Photograph: Courtesy of Brian Hoar

They sky is the limit when it comes to recreational extras

The beautiful outdoors is a large part of what Muskoka is all about. But with just a few amenities you can enjoy the outdoors even more. Now you can create an outdoor kitchen, with outdoor appliances next to your outdoor fireplace. And that is just the beginning.
If you want to cook outdoors during the summer months, Brown’s Appliances has what you need. That doesn’t mean hotdogs on a campfire anymore. The special appliances to bake, cook and of course barbecue outdoors are available though Brown’s in Port Carling.
Barbecues come in all shapes and sizes with grills from 30 to 53-inches but they allow you to do so much more than just barbecue. Options include two-burner side cookers, an 1,800 degree steak searer and of course, rear rotisserie burners.
Then there are warming drawers, to keep the food warm and outdoor gas ovens make it easy to bake on a hot day when you don’t want to warm up the house. Smoker ovens, for hot and cold smoking, are also available as outdoor appliances.
“We have outdoor-rated under-counter refrigeration,” says Jennifer Gardiner of Brown’s.
There is refrigerated wine storage, beverage centres and even special draft beer dispensers. Outdoor cocktail or refreshment centres include a sink set-up using a cold water line and gravity feed drain.
“There are even ice makers for outside.”
Then, when it gets a little cooler at night, you can just turn on the heater.
“We have outdoor patio gas heaters that warm a 20-foot diameter,” says Gardiner explaining that these are similar to the type one would often see in a bar or café.
Outdoor fireplaces and firepits, fueled by gas, are also an option offered at Brown’s.
“We even have outdoor waterfalls,” she adds. Appliance brands carried at Brown’s Appliances includes Lynx, Napoleon, Viking Range Corporation and more.
“We have so much available so that you can enjoy the great outdoors,” says Gardiner.
The Fireplace and Leisure Centre is for people who “want to have some fun, relax or do a little of both,” says Shelley Wallace who, with husband Jay, owns the business.
People are trying to move outside as much as possible, she says.
“Cooking is not as much of a chore; men are cooking more, so the barbecue with all the added possibilities is more popular now.”

Gas powered fire pits are a perfect way to enjoy the outdoors and maybe even roast some marshmallows. Photograph: Courtesy of Brian Hoar

Some of their customers are just shopping for a barbecue or outdoor fixture, but many also have architects involved in the entire project.
“We can help with outdoor rooms from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars but our goal is to always have the same outcome – enjoyable space.
“We sit down with people. It really is a whole process as we go through their likes and dislikes. We also spend a lot of time sourcing products that customers have seen.”
She stresses that there are a lot of regulations involved in outdoor rooms with everyone from the building department to the gas company. That should be taken into account when designing the outdoor cooking space.
“Come and see us at the planning stage and find out what is required. The placement is so much easier to change now.”

They can even recommend designers when necessary.
The Fireplace and Leisure Centre has all kinds of barbecues, including outdoor pizza cookers, which are very popular right now.
Napoleon, the Big Green Egg, Peterson Fire Magic and many other popular brands are carried by the Fireplace and Leisure Centre.
“We try to have as much Canadian content and possible and of course the quality is very important too,” says Wallace.
They continually watch their manufacturers and part availability to help determine which brands to carry. They also carry a large selection of cooking accessories.
Wallace says they also offer a low emission fireplace so people can have guilt-free fun while enjoying the ambience of a fireplace.
Firepits are also a popular option for those who like to sit by a crackling fire.
“People are looking for an outdoor firepit that they can use in a fire ban. There are small, safe, round, campfire styles that won’t throw sparks,” she says.
“Hot tubs are another fun recreation option. Some people need one to relax and others are putting them in to share with family and friends,Wallace says.”
The Fireplace and Leisure Centre also carries all the water care products required for hot tubs.

Sports courts by Fowler Construction add a new dimension to fun in the sun. Photograph: Courtesy of Fowler Construction

Hammocks are the next thing needed for ultimate summer relaxation.
“We have many,” says Wallace. “We have family-sized ones that will take anything the family and Muskoka can throw at it.”
From the beginning to the end, the Fireplace and the Leisure Centre has whatever the customer needs for their outdoor project.
“Bring us your sketches and plans and we can help. We even do installation too,” she says.

