The thought of a major home or cottage renovation or construction project can be daunting. Fortunately, the knowledge and suggestions of those who have done it before can help make the task seem much more manageable.
To begin with, no major project goes forward without a plan.
“It’s really important to work with an architect,” Richard Smerdon says.
Richard and his wife Lorain worked with James Pitropov of Smith Architect in Huntsville during their build.
Smerdon believes that research is vital.
“You have to have a vision,” he says. “You can’t expect an architect to just guess what you want.”
Sketches and images of ideas are a great starting point. If you have no artistic ability, Smerdon suggests clipping shots you like from magazines.
“Build a portfolio of ideas,” he suggests.
The Smerdons were very pleased with Pitropov’s final designs, and with the attention to detail he paid with the builders.
Landscaping also needs to be thought out carefully, something Newton Glassman is all-too familiar with.
“It was a very very large job,” he says of his project. “There was basically just dirt; the site had been prepared for a house, the house was framed but there was nothing else there. It was just awful.”
Glassman chose Anthony Janssen of Janssen Landscaping to tackle the problem.
“Anthony was very sensitive to what I wanted and what the site could do. And he did a spectacular job – he did an unbelievable job,” Glassman raves.
“People underestimate the impact of hard landscaping on the value of their property. It’s huge,” Glassman says. “They also underestimate the impact of hard landscaping on the enjoyment of their property.”
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| This step and walkway combination with feature boulders and planting was installed by Janssen Landscaping. |
Scott Creed recognizes another factor to consider at the outset.
“People should have their places wired for sound, or even wired for security, when they’re building them. That’s the time to do it,” he says. “It’s there when you want it, and even if you don’t use it, it increases the resale value of your place.”
Creed worked with David’s Muskoka Audio-Video to set up his entire home for sound and communications, with six different, independent zones and control panels that double as intercoms.
“It’s amazing for entertaining,” Creed says. “You can have some upbeat party music inside, and go out to the backyard and something softer is playing for a more intimate feel there.”
Energy efficiency is another major modern concern, and insulated concrete forms (ICF) are becoming du rigeur for construction. Jan Lucy and Don Evans took full advantage of the system.
“A lot of people use ICF just for the basement, but we went right up two storeys,” she says. “In terms of warmth, even soundproofing, it’s fabulous.”
Tobin Building Systems provided the ICF materials to Lucy’s contractor, and impressed her with their service.
“Their product was there before it was needed; we didn’t have to wait for anything.”
Timetables are always something to watch out for on a major project.
“There’s always hitches on the building side,” says Sydney Fraser, who had Garry Hall construct her custom cottage. “It’s hard to stick to timelines; there are so many things that aren’t even in the builder’s control.”
Those are the situations where a builder’s customer service can be paramount.
“Garry’s got a great sense of humour,” Fraser says. “When things are getting down and you have little issues here there . . . it’s very nice when someone can lift your mood up.”
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| Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) are becoming quite popular. Tobin Building Systems supplied the insulation system for this project. Photograph: Jan Pitman |
Hall’s customer service even extends to the neighbours.
“He went to the neighbours and said, ‘I’m building a cottage for Sid next door. We’ll try to keep it down, and if you have any questions, just call me.’ Well they think he’s wonderful,” Fraser says.
Sam and Francis Woodruff had French’s Fine Homes build their custom home at Settler’s Ridge.
“Everyone here has been very happy with French’s,” Sam Woodruff says. “The organization from the top, down right to the field, is very efficient.”
An architect himself, Woodruff knows the importance of paying attention to detail during a project.
“One of the great things French’s does is keep track of every aspect of the process in a binder, and give it to you when you move in,” he says. “You end up with a fantastic home owner’s manual.”
Older cottages often present their own challenges, as Rob Rodriguez, can attest. He wanted to make his 44-year-old cottage more appealing.
“It had pink aluminum siding on it, so it was a bit of an eyesore,” he laughs.
When they got the old siding off, they discovered that there was nothing to properly anchor new siding to.
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| This cottage by Ed Campbell Construction is an example of the quality craftsmanship that has been winning the business of customers for years. Photograph: Jan Pitman |
Rodriguez turned to NorStar for a solution.
