Designing Your Vacation Home

Designing your Vacation Home Designing your dream vacation home – a cottage or cabin – is such an exciting experience. You’ve been planning it in your mind for years. The time is finally here and you are ready to start planning your new vacation home. There are several things to consider when designing or building a cottage that can be different than a home. The Actual Physical Building Process Building in cottage country is often quite different than in normal city or rural conditions. The foundation being the biggest difference. Many cottages have foundations that need to be carved into granite rock or adjusted because of the water levels. Water and Septic Systems Most cottage areas do not have a sewer and water hook up. This means that you will need to install a septic tank to replace the standard sewer hookup.  The two most common water options will be a well, or taking water from the lake and setting up a filtration system to make the water drinkable.  You will need space for a tile bed or holding tank and space inside the cottage for a water filter and filtration system. Layout and Function Many people believe that the layout for a home and cabin are interchangeable. Cottages are where people like to invite family and friends to come out and stay at the cabin for a weekend. For this reason, bedrooms may be laid out differently. Most of the time guests are living out of a suitcase.  Sometimes with more people staying at a cottage it might be worthwhile to build in some extra sleeping space such as a built-in bunk beds. Another aspect to consider with cottage layout is the types of activities that you will be doing at the cottage. For example, if you are planning on snowmobiling or skiing you will need someplace to take off snowsuits and put snowmobile helmets. You may want to add some space in your entry way for this. Many people like to relax, read, do puzzles, or play games at the cottage. A Muskoka room is a great solution for these types of activities. Regardless of what intentions you have for your cottage it’s important to work with a builder who understands the cottage building process and can walk you through that process to make your cottage a dream come true.