The Fireplace and Leisure Centre is located just south of Parry Sound near Otter Lake.
As the options for appliances continue to grow and people spend more time cooking outdoors, the next logical step is to complete the setup with an outdoor kitchen.
People are looking for outdoor storage to go along with their outdoor appliances. That often means an outdoor kitchen. Don MacLean of Woodsmiths of Muskoka has a lot of experience with this.
“Most have the barbecue built right in plus space for a bar sink, a barbecue pit, and some type of refrigeration is a must,” says MacLean.
There are two types of outdoor kitchens: semi-protected under a roof or overhang and the stand-alone built in the open with no walls surrounding it.
“People are still looking for storage and almost all have a barbecue pit built into them. Some have a bar sink and others don’t. A barbecue pit is what we are building for most people.”

Adding an outdoor bar to your home or cottage is sure to be a hit with guests. An outdoor bar, with all the necessities such as fridge, wine cooler and sink, gives the feeling of sweet decadence. Photograph: Courtesy of Woodsmiths of Muskoka

He says most outdoor kitchens are built under an overhang or porch so the cabinetry can be semi-protected. For those, Woodsmiths uses marine-grade plywood and waterproof glue to combat the humidity.
“The one we are building right now is totally outdoors and completely exposed to the elements so it is creating its own little challenges. It is made completely of solid cedar cabinetry with stainless steel doors and we are inserting a gas barbecue into it.”
He says the extensive kitchen, with about 20 feet of cabinetry will take about 50 hours to produce.
“It will take a week in the shop, putting it together, with two guys.”
In the past few years he has only built six or seven completely outdoor kitchens. Most are attached to a bunkie or boathouse with some protection from the weather.
“Combating the elements is our biggest challenge,” he says. “The stainless steel and solid wood combination seems to be the best defence against that.”
When asked for outdoor kitchen tips MacLean suggests, “I’d definitely put a roof over it or even an open gazebo roof, that type of thing.
“We just finished one large outdoor bar. It had everything in it, from a full fridge, full freezer, a dishwasher, kegerator (for a beer keg) and a microwave all in this bar, but it is under the overhang on the dock or under the overhang of the boathouse roof. That is the most common type of bar or outdoor kitchen. Most outdoor kitchens are still going to be attached to a building with an overhang on it.”

Weatherwall enclosure systems enable you to sit in the gazebo and enjoy the view without the bugs. Photograph: Courtesy of Weatherwall Enclosure and Window Systems

When working on your property, you need to think ahead and plan your outdoor living space as well as your indoor area.
“The best is to hire a landscape architect and get a concept and design drawn,” says Tom Campbell, of Ed Campbell Construction. “Find out what you are looking for and try to put it on paper for you to visualize.
“Then,” he says, “hire the right trade people to make it come together.”
Campbell Construction specializes in stone work including stone waterfalls, stone pillars, and stone gazebos and screened-in rooms.
“A lot of people are getting away from wood patios, going to stone patios say, lakeside across the front of the cottage. A lot of stone work, or big chunks of stone, requires less maintenance and looks nicer.”
He says the Muskoka granite with the firepit built in or a border with shrubbery and flowers and big boulders just fits the landscape better.

Over the years, Campbell has done some interesting projects including a driving range on an island. He has also done a few children’s playgrounds.
Muskoka granite is the stone of choice for most local projects, according to Gord Shean of Artistic Stone.
“We do stone facing for fireplaces, walls, chimneys and patios,” he says. “We have done a pile of patios, mostly with Muskoka granite. We have used Owen Sound ledge rock but most people want Muskoka granite on their cottages. They seem to think, ‘When in Rome do as the Romans.’ ”
The Muskoka granite comes in many colours.
“It can be pinky, orange, grey or black depending on which quarry you buy it from,” Shean says.
A lot of Artistic Stone’s work is outdoor patios.
“We’ve done some fair size ones, probably 1,200 square feet of five-inch stone. That was a big one. It included a big outdoor burning fireplace. We have done outdoor fireplaces.”

Creative fireplaces add character and charm. Photograph: Courtesy of Artistic Stone

One was cultured stone instead of Muskoka granite.
“It is manufactured stone and comes from California moulded to uniform size and shape. It can be installed right out of the box,” explains Shean.
There is a lot more work in granite than cultured stone.
“The granite has to be saw cut and chiseled and takes a lot of time to make it look right.”

