Lots of Vacant Waterfront Lots Means Its Time To Build That Custom Cottage On The Bruce Peninsula

With the abundance of vacant water front lots that are for sale now on the Bruce Peninsula it has never been a better time to build yourself a new custom cottage.

If you are to look around the Bruce Peninsula you will find that any cottage or home that is on or near the water has risen in price every year for the past 4 years. The market is becoming expensive as the Bruce Peninsula becomes more popular with tourists and people from South Western Ontario.

The rental market for the Bruce Peninsula has exploded in the last several years, this has slowed the amount of people that were selling their cottages because now they can make money on them even when they are to busy to enjoy it themselves.

All of this is helping drive the resale housing market through the roof, it's getting to the point were it is actually better to buy a vacant waterfront lot and build a new cottage.

There are several things that help make it less expensive;

• Bruce Peninsula has extremely low building fees compared to the rest of southern ontario.
• With a lot of waterfront lots basically sitting on the rock you don' t have to spend a lot of money on landscaping.
• The building standards for the Bruce Peninsula are from the Ontario Building Code, there really isn't anything added that will cost you money like what happens in a lot of communities in Southern Ontario.

What you will have to do is find a good quality contractor that can build you the new cottage that you want and also give you a proper budget before they do it. That is probably going to be the toughest thing that you will find, finding a contractor. There are very few good quality contractors on the Bruce and more people wanting to have cottages built every year. 

When you do find that contractor you should hire them, because there aren't that many to choose from. 

Great Lakes Custom Homes is one of those contractors that can take care of your cottage building needs.

Send me an email and let's see if we can help you; greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you.

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.

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

Up The Insulation To Save On Electricity In Your New Cottage

Most people don't think about insulation when they think about their cottage, but one of the most expensive things about having a cottage in Ontario is heating it.

It doesn't even matter if you don't heat your cottage throughout the winter you will be heating it in the spring and in the fall. Cottage electricity rates are higher then normal electricity rates so the cost to heat your cottage in the spring or fall is more expensive then you probably realize.

The electricity rates in Ontario have risen every year for the last 5 years and there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight. The only other way to heat most cottages is with propane, but propane is actually more expensive right now to heat with then electricity.

When you are planning to have a new cottage built you should be asking your contractor about how to increase the insulation value so that your heating and cooling costs will be lower. Spending a couple of thousands of dollars extra for added insulation will pay itself back within the first few years that you use the place.

If you are heating your cottage all year round then you really should be adding insulation into your new cottage budget. The added saving's from heating and cooling could be returned to you in as little as one heating season depending on the weather conditions and the price of electricity or propane.

When you start planning your new cottage talk to your contractor about the upgrades for insulation and the costs associated with them. If you have chosen a good reputable contractor then they will have no problem giving you advise on how to up the insulation value and the cost associated with it. If your contractor is reluctant to do this then maybe you should rethink your choose of contractors.

Don't get stuck on only one kind of insulation, there are many different types of insulation these days and even more ways to combine them. The best way to get the appropriate insulation in your home is too start planning your insulation when you start having the plans drawn for the cottage.

Don't be discouraged if you have already started building the cottage and you are now just thinking about more insulation, you have until the house is completely framed and the electrical is in to decide if you want to up the insulation in your home.

Except more from your custom home builder.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.