Haliburton Lake House Re-build

A lakeside family cottage built with love

At Gilbert + Burke, we love telling stories with our builds — and this Haliburton lake house build was no different. This lake house cottage was built on a tiny lot with tons of family history, and it was our job to make this special retreat spacious enough for multiple families and aging parents… all the while telling a new story. The new cottage, which was laid on the site of a family-owned cottage built in the 1950’s, features huge, lake-level windows for breathtaking views along with wood floors and touches that add a natural feel to the home.

What makes this beautiful project unique?

While so many things make this project stunningly unique, one of the most important aspects of the build was the need and intention to carry on a family legacy to tell new stories. We knew how important it was to keep the new build as homey and family-centric as the first one, which is why family peeks into each and every detail. Essentially, we knew we needed to build a multi-generational home that can continue down the family line.

One of the most interesting bridges we had to cross in this build was the realization that the property location sat right at the helm where melting snow and rainwater funnels to the lake. We wanted to direct it well, which created an interesting challenge that culminated with the implementation of a french drain and additional measures in the crawl space.