soon as you move in.

Con's

• Buying an older cottage you could be getting yourself into something that needs a lot more renovating then you ever thought.
• If you don't want to hire someone to do the repairs and renovations then you could be buying yourself a second job (renovating the cottage) instead of a place to get away from your job.
• Be careful that you don't have to replace the septic or the well as these are two big ticket items.
• When buying an older cottage don't fool yourself, you are buying an older cottage, they come with a lot more interesting flaws then older homes built in town. Usually older cottages are built to be used only in the warmer months, thinking your going to use them in the winter will probably be a mistake.
• Older cottages will have higher utility bills then you are used too, electricity is more expensive in cottage country then in town.
• Get used to fixing things or having things fixed, older cottages are always in need of repair.
• Older cottages can have unwanted guests (bugs and rodents). Its something you might have to get use too dealing with.
• Most older cottages have room to sleep a lot of people but are usually short on bathrooms, usually just a single one, learn to share.
• Most older cottages are sold because the owners do not use them like they use too, this means that the outside maintenance of cutting back the tree's and vegetation has not been kept up. Unlike the city you will have to get used to cutting trees. If you want to be able to see the water from your waterfront cottage then tree cutting and tree removal will be essential.
• Old cottages can have foundation problems if they haven't been constructed correctly or haven't been maintained.
• One thing its hard to do up on the Bruce Peninsula is grow a lawn, you probably will have to give up the dream of having a nice lawn at the cottage unless you really want to put in the effort.
• With older cottages there are perceived ownership of things, like waterfront, lot lines, fences. Sometimes it can be trouble figuring out what they are at first without offending your neighbours.

The one thing that you have to remember when you are buying an older existing cottage on the Bruce Peninsula is that you are buying someone else's idea of what a cottage is and over the years they have become comfortable in that space. That means that they become blind to obvious problems in and around the cottage, some of these problems are easy to fix and some are more of a financial commitment. These issues don't mean that the cottage wasn't taken care of its just means that they didn't bother the owner enough for them to do anything about.

Remember to always talk to your neighbours when you are planning to do major construction or tree cutting then you won't be surprised if they have objections to what you are doing, you don't need their permission but everyone likes to be kept informed.

Pro's and Con's of building a new cottage....in part two

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Closing Up The Cottage Look For Needed Repairs

Even though the weather is still warm it is coming closer to the point in the fall that everyone will start closing their cottages for the winter. They will be shutting everything down until next spring or summer.

When you are doing your shutdown procedures for your cottage take a close look around, if you see anything that you believe needs to be repaired or replaced by the spring then maybe you should call someone this fall to do it.

Contractors are busy after the cottage season is over and they usually have work lined up for the foreseeable future, if you call them right away in the fall then they can come out rather quickly and give you an estimate on the repair.

They might not be able to do the repair for months or even until the spring but at least you will be in the line for the repair work. If you try to call in the spring and get it repaired you might end up with a scenario that you either don't get called back at all because they are too busy or they do come out and quote you but can't actually do the renovation until the middle of the summer.

Remember the good contractors are always busy, that means that you want to give them as much notice as possible when you are going to need renovations.

Don't worry that the renovations will happen when you are not there, you shouldn't have to be there to supervise the contractor, in fact its better that your not for everyone involved. Hire your contractor let them do their work when you aren't around and everyone will be happier.

Remember that in cottage country the motto for getting renovations completed should always be hurry up and wait. Hurry up to get the quote and then wait for them to be able to service you.

If you would like a quote on your cottage repairs email me at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes