Photograph: Courtesy of Mel Smith Trucking

In previous issues, we’ve covered selecting the lot, the architect and the design, as well as the all-important builder. We’ve provided valuable tips and information bolstered by comments from respected construction professionals. 
In this fourth episode of our nine-part series we address site work. The reader is taken on the path of final check points before building begins. 
This series has been designed as a timeless resource. If you have just joined us, visit our website www.cottagehomeshowcase.com for parts one, two and three.
We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Final check before building begins
With a competent builder selected, building permit in hand, and understandably impatient to start, take the time to avoid mistakes that may be irreversible and regretted later.
In preparing to build, careful consideration should be given to all aspects of the land – its limitations and its natural features to preserve amidst the necessities of the development of the building, driveway, services, sewage disposal, and possibly, a well and future buildings.

Most of the basics have been addressed by the site plan, but experience shows prudent vigilance and fine tuning can result in better preservation of mature trees and other natural features that cannot be replaced!
Have the builder stake out the building footprint. Mark out the width of the driveway and its proposed route through the property so that all can be seen and understood before decisions are made to cut trees. Nothing at this stage is cast in stone.
Ask would it make sense to move over a few feet and save that red maple or white pine without compromising setbacks or that spectacular view?

Bring in a surveyor
A surveyor should verify lot lines and final set-backs. “Contractors, architects and municipalities, prior to allowing construction on a piece of property, often want a full survey to show the size of the property, the amount of frontage and the coverage of all proposed structures,” explains Doug Jemmett, of Coote, Wiley and Jemmett. “At the building stage, surveyors are often hired to establish the boundaries and layout of the building.”
Tom Bunker, of T.A. Bunker adds, “We stake out the actual position of the building according to the site plan. We mark on the ground where the building should be built and where to dig the hole.”

Nestled into the rock, this cottage appears as part of the landscape. Photograph: Courtesy of ReMax Baywatch

“After the excavation,” states Jemmett, “we go back to the site and put metal pins in the ground where the house will be placed. After the footings are poured, we go back once again, to put nails in the concrete footings for the walls. Most of these cottages have several angles as opposed to a simple box.”
“One of the big issues,” asserts Bunker, “is to make sure people know what they own, where it is and how the new building will fit on the property to meet all the requirements. 

“A builder was building a cottage on a large, very expensive lot and he asked us to certify just how far he was from the water,” recalls Bunker.
“That’s all I need,” said the builder. A complete survey would reveal he was too close to the property boundary line – only a foot away and the basement had already been completed. Fortunately, in this case, the neighbour agreed to change the property line.

Septic, services and driveway
“Review the septic location before digging the basement,” suggests Mel Smith, of Mel Smith Trucking.
The sewage system occupies such a large area. Will it require yet another road through the property, to construct and later service, or could it be tucked neatly alongside the already planned driveway to save more trees and costs? 

Underground hydro and telephone services are preferable. In many instances, this can be accomplished in conjunction with the driveway. Much more preferable to trouble-prone overhead wires with a great swathe cut through the forest and those ugly poles. 
“Plan the entrance so that you can easily see in both directions,” advises Smith.
“You’ll need an entrance permit, unless you’re on a private road, and to get the permit, you have to show where the entrance will be and that vision is good both ways.”
Norm Medley, of P. Medley & Sons adds, “Good access to the property right from the beginning, is important. Trucks will be bringing in heavy materials and there’s nothing worse than getting to a site and not having good access.”
Ken Cobb, of Precision Homes agrees. “Some rough in a trail through the bush and build the driveway later, but establishing a good road first makes the entire project go better.”

Driveways, an asset to have built at the beginning of the project, require clear visibility in both directions of the road. Photograph: Courtesy of Mel Smith Trucking

Check and confirm elevations and grades
Ask the builder to show you where the floor level will be so that you’ll be able to grasp how this will relate to the driveway. Will extensive grading, or terracing, be required and what about storm water management considerations? All must have advance planning if surprises are to be kept at a minimum.
“Regular collaboration with clients, offering advice and exploring possibilities is vital at all stages of the project,” states Cobb, “but especially in the beginning where change can be accommodated more easily and with less expense.”

