In many cases, clients will come and say, “Look, we’ve had this cottage in our family for a generation or or even two. Now, I’ve gotten more into boats and the old boat house is falling apart and so on. Do they need one or two slips? Do they have a boat and chipskies, for example? Are they coming in and out all day?” You need to know the type of boats, the size of the boats, are we putting these on hydraulic lifts? Are you getting them right out of the water in the winter? Some people will just put on a bubbler, which we can talk about again later, and the ice will not freeze around the boat house, and you can keep your boats in the water on a slight lift. But now, you can get your boats right off the water on a hydraulic cliff.
So, there’s a real function to what is the specification on your boat. You’re listening to Build the Unbuildable, a podcast about designing dream cottages on some of the most challenging sites in Ontario’s cottage country. All right, welcome back to another episode of Build the Unbuildable. I’m John Tyman and as always I’m joined by James Pitropov, principal at Lakeside Architecture, Inc. James, how you doing? >> I’m doing pretty well today, John. How are you? >> I’m doing well. I’m doing well. Today we’re going to talk about boat houses. I’m excited because they’re not just for boat storage. Uh, in fact, we’re today we’re going to be talking about how to anchor boat houses design and function above the dock, style, craft, personality, permits, and the impact of boatous on the environment and community. So, I’m really excited about this episode today, James. >> Well, now let’s uh navigate through it and um I think it’s going to be an exciting episode for the viewers. >> All right, I’ve got my compass and my map and I’m ready to dive in. So, uh, but before we do, folks that are listening to this podcast, folks that are watching this podcast on YouTube, follow the show on your favorite podcast platform and, uh, send James a picture of your dream lakehouse for inspiration. All right, James, let’s get into how to anchor boat houses onto the water. So, I’m curious like what goes into planning and installing underwater foundations? So, like do things like water depth and soil type, how do those affect the design of a boat house? >> Well, John, that’s a great uh question, good uh jump off point for us.
So, um how how do you build on the water? >> Yeah. >> Uh now, where we build, we’re in we’re in Codex country. Uh we have a variety of of terrain on the sites that we build on. In a lot of cases, what you’ll find is that there’s good solid bedrock beneath a few feet of of sand uh or or silt on the lakes. This this is pretty typical. Um I’ve been um designing uh boat houses on such lakes as Lake Muscoa, Lake Roso in the Coras, Stony Lake, and so on. Um we’ve uh designed further field as well. Over time, what we’ve done is we’ve progressed away from the old rock cribs that are made out of timbers and filled with stone that your cottage viewers might be familiar with. And what we’re doing um currently is we’re building a lot in steel. So what we’ll do is we will drive piles down through the 3 or 4 feet of surface sand or silt uh that you might have have on a lake and we’re actually getting right down to the bedrock itself.
So where we’re driving piles down and then to make the structure sturdy, we are welding I-beams across the series of uh steel piles. And typically this will be brought back to the shoreline where we find good bedrock. We will weld a rebar, a reinforcing steel bar to the I-beam. And this is that that steel bar is drilled. We drilling into the rock. It’s being hammered down. There’s epoxy grout securing it to the site and then the I-beam is welded on. So basically what we have is a steel diaphragm. It’s sitting on rock and it is also secured to the shore. The advantages of of this are that the disruption to the bottom of the lake is is minimal because we don’t want to disrupt fish habitat and and all all that. And in many cases, we can leave existing original rock ribs that have collapsed over time pretty messy to clean up. It disrupts the bottom when you try to remove timbers and stone that are already in the water.
We can build outboard of an existing structure and have a have a nice clean assembly of material that is not messing up the the lake bottom. So, that’s that’s the way we um that’s the way we secure down to the site. In some cases where you’re not on the bedrock where you’re on silt or sand going down indefinitely, what we’ll do is we’ll we’ll do a test hole and uh we’ll with a geotech we’ll figure out how far down any bearing clay might be or other strata. And sometimes there just isn’t anything down there. So we’re going down with helo piles that are screwed down. They look like giant ice fishing augers. They’re screwed down to bury capacity. And then the the same type of structure is welded above.
