If you are putting in new docks or a new swim deck, consider adding a sloped section for water skiers and swimmers.

As you can see in the picture, a sloped section on the end of the dock makes it a lot easier for you to get into the water.

This section can be solid or it can be hinged, to move up and down as the water levels change throughout the season.

Friday night we have a wonderful dinner with our friends in their recently completed cottage. Naturally we wanted a tour so that we accumulate designideas and see all the new technology.

We were amazed by the sound system, which was totally invisible in many rooms. In the picture above, I am showing you one of the walls in the kitchen where the speakers are positioned. Can you see them?

These speakers are built into the wall, and then they have a skim of drywall over them, so that they are totally invisible. What a great idea!

We were also pleased to hear that all this equipment was purchased locally in Bracebridge. It is our understanding that they can also be used in renovations, as they can be easily retrofitted into the wall.

Muskoka is known for its collection of beautiful boathouses. A tour around the lakes will enable you to see all shapes, sizes and usesfor theseinteresting structures. On Lake Rosseau there are even four sail boat boathouses. One of the fabulous boathouses pictured above is new construction and the other one is a gorgeous example of Muskoka’s built heritage.

Building a boathouse is a very exciting but costly venture. You want all the advice and ideas that you can get when making design and construction decisions. We have collected hints and tips from Architects, Builders, and Owners of single storey and two storey boathouses, and compiled them into a Special Report for your use.

Did you know that if youuse 6×6 timberswith the bottom plateon your boathouse, it is much easier and less costly to jack the boathouse up in order to repair the dock tops, when it comes time to do that.

Consider having double doors on both sides of your boathouse to allow easy access for all the large items you use and store insidethe boathouse.

To receive these and many other ideas, email us to receive a complimentary copy of this Special Report. thelma@royallepage.ca

If you have hints that you would like to share, or questions you would like to ask about about boathouse construction, double click on the title and scroll down to the place where you can type.

Here are5simple things you can do to ensure you have a successfullyproductive initial meeting with your architect. I thank Architect Kevin Crozier forsomeinput in helping me to prepare this list.

1. Collect an Idea Portfolio

Go through magazines, either pulling out or marking pages that have pictures that appeal to you. The most comprehensive portfolios would have pictures in each of a number of categories, such as Exterior Appearance, Kitchen Ideas, Bathroom Ideas, Landscape Ideas, Window Ideas, Flooring Ideas and so on. However if you do not have time to make an extensive collection, any pictures you provide will be extrememly helpful.

These photos will help to inform the Architect of the flavour and scope of your project and of your tastes.

2. Point Form List

Create a point form list of some of theuses that you want your new cottage to fulfill. This list could include things like thenumber offamily or guestswho would normally be using it, and thetypes ofrequirements you have for dining, entertaining, solitary activities, and recreation.

Through work and discussion with your architect, this list may change dramatically, however an initiallist to get the ball rolling and open topics for discussion makes your meeting progress more efficiently. It is more productive to specify sleeping needs, rather than to specify the number of bedrooms, for instance, as your Architect may be able to plan multiple use spaces for you, thusmaximizing your construction dollar.

3. Information to Collect

Take a copy of your survey, the legal description, tax roll number and address, as well as photographs of your property to show, give/loan to your Architect. The more information you provide, the more constructive your time withyour Architectwill be.

4. Realistic Budget

It is important to know in advance what your budget will be. Your Architect will front load the building costs by designing with your budget in mind.

Some people make the mistake of telling their Architect a much lower price than they are actually prepared to spend. This can result in a cottage that costs more money than it could be resold for, as a result of the design not reflecting the expense. For instance there is a cottage that has nearly two million dollars invested in it,yet ithas a very tiny master bedroom suite, not reflecting the lifestyle of the type of purchaser who would have this much money to spend. This is because the owners almost doubled their budget during the construction phase, on a structure that was not designed on this scale.Was the money wellspent? The designshould ideally reflect the expenditure, if your money is to be wisely invested.

Other people make the mistake of choosing designfeatures that far exceed their budget. This results in ’shock and awe’ when the construction cost is revealed, and disappointment when the projecthas to beseverely scaled back to a realistic cost. Your Architect should be advising you, all the way along in the design process, the relative cost of your plans.

It pays to be totally honest and realistic about your budget with your Architect.

5. Open Your Mind

This is the last, but possibly the most important, part about getting your money’s worth from your use of a talented Architect.

An Architect is trained to creatively design a structure that meets your needs, while it reflects your tastes. If you are too prescriptive with your Architect, you are not maximizinghis/her talent to create something that is uniquely yours.

A custom designed cottage should looklike what you have always dreamed of, and should ‘live’ inthe unique way that matches the needs of your family and friends. Be prepared tomull overnew ideas that your Architect suggests, before you reject them in favour of what is familiar or traditional to you. In the end youmust approve all design decisions, and your cottage will be built as you want to to be built;but keeping an open mind will allow you to explore new possibilities andwill result inthe best design possible.

If you would like to comment or to add some of your own experiences, please double click on the title and then scroll down until you see the spot where you can write.