W“The thought of not having a cottage was a little too much to bear,” says

Price, who grew up on Cumberland Bay near Port Sandfield. He worked at Clevelands House and belonged to the Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club. As a youngster, he frequently visited his grandparents at their Lake Joseph cottage, where his aunt, uncle and cousins gathered each summer. “We’ve always had a place up here,” he says.” We spent every summer here.”

Price and his wife, Alba, live in Oakville. A national account executive with The Hershey Company, he found his new cottage site on a rocky, wooded lot, overlooking Little Lake Joseph. With its sheltered waters, the lake is a great place to wakeboard or water ski. The property is steep. It rises high above the lake, the panoramic view framed by tall hardwoods. “It was hard to see what Don saw when we first went to the lot that rainy day in April, 2008, “ says Alba. “Not many people are as creative as Don, but once the cottage started to take form I could see what he was trying to do.”

With the help of his father, Donald Price Sr., Don designed his new cottage, with its white pine log walls and cedar shingle gables, using models from Colonial Concepts, a log home manufacturer, based in Lindsay. “We kind of tore them all apart and put bits and pieces of each model together to come up with our own creation,” says Don.

BY WALTER FRANCZYKPHOTOGRAPHY BY SANDY MACKAY

When Don Price sold his family’s cottage on Lake Rosseau, he didn’t wait long to build another.

A LOFTYPERCH

Continued on page 36

Built of pine logs with cedar shingle gables, the new 2,500 sq. ft. home commands a steep slope over the lake. LEFT: Don Price relaxes with Tanner on the patio of his Little Lake Joseph cottage.

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ABOVE: Illuminated by northern light, the great room has a great view accessed through french doors to a cantilevered deck. RIGHT: The foyer offers a warm Muskoka welcome. FAR RIGHT: Alba Price sourced local stores for the decorative accents that lend country charm to the great room.

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Maple cabinets by Thomasville Cabinetry and countertops of Pompeii Italian granite by Maple Terrazo Marble & Tile furnish the central kitchen.

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Evergreen Home and Cottage built the new home. “Evergreen did a terrific job,” says Don. Crews erected the 2,500 sq. ft. building in about seven months. The main floor master bedroom has an en suite bathroom and double doors that open to an intimate, screened deck with a fireplace and lake view. The double-sided fireplace also warms the great room with its high pine ceilings, dining area and open concept kitchen. A cantilevered deck projects from the main floor. It overlooks the lake and another, lower and larger deck accessed from the basement. A second-floor loft holds two more bedrooms. Installed by Gravenhurst Plumbing, Heating & Electric, geothermal heat, using four 150 ft. wells, keeps the cottage toasty on cold days. The lake provides the water supply. Downstairs, in the basement, is another stone fireplace and a games room with a custom pine bar, built-in sink and refrigerator.

“It was quite the endeavour to build this home here,” says Evergreen’s production manager Brian Gilbert. Crews worked through the winter, typically starting their day by shovelling about two feet of snow off the site. Building the cottage into the side of a cliff was difficult. “I enjoy challenges,” Gilbert says. “The most challenging part of the build was the complexity of its location – taking what seemed to most people an unusable building spot and turning it into the very desirable location that it is now.” Evergreen worked with Fowler Construction Ltd. for the earth works and Lake Dalrymple Contracting on the foundation. They essentially built two basements, one atop the other, with the lower one filled as a base for the upper one that provides living space and supports the home’s upper floors. Don says Gilbert was on site every day and never more than a phone call away. “He treated it like it was his own.”

Evergreen Power Ltd. did the electrical work while Gravenhurst Plumbing, Heating & Electric handled mechanical components. Orillia

Early morning sunlight warms the ground floor master bedroom. BOTTOM: The screened porch off the master bedroom is Alba’s favourite room. OPPOSITE: A coastal theme and glowing fire make the porch a peaceful spot for morning coffee. Continued on page 38

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Drywall installed the drywall and Donny B’s Painting finished the cottage interior and exterior. “He did a fantastic job,” says Don. Les Foley Construction erected the pie-shaped steel dock that can moor up to six boats. Bartlett Tree Experts tree-scaped the property.

Fowler excavated and landscaped the site. “The landscaping was a challenge for Fowler, to say the least, but I think they did a great job with the patios. There’s a lot of different areas to sit, so you don’t have to sit on top of someone else if you want some time to yourself,” Don says. Just as Fowler finished the landscaping, there was a torrential weekend rainstorm. “A lot of

the landscaping washed down the hill so we have a sandy beach now,” Price laughs. The washout, however, showed how the property drained. “Once they knew that, they knew exactly where the water wanted to go,” says Price. “They came back and fixed it and we haven’t had a problem since.”

Alba took charge of decorating. She sourced local shops, Muskoka Living Interiors, Barrons and The Upper Loft, for creative elements, lamps, pillows and accents. Some interior furniture, which belonged to Don’s late mother, Donna, came from Pioneer Handcraft Furniture. Muskoka Chair Company crafted the exterior furniture.

Down the hall from the bedrooms, a quiet sitting area in the loft is

furnished with antique desks collected by Don’s mother. TOP LEFT: A guest

bedroom is tucked under the steeply-sloped ceiling. TOP RIGHT: The

second, larger upstairs bedroom has an en suite bathroom.

Continued on page 40

Les Foley Construction705.687.4322lesfoleyconstruction@bellnet.ca www.lesfoleysteeldocks.ca

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Alba’s favourite room is the screened deck off the master bedroom. “I tried to decorate it with a coastal, seaside theme using a lot of seashells, starfish and candles,” she says. “It is very peaceful and relaxing to sit in there with your morning coffee.”

The great room’s double-sided, stone fireplace is one of Don’s favourite features. “You can enjoy the fire from both sides of the cottage,” says Don, who also likes the high ceilings, the loft and the finished basement with its walkout and deck. They all make this lakeside retreat something he and Alba treasure and enjoy as often as possible. “It gives you a chance to get away from your everyday life in the city. When you’re up here it’s like a whole other world. You have different sets of friends and different routines. It’s a nice way to break up your work week,” he says.

Would he do this again? Don says he’s always looking for other lots in Muskoka. “Maybe not so steep a build next time,” he laughs. “But I’d pull the same team together and we’d see what we could create. Remember, your mind is like a parachute, it only works when it’s open.” OH

RIGHT: A meandering staircase with 71 steps descends from the cottage to the lakeshore. BELOW: The

basement games room is serviced with a custom pine bar, complete with a built-in refrigerator and sink.

Exceptional client experience. On budget, on time.1-866-846-9254 • www.evergreenhomeandcottage.com

a builder and renovator you can trust.

EVR-109 Our Homes Feature 5/10/11 2:15 PM Page 1

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