So there is a way to build pretty much on on every uh uh lake site that we’re coming across. >> Very interesting. I’m curious, have you ever had to adjust your plans based on something that unforeseen happened underwater? Maybe you discover a different soil type than you were expecting or something completely out of the blue under the surface. Well, the thing that comes up is that sometimes the the bottom structure isn’t consistent. So, we’ve had situations where there is a rock ledge and there are collapse original rock cribs in there and silk. So, sometimes it’s a combined structure. The um more of a challenge is the time of of year that we’re building and we’re out in the water. So, really there’s there’s two options. we’re drilling or hammering down in overwater into the substrate. So that means you can either come in in the summer on a barge, work off a platform, or we can come in in the winter and drill through the ice and that gives you a platform for all your your construction. It gets a little tricky in uh in Canada here when the seasons aren’t so clearly defined and in that in between season you have shifting ice, ice shelves drifting and wanting to shear the piles and so forth. So season and a good look at what’s actually beneath the surface. >> Do you have a preference of summer or winter? Which is your preferred season to build a boat house? Well, it it seems that um clients like to have use of the properties during the summer. The builds on a boat house can be a few months or they can be longer because a lot of the boat houses are more elaborate now. There are almost like dwellings in themselves.
So we try to uh in a lot of cases we are building into the winter starting after Labor Day and you can get on on on cottage construction and then that ice is getting pretty solid after the Christmas holidays and into the new year. So around that first week of January it’s it’s just easier to build off the ice and then you’re not paying the charge for barges and and and so forth and the complexity of getting equipment on and off barges. It just easier to do on the ice. Also off the ice, we can use a wider uh range of equipment and sometimes we can use uh with skid steers or mini excavators that have arms that permit the the tightening of of these piles. So, it’s a little trickier in the summer. Both seasons are great, but the in between seasons are not good at all. >> I did not expect that. I expected you to say summer was easier cuz you’re not drilling through ice, but I didn’t even think about the the cost of the barges and everything going. >> Yeah. Just one of the things that you learn up on on the lakes, John. And we find also that if you’re looking for the summer builds, every all the trades are already busy. they they’ve got work for the summer and uh it’s harder to get good rates on not only on the trades but also on uh the equipment rentals uh themselves which can become quite substantial. >> So we like to have a little a little joke on the lakes is is that you’ve got to get your trades at the right time. You’re you’re not going to get them during the summer and in the summer they come at a premium with a bit of an attitude. When we go into the fall, then they’re hard to find because um first it’s it’s hunting season. >> That’s true. >> U nobody’s around and then um it’s it’s ice fishing season and everybody’s out on the lake and they’re they’re still fishing. They may be fishing that first week of January or the second week. By the third week, people are looking around for work and and um fishing, hunting, and and the all too prevalent drinking season, winter drinking season in Canada here is is getting old. A great time to get the trades. They’re looking for work. They’re ready to go. It’s quiet and things just seem to go smoothly. Plus, you’re not disrupting other people on the lake during their summer. All this, >> those are some those are some good tips and a little inside baseball for you.
