Page 84 - Dockside Magazine Muskoka, Summer/Fall 2018

COTTAGE STAGES Additions don’t have to take place all at once
Cottaging in modern Muskoka usually means having a quality
dock, boathouse, deck and large enough main building
to entertain friends. And no cottage is complete without the room named for Muskoka: a Muskoka room is essential.
Older cottage owners didn’t always feel the same way,
though. Structures that date back decades, or even
a century, may not even have a Muskoka room, let alone other features we now consider essential.
But, you don’t have to break the bank addressing all the needs at once. Take your time and plan out each phase of your additions and
renovations, says Jim Hayter of JH Renovations.
This was the scenario with a client who owned land with an existing cottage which was built in the 1920s.
“The original cottage was in rough shape; we had a lot of work to do to bring it back to life,” says Jim. “But, the
results are wonderful for the owner and for us. We are really proud of our work, especially projects like this.”
The project started with the existing cottage, doubling the space through an extensive addition and renovation.
Jim and his team refreshed the original building and blended
in a new three-story building – with finished basement – to create 1,800-square feet of cottage space for the owners to entertain friends and family. For aesthetic purposes they wanted to keep some of the unique features, including an old stone fireplace. Carefully and skillfully connecting the roof lines, JH Renovations made two structures into one.
Delighted with the results and the process, the owners once again called on JH Renovations to build their boathouse and decking before enlisting the team to create a Muskoka room.
Jim Hayter of JH Renovations
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS THWAITES