Insulated Vinyl Siding

One easy way to have your old warn cottage freshened up is to change the siding on the outside of it. There are a lot of different products that you can us on the outside of your cottage;

• Wood, pre-painted or rough. Pine or cedar. 
• Cement siding (pre-painted).
• Stone, manufactured or real.
• Vinyl Siding.

The cheapest and simplest of the above is Vinyl Siding. If you are looking for an economical way to spruce up your cottage then vinyl siding is for you.

One of the biggest flaws with vinyl siding is that it has to be installed properly. If it's not installed properly then you will have pieces of siding blow off in high winds, the siding will buckle in the heat and the overall installation will not look straight with a good fit and finish. So hiring a professional that knows how to properly install it is key to the job looking good when it is finished and far into the future.

Vinyl siding has several advantages to other forms to siding;

• By far the cheapest to buy and install.
• Goes on fast.
• Many different colours and styles to choose from.
• Do not require strapping or an airspace behind the siding, this saves time on the installation.
• Can now get it with insulation built into the siding.

The last one is what I really want to talk about. Most old cottages are very poorly insulated. Either their under insulated, badly insulated or the insulation is so old that its just not effective anymore. 

New vinyl siding comes with the option of having insulation that is pre-attached to it. This makes the installation of the siding and the insulation pretty quick since the insulation is stuck to it, all you have to do is install it like any other vinyl siding and you have a layer of rigid foam insulation across the entire outside of your cottage. This also gives you a thermal break over all the studs in the house, this is especially effective in those colder months when the wind blows off the lake.

Insulated Vinyl siding even comes with insulated corners so that the entire outside of the walls of your cottage will have the same insulation value.

Insulated Vinyl Siding also has the affect of making your siding a little stronger to impact damage. When things strike the outside of the siding the insulation adds a cushioning affect to it helping it to resist cracking and breaking.

So if your cottage is looking old and tired and a little chilly in those colder months then think about some new siding, the right stuff can not only make your cottage look better but also save you money on heating as well.

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.

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.