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.

Custom Home Builder Stokes Bay

These days its getting harder and harder to find a good contractor, especially in the Bruce Peninsula. The Bruce Peninsula has become a very popular spot to vacation and cottage in Ontario.

One of the things that is becoming more popular is building new custom homes/cottages in the Bruce Peninsula. One of the things that is enticing to people is the fact that you can still buy waterfront lots on the great lakes for a reasonable price.

You can buy that lot but then you have to find someone to build that new custom home for you. That's were a lot of people run into trouble, because there just isn't enough contractors on the Bruce Peninsula for the amount of custom homes that have to be built.

Well if your reading this then you might just have found your contractor.

Great Lakes Custom Homes is a builder of fine quality custom homes and cottages. We service the Bruce Peninsula and we build in Stokes Bay and Pike Bay were there are an abundant of vacant water front lots for you to choose from.

I actually have a place in Bradley Harbour so I know the appeal of living on the big water of Lake Huron.

Great Lakes Custom Homes has the contacts and knowledge to get your plans created, your driveway installed, your dock built and of course we can build you a high quality custom home for you to enjoy as a full time home or a wonderful cottage in the summer.

If your looking for a reputable contractor up the Bruce Peninsula email me at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com and lets see if I can help you fulfill your dreams of a new cottage.

Rob Abbott

Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Putting An Addition On Your Cottage

Your looking at buying a cottage on the Bruce Peninsula but all the cottages that are on the water are too small for your ever expanding family? Don't let that stop you from getting in on the waterfront market.

If the cottages are to small for you then you have two options, you can either buy something small and tear it down and build a new cottage OR you could simply add more square feet to the small one.

New builds scare a lot of people, so the alternative is to buy a cottage and make it bigger, adding an addition to your old cottage could be the right thing for you.

Because of the limited amount of waterfront that is available on the Bruce Peninsula you might have to settle for a smaller cottage that is in the area that you want to be, with a piece of land that works for you and of course with the water views that you really want.

If you buy a smaller cottage and then add on to it you will have the ability to use the cottage right away, even if its a little crowded.

Adding an addition to a cottage is actually easier then you think.

The first thing you will need is a proper set of plans, the plans should be drawn by an architectural technologist or an architect. They will be able to help bring your vision on to the page and then into real life, these plans will also be what you submit to the township for a permit and they will be what your contractor will use to create your budget.

Getting your plans created might be the easiest thing that you have to do, finding a contractor to do it is probably going to be the hardest.

There are a limited amount of good quality contractors that work on the Bruce Peninsula.

If you are in the process of designing your addition or thinking about an addition then you should be actively looking for a contractor, the sooner you lock one up a contractor the sooner your addition can actually be built.

Great Lakes Custom Homes is one of those contractors that works on the Bruce Peninsula.


Great Lakes Custom Homes prides themselves on building with a high degree of quality and professionalism, we believe that we are not only building for people but we are making the best kind of references for the future.

If you are thinking about putting an addition on your cottage then email me at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com and lets see if we can help you get that addition built.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Do I Fix That Old Cottage Or Tear It Down?

Do I fix that old cottage or do I let it die and build a new one?

When people think about older cottages they have a nostalgic memory or thoughts about an old wood cottage on the lake that has lots of character and maybe needs some small repairs.

In reality those cottages that are like that are in such bad shape when you start to look behind the walls, the roof and the foundation you find that they require major surgery by a professional and not by you the owner on the weekend.

The repairs of these kind of cottages usually take several years as the work gets spread out to save on money and to allow the homeowner to use the cottage in the warmer months. But at some point you the homeowner are going to have to ask yourself is all this time and money worth putting into an old cottage?

There is an alternative to spending large amounts of money and time fixing and repairing endlessly an old cottage that without a major investment is coming to the end of its life, you could tear it down and build yourself a new cottage.

Yes a new cottage, no its not your romantic vision of what a cottage is, but those romantic visions also don't have all the bugs, slugs and critters that are chewing their way into your cottage and watching you while you sleep. That vision doesn't have you cleaning up the mice poop or the having a plumber to come and repair the plumbing lines because they broke again or the septic is backed up again with tree roots. That vision doesn't have you placing buckets in new places every time it rains to catch the leaks or you squinting through old foggy windows to see the waterfront that you paid for. 

If we are talking about if its worth it to build a new one because that costs money, let me tell you that right now newer homes on the water are rarely for sale and when they do come for sale the asking price is extremely expensive. People look at new cottages as something that they can buy and start enjoying right away and not having to think about fixing for years to come. That is worth it to a lot of people, people will pay a premium for something like that. In other words you will not lose money on building yourself a new cottage.