Apologies to to trades up north. We everyone likes to have a good time, but there is a seasonal cycle that we’ve we’ve noticed. >> That sounds good. Well, um let’s shift our conversation from what’s beneath the water to what’s above the water. So, James, um, several of your designs have full second stories on these boatouses, and we’ve got some pictures that folks that are, if you’re watching on YouTube, you can follow along with us. If you’re listening along, you can check out um some of James’s work at lakeside architecture.ca. So James, several of your projects have these full second stories, coupoopas, decks, cozy guest areas. What’s the vision behind these upper levels? How do your clients use boat houses? Well, the basic way where it all starts from was the basic storage of boats, accessories, having a place on the water where you can pull your water for necessities in. That was that’s the basic thing. But what a lot of people don’t may not realize is that there’s a whole history of boatous um particularly on the on the Mskoka lakes where a structure would be built and a habitation sometimes known as a bunky or typically you might have a cottage and a bunky for guest which is a little out building uh that may or may not have a little tiny kitchen in it but it would have a bedroom possibly too. And it was a great way to entertain guests. Sometimes older guests, younger guests, having different places closer to the water on your property, a great way to entertain. So, in a lot of cases, people were building these bunkies right into their boatouses. And there’s a whole history of it. And some lakes such as Mskoka and Roso, a lot of smaller lakes, too. They have a real beautiful tradition of these habitations. The really interesting thing about them is that you are literally right over the water and uh in my mind I it creates a cozy charming atmosphere on the lake. Over time, there has been a trend or a push particularly by the lake associations which we can talk about in more depth a little bit later in the podcast. But away from uh building on right on the water because they uh want to minimize the disruption of the views on the lake by by constraining the amount of development on it. Um, as you’ll see from these examples, I think if they’re done to the right scale with the right character, they make good neighbors on the lake. And it’s it’s a wonderful classic experience to visit and be right on on the uh the water’s edge.
>> So, how do your clients typically think about boat houses? Is it is it more of a like a utility shed? Do you try to open their their perspective more to a guest suite? Is it more of like a party zone in some cases? Like h what are some different ways that you’ve seen your clients use boat their boatouses? >> Those are great questions, John. It seems that we have you you may be a cottager in your own right or maybe you’ll become one because you’re you’re you’re asking the the right questions.
>> I grew up uh my we would always go to lakes as a kid and so that’s why you know I remember like the boat houses always being kind of where the the adults went after the kids went to sleep. >> Oh, I see. I see. But then then there is a party function there, isn’t there? Part of building those summer memories is having having a place to go and and not not to forgo the util utilitarian functions. I like to think that the clients are the experts on the use of their property on the lake. So, in in many cases, clients will come and say, “Look, we’ve had this cottage in our family for a generation or or even two, and um now I’ve gotten more into boats and the old boat house is falling apart and so on.” So, they will let me know, do they need one or two slips? Do they have a boat and tips, for example? Are they coming in and out all day? um or are they sort of heading out for the day and and just out out on the water most of the time. So, we need to know the type of boats, the size of the boats, are we putting these on hydraulic lifts? Are you getting them right out of the water in the winter? Some people will just put on a bubbler, which we can talk about again later, and the ice will not freeze around the boat house, and you can keep your boats uh in the water on a slight lift, but now you can get your boat right off the water on a hydraulic lift. So, there’s a real function to what is the specification on your boat and how can we protect it and what what additional fun equipment do you have including jet skis but also canoes and rafts and and paddle boards, stand up paddle boards and and that that whole thing.
Now, second to that, people do like the idea of having a room or two or if they’re not permitted to do it on on the lake because these days constraints are getting tighter in a lot of places, at least having a sitting area. They like in when they have deep water, John, they like to have a walk out and they’ll actually dive off their their roof, like a flat roof into the deeper water and come back up with a on a ladder to a cabana. you can change, dry off. Sometimes there’s a refrigerator, sometimes there’s a little mini bar, there may be a kitchen. But also what’s happening now is they’ll ask for both they’ll ask for a little bit of deck area on the outside for suntanning, uh, relaxing and so forth. And they will actually take one of those bays, for example, in a three- bay boat house such as this, they’ll have two for the boats and then one as a sort of outdoor living room, which is in the boat house. So, you’re basically on the water, but now you’re covered from the elements. So, if it’s raining or it’s it’s starting to sprinkle outside, those warm summer uh rainstorms, you can still be having a great time and you’re sheltered. Another advantage too is with incorporating a living space into one of the bays is you can have mosquito screens dropping down and enclosing the space.