If the site is a wooded area, a tree specialist is called in to open up the building envelope and eliminate the trees. While it’s great to have trees close to the building, there has to be some clearance. Mulch around the remaining trees helps to protect them against machinery running over the root zones.
“Next, we remove the stumps and rough in the driveway,” states Medley.
Good site management from this point on will count for everything, especially in the early stages of construction. There will be no room for brush and stumps. These must be promptly removed from the site, as access is created, driveways are constructed and services brought in.

To blast or not to blast
Muskoka is difficult building territory with trees, roots, boulders, clay, water, steep grades and bedrock that inevitably shows up where least expected. Rarely does a site turn out to be exactly as envisioned under the surface. Blasting, although sometimes planned because of obvious terrain issues, can be one of those surprises and an extra expense made necessary by the need to achieve correct elevations, basements and living spaces and sometimes the control of unwanted and troublesome groundwater. 

“There are times you dig a hole not expecting rock and then on the last scoop you’ll hit a huge piece of granite that’s not going to move,” explains Cobb. “Then you either redesign your building or bring in a blasting crew.”
Unpredictable conditions need to be dealt with by local expertise at short notice. A builder’s professional standing and personal contacts will pay off here.
“Often I’ll get a call after the lot has been cleared and the excavating begun,” states Bill Tingey, of Muskoka Drilling and Blasting. “They hit rock and my phone rings. 
“It can be just as cost effective to blast the rock as it is to work around it,” he continues. “By the time you pay the extra cost for ‘step footings’ you might as well blast and recover the usable space.”

Photograph: Courtesy of ReMax Baywatch

Armin Grigaitis, of Pinecone Cottage Depot, serving the Georgian Bay area says, “We often blast to ensure the building is nestled in the terrain. As with all of Muskoka where you have bedrock, it’s difficult to get a building to sit as flat, or tucked in as level, as you would like, while having the right drainage.
“Some of these homes are quite imposing and if the rock undulates five, or six, feet up and down, it means the whole building is going to be elevated that much more. 
“While the work is going on, it can look like a bit of a disaster. But, in the end, the building which could otherwise be several feet higher off the ground, looks as if it were growing out of the rock and not on stilts, where you can see the understructure of the building.”

Tingey adds, “With all the new technology, blasting is quite safe. “We place big rubber blasting mats over the top and blast in a series of small blasts to maintain control.”
Blasted rock and excavated roots and rubble are usually trucked offsite. It’s rarely suitable for backfill although it can sometimes be used for grading at later stages.” 
Smith adds, “The stumps are often moved to a licensed stump dump. We try to save all the materials we can, whether it’s sand or top soil. If we can use it later, we pile it up on site to save time and material.”
Lack of space to stockpile is usually the problem. Building sites must somehow accommodate heavy equipment and large trucks coming and going safely and efficiently.

A staging area for lumber deliveries and supplies must be planned and winter snow plowing organized as well as that all-important sanding. Trucks cannot negotiate icy grades. It’s dangerous and the builder is responsible for safe access and timely deliveries.
No matter how good the planning, there are always some unforeseen delays. Mother Nature is known to be unkind to the building business at times. Storms, torrential rains, - 40 C temperatures and freezing rain play havoc with even the best-laid plans. The building process is vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.

Start times
Spring or summer starts provide the best insurance to, at least, minimize weather-related delays.
Plan on having the roof on and windows and doors installed to close the building in, before the onset of winter. With the building heated, all the interior work can be completed in relative comfort regardless of winter and its limitations on outside work.
All builders hate late starts. Logistics and economics alone dictate site work begin early. Framing and exterior work are best performed in good weather.
It’s as simple as that!

That’s it for now. Don’t miss the July issue of Cottage Home and Property Showcase as we continue our journey of Building a Custom Cottage.
Please email your feedback to marylee@northcountrymedia.com

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