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CottageLady
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# Posted: 12 Aug 2016 06:58pm
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Good Morning,
We arrived home from the cottage last week. We had a great time and I wish it was not 1200 miles away from us.
Aside from being far away for weekend visits the other related complication is trying to make plans, decisions with local builders. In addition, the cottage is on an island which means any builder will need to either have or rent a barge to bring over large materials and will need a boat to travel to the island during workdays.
That is the primary issue we are dealing with I would say. Because we are not local our project will be drawn out much more than I would like. Although we spent a fair amount of time with builders we did not walk away with a sense for which direction makes sense for us. There was a divide between builders and most suggested we tear down and rebuild as they stated we would be dealing with an old cottage forever. There is one contractor who was pro keeping the cottage just raising it on piers and renovating the interior/exterior. However, he is very busy and has not given us a quote yet.
I have a few pictures to share and would welcome any advice you have for us with this project from afar.
CL
Backside of Cottage and septic
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Living area
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 12 Aug 2016 08:27pm
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Looks better than your first description . we have a place on lake Erie built in 1949 .We have had it since 2007 and the first few years it needed a lot of repairs but now we try to do yearly maintenance . looks about the same age as yours
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 12 Aug 2016 08:43pm
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Cottage Lady- it looks in OK condition and saveable, but I can't tell about the condition of its systems.
-Is the electrical updated?
-what condition is the plumbing in?
-how is it heated, and is this satisfactory?
-how old is the roof, when will it need to be replaced?
Trying to do each of these things one at a time is a pain in the neck and expensive. If you were to gut the interior, all these things could be replaced with modern stuff at once along with insulation etc.
The summer is the busy time for contractors anywhere that it's too nasty to work in winter. You really have to line them up a year in advance. But also, contractors are looking for interior work they can do in the winter. So if you decided to gut the interior, possibly that could be done in the next few months then a contractor fix the inside over winter.
Study all the cost alternatives. Tearing down and starting new might be your best choice, and you will end up with a nicer, better building. But you are already late in the game for next season on that. You need to line up a contractor to start in April-May and you need to get a new house plan made and approved by the local jurisdiction.
Hope this helps
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 13 Aug 2016 09:14am
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Looks like a nice spot, I like the Log Counter ! Now I thought about your situation of not being there and rounding up contractors and what a nightmare that can be like... Think of Herding Cats as being an easier task... Seriously ! BTDT !!
There are many possibilities and options and you'll have to gauge that on what you discover about your place and the various costs that go with that.
The most important thing I can share with you.. is Don't Rush ! as the old adage stays true, "Haste Makes Waste" and often that waste is hard cash... Take your time, get evaluations and estimates (minimum of 3 anyways) and think it out.... Look at kits, modular, custom stick built.
Decide & prioritize on what you "must/need" to have, want to have and would like to have... everyone is a bit different so these change with us but also don't forget to include plans for later in life (stairs can be problems, narrow doorways, sunken living rooms)... I think about that as after I crossed 50 and realized I better think of that side of the coin....
Did you know that there are two very highly reputed Modular Builders near 1000 Islands ? http://greenterrahomes.com/ is one of them. Some folks shy away from these due to old history (we all remember Viceroy & Morewood Homes) but that is ancient history... Modular's are best if they can be sourced closeby / locally. Just an Option to Consider
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Thelar
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# Posted: 17 Aug 2016 09:17am
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Nice looking cottage. Do you have any shoreland regulations that you need to adhere to? One might be setback from lake. If you tear down and rebuild will you need build your new cottage further back from the water? If you are going to renovate do you have a limit to adding to the sq ft? What that means is if you have a setback, but your cottage was built before the regulation you are grandfathered in, but they will usually limit the amount of expansion you can do to your cottage.
Good luck with your project.
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CottageLady
Member
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2016 06:30pm
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Hi Everyone,
The advice I have received from all of you is terrific. The biggest issue I am running into is how far away I am from the cottage. This makes this work very difficult. I will persevere and perhaps by summer 2017 or 2018 I will have a renovated cottage or a new one.
Because we are on an island and contractors need to access our cottage by boat we do not have as many options as mainlanders. I am finding because this is the end of the work season in another month or two (river freezes in December) that I am not getting much by way of response on quotes either. It looks like I will be making a trip up in April 2017 to get this moving along again unless I hear back from a couple contractors when they slow down for the season.
CL
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NorthRick
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# Posted: 23 Sep 2016 04:00pm
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Does the river freeze hard enough to drive on? Up here in Alaska, quite a bit of stuff gets done after things freeze. Many places will plow roads across the ice and you can drive right to properties that are otherwise inaccessible to wheeled vehicles.
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UPLIBERTY
Member
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# Posted: 23 Sep 2016 05:30pm
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Cottagelady, Our cabin was completed 3 yrs ago. By far the most difficult part was selecting the right builder. Getting references from the locals will help. We had talked with a number of builders and then met a local realtor who recommended a local guy. I will say integrity is everything. We ended up with the builder the realtor agent sent us to, we were very pleased in the end.
Our cabin is 500 miles from our home, so there was some distance between us and the cabin. With working full time jobs we couldn't just hop in the truck and drive there for a weekend. We were able to over come that with modern technology. Lots of communication and photo's when called for.
Also, having Blue Prints of what you want before hiring a builder is a must. Helps with controlling cost and sharing your vision of what you want and expect. Well worth the cost of hiring an architect.
Your cabin look cool on the inside to me. But I like old buildings.
Lots of good information here on the forum. Good luck on your project.
UPLIBERTY
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dhguiyg
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2018 01:56am - Edited by: dhguiyg
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Eddy G
Member
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2018 02:07pm
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seeing as the thread is over 2 yrs old and I don't think we've heard from cottage lady since I'm guessing there is no sale here.
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 13 Dec 2018 03:02pm
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Just a drive-by spamming... Feel free to deluge this spammer with useless requests for quotes, for say, new automotive tires...
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Eddy G
Member
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# Posted: 14 Dec 2018 11:24am
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Quoting: SE Ohio Just a drive-by spamming...
Yeah, I kind of figured as much..
Did make me curious how CottageLady ever made out..
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