So you truly have an outdoor space. What to to answer your question? They’re starting with a utilitarian function based on the specifications of the boat, but they’re ending up with beautiful outdoor spaces that sometimes are the highlight of the property in their own right. You mentioned something, James, about a boat house being a good neighbor, and you’ve built everything from classic cedar shingled structures to sleek glass and metal retreats. I’m I’m curious, how does the landscape or cottage style influence those choices and what makes a good boat house neighbor? >> The first thing to look at is the scale of the structure. When we start to talk about design, thinking in terms of a story, a a story in height, a story and a half in height, I think people get into a little bit of trouble with their neighbors when they build a two-story boat house. And this is what people do with a tall peak roof on top of that with a third half story with dormers.
They’re expensive to build. There’s a lot of instructional engineering involved. And I would agree in those cases um you might not be a great neighbor your motor house might not be a great neighbor in most cases what I found is that a story with a half story above it meaning one full story for the boats and then a second story but the eve started at the first story. It’s the way to get to design and and create a structure that has the space that you need but is not over overbearing. So that is the one thing it’s the first thing is the scale. So story and a half is great and this will work with modern structures as well. The flat roof actually it helps in a lot of cases because you don’t have the additional peak. So, a flat roof with a little cabana on the second floor and and a trellus overlooking the lake probably isn’t as bad as a two or three story traditional structure, believe it or not. So, it’s the scale. The second thing, too, is some of the details, John, the little roofs, the little dormers, they visually or aesthetically they reduce the scale by limiting the amount of big open wall space.
So if you have a two-story box, guaranteed it’s going to make people upset if you have that on the lake. If you have story half and then you have dormers or walkouts or in the case of a modern modern build, just parts more parts to it. It breaks down the scale, doesn’t offend anyone, and it actually gives you a a boat house that has different parts functionally, too. It helps define the different parts of the of the the boat house. So you don’t have one big shoe box. You have your boats, you have some living space, maybe you have a little Belvadier or balcony. Uh it’s it’s a good way to design. >> Let’s talk permits and politics. Let’s go from the the spirit and style and craft of these boat houses to the uh the wet blankets, if you will. >> Sounds good. I’m hoping that the the the building inspector didn’t send you here because covertly see what what I will say. No, you know what? These days, John, everybody seems to be on on the same page. So, previously it was it is fairly uh easy to get a permit for a boat house on the lakes and a lot of people were uh cottage owners.
They were building over the existing footprint of a boat house on the lake, grandfathering the title so that they could they could um be in close proximity to the water. What happened over time is a lot of development there’s a lot of uh may have been a lot of development on certain lakes and the lake associations would look at it and um start to get concerned particular particularly about the [snorts] scale but just the idea of blocking views or changing the character of the lake. So what the official plans that the municipalities will use as a tool like they’re they set out the broad outline and you have to check this carefully.
Are they protecting sight lines of the lake? Are they preserving the character of the lake? And each municipality or township will then have rules in place which are their bylaws on how they deal with new development so that it doesn’t disturb those values. So in a lot of cases they started saying well any new structure has got to be back 60 ft. Well unless you want to dry dock if you want to drag your boat up the shore on a little rail little marine railway is not an ideal solution. >> Yeah. >> But this is how how things uh end up. So what I’ve done on projects because things have changed over time and on a lot of lakes you you cannot build the new boatouses. We we look at individual properties and are we maintaining the purpose and intent of the of the official plan. If we can show that we’re meeting some of the test rules in the plans and usually there there will be a guidelines like core guidelines on how to promote good development. We look at conditioning of existing structures. Are there safety reasons for the boat house? How far are the neighbors structures from the water? What is been built on particular lakes in the past? At the end of the day, it really depends on the individual property and you’re after good design. Good design is a process. It’s not a doesn’t come from a package or here’s a good boat house that they’ll like. It’s a matter of working uh with a zoning department, working with any stakeholders such as lake associations and just seeing what you can do that is promotes maintaining the quality the aesthetic quality of of the lake while respecting your rights as the individual property owner as well. We’ve been pretty successful with it, but it can be a pretty tough battle at times.
