Six pitfalls to avoid, don't let them be part of your home building story!!

Every Buyer of a new cottage property wants the story to end with, "they moved in and lived happily ever after". Unfortunately, not every new cottage project ends on such a high note, and the plot line can read more like a cautionary tale — "If only the Buyers had done this or done that, all would have ended well!" Here are six such subplots — don’t let them be part of your cottage building story!

1. The Cottage Property Buyers didn’t spend enough time figuring out what they wanted. Nothing is worse than to walk through a nearly completed cottage and realize that it isn’t what you wanted. The only way to avoid such a heartbreaking scenario is to figure out what your want before you sign the contract and start construction. The dissatisfaction is rarely a big picture issue such as the bedroom count or the office space you need because you’ve decide to establish a cottage-based business.

The problem is the little things - every cottage is the sum of a thousand details! To get exactly what you want in your new cottage you need to be attuned to the needs of daily life as well as the bedroom count. Go through every room in your current cottage (or a friend's) and note the pluses and minuses. For example, if your current cottage is 40 to 50 years old and has never been remodeled, storage is likely to be a big issue and a big minus. The single bathroom shared by all the bedrooms will predate bulk purchases of toilet paper, an extensive collection of body and hair-care products and a blow dryer - so you’re already at your wits end trying to store these things. If you have athletes in your house, you may have sports equipment constantly underfoot and want a place to keep these as well.

As you assess where you live now, start a "must-have" list, a"would-like" list, and a"marginal" list to help you prioritize the features you would like to have in your new cottage. The list will change and your priorities will fluctuate as you start to visit builders' models and see the many possibilities. Eventually, though, you’ll have to make some agonizing choices--no one, not even Bill Gates, can afford everything! While you go back and forth, some of your choices may be pricey finishes or more space. Should you get it now or add it later? As a general rule, changing the finishes a few years later is easily done, but adding on space such as a "Muskoka Room" will be more costly and much more disruptive because you may be living in the cottage while the work is going on.

2. The Cottage Property Buyers didn’t choose a builder with enough care. You may be agonizing over those countertops, but choosing your builder is the single most important decision that you will make in your new home project. A great design, fabulous views and exquisite materials can never compensate for poor workmanship, mushrooms on the windowsill or a leaky roof.

When you have nailed down price range, location and floor plan and narrowed your list to one or two builders, check out their bona fides and don’t get seduced by price. You want the best cottage you can afford, not the cheapest one or the biggest one for the money. The first question to ask is: 'How long have you been in business?'. Developing the requisite expertise, 'skin as thick as an elephant’s hide', and the ability to act with grace under pressure generally takes about three years, but five will produce a more seasoned man. Many cottagebuilders start out as carpenters and site superintendents, but the managerial and business skills needed of a professional builder are equally important and these don’t come overnight! The second question should be: 'How long has the firm has been building in your market?'. Delivering a cottage on time and on budget requires a reliable network of material suppliers and subcontractors, and this takes about two years to establish. This holds true whether the firm is based in your area or just entering your market.

If you are considering an out-of-Muskoka builder, you’ll need to check the track record of that firm in your market, even if it has been building there for several years. The national firms are comprised of semi-autonomous divisions and quality can vary. Your aunt may have gotten a great house in Toronto, but the firm may not be doing so well in Muskoka - where you want to build.

Next, get feedback from some of the builders’ recent customers by spending several weekend afternoons talking with people already living in the communities you are considering. Ask them about their experiences, both during construction and after they moved in. Every new cottage will have things that require adjustment and you don’t want your first year to be marred by irritating noises or a shower door that won’t stay shut. If you want to be really thorough, visit several projects built by the same builder that are several years old and talk with the owners.

The other group a builder must please are his subcontractors, so ask for a list of the main ones from firms that you are considering—the framer/carpenter, the electrician, lumber supplier, plumber, electrician, and the heating and air conditioning man--and contact them. Ask each one if he’s satisfied with the builder’s payment performance and how long they’ve worked together. If the builder and subcontractor have a long history, that’s a good sign. Not only does it attest to the builder’s reliability, it also speaks to the quality of his houses—no builder has a long-term relationship with a sub that does bad work. Conversely, if the builders’ relationship with his subs and suppliers are all short term, it may indicate that he’s money driven - not quality or consumer-driven.

3. The Cottage Property Buyers did not read the sales contract and did not have it vetted by a real estate attorney. Many misunderstandings between purchasers and builders arise because the Buyers didn’t read the sales contract and understand its terms. Careful study of the model is not sufficient because the only things that are binding on the builder are the terms written in the contract - which may afford the cottage builder enormous latitude! For example, "the cottage will be substantially similar to the model" may mean that the doors, windows and even walls could be in a different location than in the cottage model or as shown in the builders' sales brochures.

4. The Cottage Property Buyers didn’t get all the promises of the sales agent and builder in writing. If the promises are not written down in a contract addendum, the builder is not obliged to deliver.

5. The Cottage Property Buyers didn’t hire an inspector until construction of the house was already completed. Hiring an inspector at the end of the project is not in itself a bad idea since you are unlikely to crawl around the roof and discover there’s no chimney flashing. But other problems, such as a foundation issue, are more likely to be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction if they are discovered at the time and relatively little has to be ripped out to make the necessary repair. To get the maximum benefit of an inspector, hire one before construction starts so that they can check at important points along the way.

6. The Cottage Property Buyers didn’t stick around during construction. Once you chose a builder, sign the contract and are ready to break ground, don’t expect to take off for a six-month cruise, returning just in time to move in. The unexpected will happen more than once, and you need to be available. You may also find that once your cottage goes up and you can see it in three dimensions you want to make a change, and you can’t make those kinds of decisions by e-mail or over a cell phone.

Jim & Iris Gardiner have built a number of new cottages over the last few years. We are available to our clients to provide free advice at any time during the construction process.