Cottage Reno

This is the beginning...2004. We want a cottage up in Muskoka, Ontario for retirement and then for Andy's Dad to live in for the summer after wintering in Fla. So Andy found this place with a rundown boathouse (as you've seen) and a dirt floor 2 car garage. The cottage isn't bad except it had the original kitchen, with avocado fridge and stove from the 1970's. The bathrooms were all original too. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths with a living room, dining room, kitchen "great room" all along the water. We're on the Joe River which brings together Lake Rosseau and Lake Joseph. The 3rd Muskoka lake is Lake Muskoka which you have to go through a short lift lock to get into. We finally decided, after losing Andy's Dad, to renovate this place since we had some issues with wood rot, etc. The small plan developed into a big plan and has even gone beyond that.

Muskoka is an area north of Toronto, that city dwellers come to every weekend to their cottages to get away.

Now, some of these "cottages" are 10 to 30,000 sq. ft. and something you'd give your first child away to own.

We have several celebrities that have places around us like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Cindy Crawford is just finishing her place on an island, Shania Twain just to name a few.

Our humble place is great for a number of reasons. It's on a year round accessible road, which a lot of these places aren't. We're on a narrow part of the river so traffic must slow down (well they're supposed to ) so boat viewing is great.

So, now we're here at the 2nd picture. We've replaced all the old cladding with cedar shakes. We put a new entrance portico on the front with a stone walk going up to the garage rather than old wooden stairs. Changed the roof line a bit with new eaves both front and back. I, by the way, call the front of the cottage the side towards the garage where some people call the front by the water side. I slip now and then so if it gets confusing, that's why.

We're now finishing up in the inside. Pictures to follow. We hopefully move back in by the end of May, can't wait!