>> I can Yeah, I can absolutely see that. Especially because that it seems like that’s there’s a subjective interpretation of what the character of the lake is. >> That’s a good point >> because I mean I and I I’m assuming and you tell me like how much does design of a boat house go into maintaining the character of the lake? Well, it it’s a huge uh it’s a huge deal, John, and it takes a little bit of a knowledge of of what’s built on the lakes, but a bit of an open mind as well because again, surprisingly, a um a one-story boat house, single flip one-story boat house with a modern glass box on the second floor. lot of but using natural materials, Douglas fur, cedar, big overhangs. I I think in a lot of places that is going to going to have less impact than a traditional boat house, multiple stories, peak roofs, really steep roofs. Uh a lot of the little filigree carpentry and so on, you can build in a subtle way. And I promote like I I I think that it is good to take the more quiet approach to design first and things develop on their own like in these in these design projects.
Uh, John. So, I think just starting off simple, working out just the general massing, the height, the length, the depth, the materials, perhaps doing it in concert with somebody from the zoning department that you you might have good rapport with or couple of people from the community. It’s part of the design process. It’s not a product. So in some ways there’s less risk but more commitment required to you work towards a design that that is appropriate on your particular lake. Okay. So it sounds like it’s a collaborative effort between an architect, the zoning committee, the client, other um pieces and parts of the municipality. Do I have that right? >> Yeah, that that helps a lot, John. and why not get to know your neighbors if you don’t know them already. >> And um it’s not a competition. So in a lot of cases people they’ll they’ll come to me and uh I I I have had a very excellent track record on securing approvals. Now, having having said that, I I like to do it in a responsible way so that we’re actually um treating all stakeholders with with uh with concern and and and respect, of course.
So, why not get to know your neighbors? Find out what’s important to them. Is a particular sight line, can we set it back a bit, set something forward? Maybe a different material. Likewise, when you’re building your cottage, find out, you know, architecture is a social word. And a lot of the time, what we think are competitive factors, they’re actually the constraints are good to have. It’ll result in richer design, and I’m not talking about designing by committee or any of those cliches. It’s just hearing what people have to say because they have been on the lake. They do. we all mean well and it’s just helpful to expand the design process to involve uh different people just see what’s on their mind and and see if we can address it instead of instead of ignoring the cues the social cues not just the aesthetic cues but what are people telling us and and why are they saying it because they’ve seen it on the lease before and they’re they they want to know what to anticipate. >> Totally. Yeah. I mean, it it makes total sense to me because in interpreting maintaining the character of the lake, not only are you maintaining the aesthetic of, you know, maybe it’s building design, the shoreline, um, the environment, but but it’s also, like you mentioned, it’s the people that live there and it’s the people that make up the community and those need to be factored into that equation.
And so I think that you you you pointed out it’s not designed by committee, but it’s listening and embedding the design into the comm the fabric of the existing community. >> Yeah. And and John, I think there there is something true to like the the the character of a lake. Like if you’re if you’re on one of the big threes and your your neighbors uh have six bay boatouses and they they have expansive structure and all of that and sometimes they’ll have a a port for their plane like a little aerodyome and I mean that’s a whole different topic too. Then it may not be out of character to likewise because you may have those same requirements possibly for your project. So it’s not out of character to be on that lake. But if you were to put even a three- bay boat house with a second story on a small lake uh where most of the traffic on the lake are are um balloons swimming by and people and their their kayaks and you’re you’re really going against the character of the lake. And if if those are the things that you need, you know, are you on the right lake? like maybe you should find the lake where you are compatible and not uh upend everyone else’s peace of mind by just building the wrong uh structure for your lake.