Remember that everything eventually comes to the end of its life and at a certain point you are going to have to decide when to let it go and build a new one. You can either spend the money now or wait until it's even more expensive later.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.

Buying or Building Your Cottage Part 2

This Part two-

The first part of this blog focused on buying and existing cottage, the pro's and con's of doing that in today's extremely tight real estate market on the Bruce Peninsula.

This half of the blog will focus on buying a piece of vacant land and building yourself a brand new cottage.

BUILDING A NEW COTTAGE

If you have looked around at all the older cottages for sale you have probably come to the conclusion that you don't really want to spend money on someone else's problem, the old cottages just come with to much work and unknowns for you liking and any cottage that is newer and in better shape is priced so high that you wonder if its worth it.

At the moment there is a fine line between the price of buying a newer cottage on the Bruce and just building yourself a brand new cottage on the Bruce.

Here are the Pro's and Con's of Building a Brand New Custom Cottage;

Pro's

• You get exactly what you want, not somebody else's idea of what a new cottage should look like.
• You control the budget on how much you want to spend on the project.
• You don't have to finish the entire thing if you don't want to before you start enjoying it.
• With everything new you will have a warranty encase something goes wrong.
• New cottages are more energy efficient, this will save you money in the long run.
• You will have a cottage that is built for 4 season fun not like an old cottage that has to be shut down when the colder weather arrives.
• New home means that your water will be safe to drink, you won't have to buy bottled water like in old cottages.
• New cottages don't have any rot or leakage or rodents or bugs like old cottages do.
• You will have a brand new septic system and a warranty that guarantee's that it works.
• Building permits in the Bruce Peninsula are extremely cheap compared to everywhere else.
• You can have as many bathrooms as you want, most older cottages only have one bathroom for everyone to share.
• You get to pick your lot, so you know exactly what you are getting.
• You get to position your house on the lot so you get the view you want as well.
• You will have a new driveway so that you know that it is built right.

Con's

• It takes longer to build a new home then buying an older cottage and renovating it. 
• You will be waiting a long time to use your new property unlike buying an existing cottage.
• New cottages are set farther back from the water then older cottages.
• You might find that certain properties are heavily restricted on building, limiting the size, shape and height that you can build your new cottage.
• You will have to find someone to create a proper set of drawings for you.
• You don't live up the Bruce so you will have to be ok with communicating over the phone and email with your contractor instead of being on site to see what is going on.
• Construction material is at an all time high, meaning that building cottages will cost you more then you think.
• With material rising monthly you run the risk of ending up over budget.
• Most peoples ideas surpass their budgets.
• Making all those decisions about a custom home can be very stressful, almost two stressful for a lot of people.
• You might not be able to build what you want too, you must take the time to check on what's allowed before you buy the land.

Building a new custom cottage is a big commitment, as I have informed you above there are pro's and con's to doing it. One thing that you need to understand with building a new cottage right now is that if you had to sell the place for whatever reason you would probably get all your money back even the cost of the land. The real estate market is that hot and the inventory that low especially for newer waterfront cottages.

If you are thinking about building a new cottage on the bruce peninsula email me at greatlakescustomhomes@gmail.com and lets see if we can make your dreams of a new cottage a reality.

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.

Its Time For The Cottage Spring Inspection

The snow has finally melted!

It might not be bikini weather yet up at the cottage but it is time to head up to the cottage and do your spring inspection.

What is a spring inspection you ask? Its the time that you drive up to the cottage to make sure that its still there, especially after this long drawn out winter!

The usual suspects that you find are damage to roofs, windows and siding/facia.

Now these area minor repairs a lot of the time that you can hire someone to do or you can try and handle on your own. But maybe its time that you take a serious look at that old cottage of yours and decide whether its time to do a larger renovation then just a constant minor repair every spring.

I'm talking about biting the bullet and springing for new windows, siding, soffit/facia. You don't have to get all of them, but if your getting tired of the constant repainting of the old siding or the windows that leak water and don't open, then maybe its worth the investment.

Not only will new windows/siding free up your time in the spring, it will also help your enjoyment of your cottage. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see the lake, the trees and the animals outside through nice new energy efficient windows.

If your changing your windows/siding then you can for a little bit extra add some much needed foam insulation to the outside of your cottage. This insulation could give you an extra month at the cottage in the fall and a couple extra weeks in the spring, allowing you to be more comfortable and also lowering your energy costs throughout the cottage season.

So when you go up to your cottage for your spring inspection take a serious look at your cottage and decide if a larger upgrade is needed, something that will not only raise the value of your cottage but also raise the enjoyment of it.

Drop me an email if you would like to talk about some cottage repairs.

Rob Abbott
Great Lakes Custom Homes Inc.