“They came up with an idea of putting six-inch slats about every two feet apart,” Rodriguez says, “which saved me about a $1,000.”
“When you get in to these older cottages, you have to be ready for surprises,” he says.
“You have to be flexible,” agrees Debbie Hartley. She and her husband Blake Gilmore had Fitzmaurice Bros. Carpentry perform a major renovation for them.
“The first call we got was, ‘Hi, we’ve started and your foundation is rotten,’” she laughs.
It was the type of situation that made Hartley appreciate the research they had put into selecting a contractor.
“Phone around and ask for references for anyone,” Hartley advises. “We did that on Fitzmaurice, and they came highly recommended.”
Knowing Ed Campbell Construction has been in the business for generations made a big difference to Tim Gould, who worked with Tom Campbell on his custom cottage.
“Tom’s uncle was the one who built the original cottage on the property in 1950,” Gould says. “They’re local and have passed the trade down.”
Since Gould is away from his cottage much of the time, he appreciates that Tom Campbell also provides property management services as well.
“If you’re going to get someone to build it, you don’t just want to build it and have them disappear,” he says.
Bob Dunlop, a mechanical engineer who runs a home inspection company in Toronto, also believes in the value of working with a local builder.
“Don’t bring up your builder from Toronto,” Dunlop advises, “More importantly, as one-time customers, they don’t have the leverage with the local suppliers for the best materials and service.”
Dunlop works closely with builder Brian Hoar.
“He did extensive renovations on an island cottage that I have just sold. I bought a piece of mainland in 2005, but so far I’ve only built the garage,” he says.
“If you have the luxury of not building immediately, spend a season with the lot,” Dunlop advises. “Take your time and really get a feel for it and how it works. It’s really time well spent.”
As an alternative, Dunlop suggests having a topographic survey done.
“It really helps an architect in terms of knowing what he’s got there,” he says.
Topography can also affect other projects as well. David Briant found that the 110-foot climb from his dock to his cottage was becoming less and less enjoyable, and had an inclined railway elevator built.
“We’ve been in our cottage for 35 years,” Briant says, “and it’s a lot of stairs. So the time came.”
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| This cottage was built by Fitzmaurice Bros. Carpentry. The company comes highly recommended by satisfied customers who now have the cottage or home of their dreams. Photograph: Jan Pitman |
After checking out his options, Briant selected John Weinstein of Inclined Elevation to install a solution.
“It’s very comfortable. It takes four people and it’s 10 or 12 feet off the ground in places. It’s really quite a lovely ride,” he says.
Briant found Weinstein’s service excellent, and was pleased that the project’s only bureaucratic requirement was an electrical inspection.
Most major projects, however, will require full permits and formal inspections. Fortunately, builders can take care of that as well.
Gord and Jane Brown hired Edenlane Homes to handle a major renovation and construction project at their home, and never had to deal with the paperwork.
“We met with them, told them what we were looking for, and they came back with plans,” Jane Brown recalls.
“After we said, ‘Go ahead,’ they looked after it all; permits, inspections, everything.”
Brown recognizes a major renovation is more than just a financial investment.
“Take the time to talk about it,” she says, “and really weigh things out. The extent that you’re going through you have to first be really comfortable with what you have, and if it’s worth putting that kind of money into it.”
That amount of emotional and practical investment can lead some, like John Cooper, to make a cottage into a permanent home.
“It was built in 1896, and the deterioration over time was such that the insulation value was poor,” Cooper says. “It was time to do proper windows and doors.”
Eleda Ward at Window Works Muskoka set him up with high quality, energy efficient windows that have one aspect that Cooper particularly enjoys.
“The windows fold open at the pivot point so that you can clean the outside of the windows without going outside or removing the screens,” he says. “No ladders required!”
Cooper opted to have Ward’s team install the windows.
“Her installers are excellent. Great attitude, they know their stuff and just come in and get it done. They even brought a Shop-Vac with them, and as soon as they made a mess they had it vacuumed up and gone.”
At the end of the installation, Cooper was impressed with how trouble free the process was.
The same can be true of any home project. Prepare well and choose the right expert partner, and any undertaking can be managed with relative ease and comfort.
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