Not to limit anyone, but stay in character with with the right location for your for your own um project. >> Awesome. So, um James, I I have a few questions. is I’m really curious about weather and storms and you how to make sure that these boat house structures which are built over the water, how do you make sure that they’re storm safe and how do you make sure that they’re they’re able to withstand extreme weather? the environmental requirements or challenges are more substantial uh when you have a very wholesome winter season which we have here and you have the the changing seasons. So what happens on uh on the water is that in the winter the ice will freeze and it will freeze around your boat house. Uh what the ice wants to do in the winter and early spring, it wants to heave and pull your boat house off the rock is basically what happens. And then in the spring when the ice is melting on some lakes, the bigger lakes, and I’ve seen this on Lake Musco, I’ve seen this particularly on Lake Simco on the east shore. There’s a lot of open water out there and these big sheets of ice will come in and they will literally come up the the shore and shear your your structure, your supporting structure for your boat house and your boat house will take a little trip up the shore toward your cottage. >> Wait. So So the these are like little like floating icebergs that come up and scrape alongside your boat house. >> Yeah. Yeah. And it it doesn’t take a lot, but this is what happens. So, in the winter, the solution has been on a lot of lakes.
Um, you’ll you’ll have a bubbler in the water and it it moves the water around the boat house so the ice isn’t freezing onto the pierce. Now, you got to make sure your backup generator is working all the time because if it’s not working, the bubbler stops, it’s going to freeze and it’s at some point it’s going to lift. And changing water levels will affect it. And a few years ago, a lot of the lakes like they’re part of their lakes, but they’re they’re on an ancient river system. That water is moving. It’s the Muskoka River that connects all these lakes. Likewise, in the Korthas, it’s a river system with lakes on it is is the true character of it. So there there’s moving water and in a lot of cases the water levels are controlled by dams. Over the last few years, water levels have come up on the lakes and there was huge amounts of damage on Lake Muskoka uh and other other lakes in in the system on Mary’s Lake up towards Huntsville, various places the water went up and down bringing the ice up and down. So you need to decouple from the ice. So that’s one thing.
And the engineering doesn’t solve the whole problem because when that ice comes up, it’s just it’s huge forces. And with the the way the weather’s been changing, earlier thaws, varying amounts of snow and ice accumulation, the weather has introduced a new wildcard factor here. The other big factor is on the big lakes, say on Lake Simco, we’ll design an ice breakers, believe it or not, so that when the ice sheets come in, they’re it’s going to split the ice. >> And you don’t see that on on the smaller lakes. But those are those are a couple factors. Your question was how does the how does the the the weather affect things in these environments there’s high weathering and now with more extreme climate events which we can get into into some detail. We can anticipate that over time uh exceptional extreme weather events happen and that that will will affect structures will affect the weathering of materials.
Previously on the boat houses, we had special urethane coatings over and incorporated into finishing paint and so forth. That’s not happening now, but there are new manufacturers that are out there, but we don’t know the performance of of their coatings now. So those beautiful protective coatings that we had on structures, they’re not there when the buildings weather because they’re in the wind and they are in the sun and the rain and the snow, uh they are more uh subject to weathering. Likewise, there’s new cladding materials. They’re not all proven though. And if we haven’t seen the way they perform in the weather over five or six or seven seasons, we don’t know what to expect. And we really have to go back and look at warranties, look at the materials that we’re specifying, and it could be a whole other topic. Changing weather, the effect that the more extreme environment is going to have on your cottages, on on boatouses, and what insurance companies will no longer cover. >> Oh, that’s a good point.
>> So, it’s a good question, John. I hope I answered it in the the I answered in a roundabout way why way, but I think I’m answering your question. >> Well, no, it it’s it’s a great point. So, it sounds like ice is a huge factor in that. It sounds like the shoreline the wa the water level sea or the water level rising on lakes um is and then the combination of those two seems to be the biggest things and that’s impacting the kinds of material that you use how you go about engineering the structures. Are there any other considerations like have you noticed any regulations change over the years based on that? It’s getting harder to deny that these are having a at least like an annual effect on on on what we’re doing out in the field. >> For example, the standard for building is is is pretty straightforward and it’s prescribed in the in the building code. That doesn’t mean that that’s the ultimate standard. It’s a basic standard. Now, um there aren’t super specific requirements on on the building of the boatous or fire retardant materials.
