Kosh Lake Cottage

This cottage was designed and built based on some very definitive needs and wishes. The existing cottage had a serious problem with wetness and mold in the basement. The living space was not setup to entertain friends and family, as well the building needed lots of repairs. To eliminate problems we decided to build new.

The first of which was to ensure that the new basement was dry. Upon removal of the old cottage, we noticed that water was running over the sloped rock towards the lake right under the basement. We laid out 3 to 4 times more Big “O” drain pipe and lots of crushed gravel around the foundation and under the concrete floor for the water to flow underneath.

Our next job was to design a modest sized floor plan which met certain criteria; well laid out for entertaining guests and offering a private retreat for the owner. The master bedroom and ensuite are on the opposite side of the cottage from the entertaining rooms.  The other side of the cottage has the great room, large kitchen with peninsula, dining, sunroom and deck grouped together providing a great flow between inside and outside living spaces. A loft and 2 bedrooms where added to the second floor. Building up was preferable as our building envelope had tight restraints on all sides:  water front, side yard setbacks, hydro line at the back of the cottage.

Having a low maintenance cottage, built with quality, yet modest materials within budget was important. The exterior was attractively finished with 40 year shingles, aluminum soffit & fascia, vinyl siding, vinyl windows and cultured stone accents. All exterior wood elements are pressure treated Sienna which give the look of stained pine or cedar at a fraction of the cost.

The color scheme and furnishings of the cottage were put together by Lakeshore Designs. Buchanan Kitchen & Bath designed and installed the kitchen and bathroom vanities. The kitchen had to maintain the entertainment theme by being open and easily accessible to the other areas of the cottage. The entertainment system, climate control and a camera security system are all smart phone and web connected which was important to the owner. To house all the electronics, we made a custom vented cabinet with space below for helmets and gloves as the owner is an avid snowmobiler.