As you can see from this home, design is much more than a floor plan. This lakeside weekend home was designed to withstand strong westerly winds that howl across this open section of Sparrow Lake.

The home is literally anchored to the bedrock and and has thick concrete walls from this rock all the way to the peak, containing almost 3 kilometers of rebar!

The glass in the German engineered, tilt-turn windows is virtually unbreakable and the entry door is protected with a tempered steel gate.

Once again, design aside, two important factors that all other decisions were made around were not compromised. It was the desire of the homeowner to have a home that lasted for a minimum of 300 years and that over this time period, the maintenance be as low as possible.

Concrete walls clad with granite, tiled decks, an aluminum roof and glass railings one half inch thick were some of the materials specified in order to achieve the customers goals.

What we would like to leave you with is the message that the cost of a new home should not be only what the initial build cost is. The real cost is the “lifetime cost” of the home which includes the maintenance cost on an ongoing basis. Good design, specifications and materials choices will achieve the goal of low lifetime cost.

CedarCoast home on YouTube

Pat joined John Kerr, the organizer of the 2nd Annual, Muskoka Carving Event and a mother/daughter chainsaw carving team on City TV’s Breakfast Television February 10, 2011.

CedarCoast is a sponsor of this two day event; Feb. 18/19th. Eighteen carvers will be ‘at work’ displaying their best during the show.

In the photo, Pat is being interviewed by Dina, one of the two BT hosts. Photo courtesy of BT staff.

Show video can be accessed at:
BT show video
Scroll to near the end of the show.

So your family is together over the holidays or you think you will have some extra time to dream.

Why not start thinking about your new home or cottage! You know, the ideal place you will design and build sometime over the next two, five, maybe 10 or more years.

But how should you get started. We all seem to have a good idea how our perfect home or cottage will look and feel. However, the ideas are all in our heads, not down on paper where they can easily be shared and developed.

The last thing you need is another stressful task. So here is an easy way to begin this process whether you will develop the design on your own or whether you wish to involve your extended family or close friends. At CedarCoast, we have found the key to be: KEEP THE PROCESS FUN. It is tough to be creative when you start out stressed!

Two important suggestions to keep in mind to support the creative process and have fun:

Firstly, throw out all of the floor plans you have collected. They are of little use at best and often promote a design concept that is inappropriate to your situation, building site or budget.

Secondly, don’t censor your ideas at this stage. You may have an idea in your head you feel will be too costly to implement. Write it down anyway; a design professional can often suggest alternate approaches, ultimately producing the look you want by other means or with less costly materials. And, don’t worry about seemingly conflicting suggestions; it will all work out.

3D design can help you flush out the architectural design details

THE TASK. List all of the rooms in your new home or vacation retreat. Don’t forget storage spaces, utility rooms or mudrooms.  Treat living spaces outside your home such as decks, patios or walkways the same way. Once listed, write the name of each ‘room’ on the top of a separate page.

Next, answer five questions about each room.

Who will use this room?

What furniture do I picture in this living space?

What should this room feel like?

What do I need to store in this space?

And, What would I like to see from the window?

Leave these lists close by where you can add to them whenever you picture yourself walking around and living in your virtual home. Beyond the five questions listed, jot down anything that comes to mind for each room. You can download our list from our website at http://www.cedarcoasthomes.com/smartplan.php.

Be as specific or general as you want to be. Use your own words. Importantly, at this stage, only concern yourself with questions easily answered. This is about getting the ideas important to you and how you wish to live down on paper. You will be amazed at how quickly your new home or vacation retreat starts to take shape.

Email us for assistance anytime at info@cedarcoasthomes.com. Look for the next design blog in the series. Happy Holidays and have fun.

Area Rugs Rolling Up The Hill

The temperature started out at -18C and climbed to a balmy -12C. The boat was frozen into ice thick enough to walk on! About a foot of snow needed to be shoveled off of the boathouse dock and steep path to the cottage.

CedarCoast designed, manufactured and acted as project manager for this 4,000 square foot vacation retreat; a hand-peeled, Douglas fir, post & beam structure (http://www.cedarcoasthomes.com/photogallery/handpeeled_interior.php).

December in Ontario; We're almost finished

It is amazing how much fun cottage construction can be!

Author of “The Not So Big House” books, Sarah Susanka, explains it in terms of scale and comfort, stating that many people just build more and more rooms to accommodate all possible needs. “Instead of thinking about the quality of spaces we live in, we tend to focus on quantity. But a house is so much more than its size and volume, neither of which has anything to do with comfort.” http://www.notsobighouse.com/

Apply this to the cottage, and this is where CedarCoast applies flexible space design. The cottage below was designed with a large outdoor covered area for relaxing, dining and entertaining.

Douglas Fir Log Post & Beam Cottage, Sudbury

If rooms have flexible uses then it will better accommodate ballooning guests when required. For example, if the screened porch is appropriately designed, it will accommodate both a dining table and a sitting area, making it a second “great room” for most of the summer months.  At the cottage, the balance of indoor space and outdoor space, such as porches, decks and docks is important and provides the flexibility needed at a cottage. We have also designed cedar sauna’s that double as sleeping bunkies.

But what to do on a rainy day? That is where a well designed cottage is appreciated. A hallway with a window seat becomes a great reading space; a loft becomes a cozy spot for games or computer time for the kids; a bedroom with an alcove is great for an office; a well designed kitchen with large eating bar will always be suitable for entertainment and socializing.

Most people begin by thinking about their cottage design in terms of bedrooms, bathrooms and the living area, but indoor and outdoor flexible spaces are equally important especially at the cottage and should not be overlooked.

The design team at CedarCoast Timber Homes incorporates many design standards for homes, cottages and other building types and future blogs will touch on some of the standards we have developed. For more information, visit our website at www.cedarcoasthomes.com

Douglas fir 'Free of Heart Centre' timbers

When you visit the Cottage Life Show booth to pick up your swag, get a close look at and experience the quality of these timbers; then come by and visit us in Hall 3, booth 1447. Cottage Life show dates and times are listed at: http://www.cottagelife.com/index.php?ci_id=4344&la_id=1

See you there!

We will rely on the collective lifetime experiences of all our staff as well as inviting other experts in the industry for input from time to time. We believe this interaction will provide valuable insight regardless of the type of home you wish to build.

At CedarCoast Homes, Best Practices means building a home that:

• is well designed to suit the property as well as the occupants
• is professionally managed during the entire construction process
• is easier to maintain
• has aesthetically pleasing interior and exterior finishing
• is more accessible to all individuals regardless of physical abilities
• is safer and healthier to live in due to sound construction practices and material choices
• has increased longevity
• is more environmentally responsible
• is a more comfortable home which is a pleasure to live in, share and enjoy

As the blog’s content builds, you will find pictures and helpful video clips demonstrating important construction details, solutions to problems that are often ignored and a sneak peek inside some of our homes.

We encourage you to visit often and engage in the comments on the various topics.

Upcoming topics include:

• Lowering your building budget without compromising quality
• Accessible design to meet the needs of physically challenged owners or visitors
• Saving energy – it starts with a well designed house
• Planning your Smart Home System
• Designing for family ‘fun space’ at the cottage

Please check back before the end of November and we promise you won’t be disappointed.