Now, if you’ve seen the media up here in the summer and we’re we’re building in North Korea Township, uh you would not believe how dry the bush was up there. Everything had gone yellow. Like once you started getting uh past Buckhorn towards Zapsley, everything was bone dry up there >> and like tinder dry. The grass was yellow. It hadn’t rained for a month at least. Very hot temperatures and uh they had fire bands and with huge pines. Now, it’s it’s not a joke at all. Now, under those conditions, no rain, uh just unseasonably hot temperatures every summer. Now, it’s correct that um somebody tossing a cigarette in into the bush or careless use of equipment or somebody shooting a fireworks, it can create fires of hundreds of thousands of of acres.
And there were in fact fires that were very hard to put out. What this means for us now is when we’re building and you’re investing like when you’re investing into your cottage or boat house. I mean that’s a substantial investment and we want things to last. And as I go along I’m I’m realizing myself it’s not enough anymore just to build and to have the wood siding and the regular windows. Like we have to anticipate there could be forest fires. There could be grass fires up there. There could be extreme wind. We had ice storms in the last few years. Well, in the same location in the in the same part of cottage country there last winter, ice storms where most of the branches on the trees were were just broken all over the place.
You would not believe it. So, we need to start thinking about how we build and further protect the structures because insurance companies increasingly they’re they’re not going to ensure what they consider acts of God. And these are becoming more common. It’s not just the occasional thing now. Now, it’s a design consideration. So, yeah, I’d be surprised if our viewers aren’t going to be feeling the effects of ice storms, dry conditions leading like fire bands and so forth. We need to build in a smarter way. >> Well, James, I think that is the perfect teaser for our next episode, which will be about climate resilient cottage design. So, if you’re listening to this and you’re interested in how to do that, how to design your cottage to be resilient against more extreme weather and changing climates, definitely tune in for that episode. James, this has been a great conversation.
I learned a ton about boatouses that I didn’t know going into this, so I’m sure that our listeners out there uh felt the same. For folks that are listening to this, uh, you have a build your dream home design guide and, uh, that is available at lakesidearchchitecture.ca. Do you want to take a minute, James, to explain to the viewers what that dream home guide is? >> I’ve spoken to countless people, people living on the lakes, people interested in building, people with various concerns, and um, and there’s a lot of media out there. like you can go online and look at ideas and dream about your dream, but to bring it together, it really requires a focus on your own particular requirements. And in the past, I’d encourage clients to have their scrapbook.
And I and I still do, but we should also we we developed a guide that asks a lot of the questions that will help focus those efforts to pull together the scrapbook. just ideas about um budget, what’s reasonable to spend on construction? Um do we build over build over the existing? Do we renovate? Do we build new? What kind of layouts do we like? How many bedrooms? Do we want our living room to face the water? Do we want the kitchen? Are you talking to your guests? Do you entertain a lot? Do you want to face them or do you want to face the view or do you want to face away from it and keep those views open? There’s a thousand and1 questions and you as the the owners and the clients, you’re the experts. We provide this as a way to draw out your own knowledge.
So, I encourage them to uh get online and to get a hold of of that uh book as a as a guide. Also, encourage viewers to get on to our website. It’s lakesidearchchitecture.ca. and has his latest projects including very interesting modern cottage projects currently under construction and to um benefit from what’s being built ideas that other people are having. We’re sharing them online and that’s the way to get uh things started. There is a scene out there and that scene is a scene that your viewers are going to be part of. Let’s learn from uh what’s out there. >> Excellent. So, the design your dream home guide available at lakesidearch architecture.ca. Those reflection questions will help you maybe think differently and think of it from a new perspective on how to design your dream lakeside cottage. Uh well, James, this has been an excellent episode. Thank you so much for your insights and we’ll see you next time on Build the Unbuildable. >> Thanks, John. It’s been a pleasure. Thank you everyone for watching.
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