Thousands of people who own beautiful lakeside cottages will tell you that owning the place is fun, but a ton of work. If this is your experience, or if you want to avoid being overwhelmed by a cottage that you plan to build or renovate,  you’ve come to the right place. It’s all too common to see people bite off way too much when it comes to owning a seasonal home by the lake or in the countryside. This problem is made worse by the desire to create “natural” looking structures. The right kind of appearance is vitally important for keeping rural areas looking and feeling right, but it also means you might be pulling out your hair in a few years because of all the maintenance work you’ve created for yourself by going “natural”. This is where easy keeper building strategies can help, as you’ll see.

cottage on the lake

I custom-cut the decorative white cedar shingles before working them into the gable end of this tiny house.
I custom-cut the decorative white cedar shingles before working them into the gable end of this tiny house.

This Trex composite decking was retrofitted over an old wooden deck. Synthetic deck lumber relieves a huge amount of maintenance work from cottage properties
This Trex composite decking was retrofitted over an old wooden deck. Synthetic deck lumber relieves a huge amount of maintenance work from cottage properties

This aluminum soffit and fascia is a powerful way to reduce finishing and refinishing from a ladder. Sun and rain are very hard on wood surfaces, and this is why aluminum makes so much sense in this application.
This aluminum soffit and fascia is a powerful way to reduce finishing and refinishing from a ladder. Sun and rain are very hard on wood surfaces, and this is why aluminum makes so much sense in this application.

Decks are nice but covered porches like this one are much better. You get all the benefits of a deck, plus shelter, shade and longer life for windows and doors
Decks are nice but covered porches like this one are much better. You get all the benefits of a deck, plus shelter, shade and longer life for windows and doors.

Decks are nice but covered porches like this one are much better. You get all the benefits of a deck, plus shelter, shade and longer life for windows and doors[/caption]

Small is beautiful when it comes to cottages and summer homes. Easier to finance and easier to maintain, small places are also more in keeping with the landscape of cottage country
Small is beautiful when it comes to cottages and summer homes. Easier to finance and easier to maintain, small places are also more in keeping with the landscape of cottage country

cozy cabin online course

Portable power inverter on truck bed.
Learn hand plane techniques and tips for woodworking.
Simple legal generator connection guide.
Aerial view of large fabric structure unloading site.

I hope you found this content useful!

Your generous support helps me produce more practical, hands-on content that I hope you’ll find useful.

Steve Maxwell

Similar Posts