He says there are two different types of patios. Dry granite has screenings underneath but no mortar. Topsoil and grass, plants or even moss is placed between the stones to create a natural look. The other is constructed with mortar between the slabs.
“Usually we use a black mortar dye so the joints don’t stick out but there are all kinds of colours to choose from.”
A concrete slab is laid under the patio to protect against heaving and winter movement.
Artistic Stone is a family-operated business that has been around since 2001.
To extend the outdoor living season, Excel Enclosures has sunrooms and screened-in porches. They are great spaces for entertaining or for just curling up with a book.
“We build aluminum three-season sunrooms and we also build vinyl extended-season sunrooms,” says Lisa Cormack of Excel Enclosures. “They are custom built, we use tempered glass, sliding glass windows or sliding glass doors.”
By extended-season sunrooms, Cormack means all season. These rooms are built to handle even the winter weather with a thermal barrier between the vinyl and special thermo-pane windows.
Because the rooms are custom built, they can easily be designed to fit the home. Cormack says their structures comply with the building code.
“There are all kinds of regulations that we have to follow for that,”
she says.

Say goodbye to the elements. Sunrooms bring the outdoors inside, to be enjoyed three seasons. Photograph: Courtesy of Excel Enclosures

There are two different roof designs, A-frame or single studio (shed) styles offered and Excel can match the room design and pitch of your home or cottage.
“Some people want it just as a bug room or some people want it as extended living space,” explains Cormack. “Depending on that, we will determine what type of room to go with. If you just wanted to be outside and not have the bugs, and have an extra patio room we would go with the aluminum room, a three-season room. If you actually wanted to make it more formal, we would go with a vinyl room.”
Grant Watkinson of Shorline Construction says hot tubs, saunas and screened-in gazebos are the most popular outdoor projects that he gets involved in.
“We do a lot of hot tubs and stuff like that,” he says. Right now he is working on a screened-in room and hot tub on the roof of a boathouse,” Watkinson says.
“A lot of the hot tubs that we are doing are going on the water’s edge, right on boathouse dock near the water. The saunas are the same. We are putting a lot of them in the boathouse near the water, in the bottom part where you park the boat. It is convenient to have them close to the water.”

Shorline Construction is also in the process of building its first swimming pool.
“We are putting a swimming pool 50 to 75 feet from the water on an island. I think it is just the convenience to be closer to the cottage and I think it is neat to sit by the pool and look out at Lake Rosseau. It is kind of cool,” Watkinson says.
According to Brock Watson of Discovery Dream Homes, most of the properties that company works on are “recreation properties.”
“They are geared to the outdoors and fun,” says Watson. “We try to make as much of the extras or accessories enjoyable outdoors.”
Discovery Dream Homes likes to add timber frame gazebos and roofs to outdoor living spaces.
“We do timber frame decks, with multiple layers and lots of space for people to enjoy outdoor living.”
He says outdoor kitchens are really popular.
“Pretty much anything you can think of, you can make it an outdoor, fun feature,” says Watson.

Hot tubs on the deck are relaxing, therapeutic and a great way to enjoy family and friends. They come with many different options and increase the value of your home or cottage. Photograph: Courtesy of Brian Hoar

“The one I am really interested in getting the chance to build would be a full outdoor living room covered timber frame with a fireplace so it is enjoyable year-round. What I have in mind is basically covered deck, not a screened-in porch, with all-season seating and a generous roof over it so you have good coverage from the weather but you are still outdoors. I haven’t done this yet, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Discovery Dream homes has done freestanding sauna buildings and hot tubs/whirlpools covered with a timber frame roof.
“I really like the gazebo, hot tub out on the deck. One of my favourite things to do is sit out there in the hot tub and enjoy the moonlight and stars. It is a big thing for me and to have a beautiful timber frame over top of that accentuates the whole atmosphere.”
Watson’s tip for outdoor recreation is one we shouldn’t forget when planning during the beautiful summer weather.
“Bear in mind that whatever you do up here, we have pretty harsh winters. That is one thing that you do have to plan for. A lot of stuff is great in the summer but if it can’t be covered or closed in for the winter, there will most likely be some damage.”
Once you have all of your outdoor recreation amenities there is only one tough decision left. Do you entertain and share it with all of your friends or do you keep your outdoor oasis private?

Top of Page

---

Return to CUSTOM BUILDING: Phase 2: - Table of Contents