Although writers are known to blanch at the sight of a blank page and painters at an empty canvas, in the fields of building design and construction, it can often be easier to start from scratch. Working from existing structures sometimes commits the builder to a footprint and the architect to a style when they would rather be free to determine these for themselves. Nevertheless, constraints can challenge the craftsperson to fi ne-tune their skill set, and so it was for Fitzmaurice Bros. Carpentry when they took on the renovation of a historic cottage and the design and building of a new boathouse on Muskoka’s Lake Rosseau.
The existing cottage, situated on a beautiful point of land with 540 feet of lake frontage, was originally owned by the historic Timothy Eaton family, and virtually epitomized early-to-mid–twentieth century Muskoka style with its gabled rooflines, deep verandah, mullioned windows, and stonework. Fitzmaurice Bros. were first called to the property roughly ten years ago when they were invited to design and build the new boat port over an existing dock slip and make some repairs to the main cottage. Th is eventually led to extensive renovations that would improve the functionality of the cottage for modern family life without compromising its traditional aesthetic.
Fitzmaurice Bros. continued to work with the owners, providing year-round maintenance services as well as completing repairs and renovations around the property as the need arose. Eventually, when they decided the time was right to make bigger changes, the owners contracted Fitzmaurice to do an extensive renovation on the cottage, plus build a new boathouse. “They loved the historical nature and feel of the property,” recalls partner Adam Fitzmaurice, “but people today don’t use their cottages in the same way they did in the past, which meant some spaces were not being utilized.” For example, on the second floor, valuable lake-facing space was taken up by an enclosed balcony that had likely once been a favourite spot to look over the lake, but was impractically accessible from only one bedroom. Fitzmaurice designer Grant Cleveland reconfigured the layout to expand the bedrooms and bathrooms into that space.
With such an extensive renovation, the opportunity might have been there to reimagine the aesthetic of the property if the owners had wanted, but with one wing of the cottage to remain untouched and an existing Bunkie built in the same style, the onus instead was on Fitzmaurice Bros. to blend the renovated cottage and new boathouse into the overall look and feel of the existing property so that it would seem they had been there all along. To that end, Fitzmaurice incorporated materials, textures, and features from the established structures and landscaping that pulled together all the buildings into one cohesive expression. The result is a cottage with a modern and functional interior—designed by Christopher Caterer, CEO and head of interior design at Artifacts in Port Carling—that projects a historical and classically Muskokan unassuming grandeur.
With the new boathouse, the owners were looking for a two-storey structure that suited their lifestyle and provided some space for entertaining by the water. To meet these criteria, Fitzmaurice Bros. designed and built the two slip boathouse with a 650-square-foot second floor living area with wet bar and bathroom plus discrete balconies and an expansive, custom engineered steel-pile dock. Owing to bylaws and regulations governing structures near waterways, boathouses often require especially careful and resourceful planning, and this one was no exception. “There’s a permitted allowance of 50 feet into the lake for the boathouse’s main level and 35 feet for its upper level,” explains Grant. “Th e challenge there was that the water level on this property was low in spots, so in our design we had to push the building out a bit without exceeding the allowance.” Structurally, the large open spans on the lower level of the boathouse, which make it feel extraordinarily spacious and light, also took some prudent planning.
“Every job has its challenges,” says Adam, “but when we’ve worked with a client and established a relationship over many years like we had with this family, it’s especially satisfying to see everything come together for them.” Looking to the future, Fitzmaurice Bros. included the structure for a third boat slip beneath the boathouse flooring that could be opened up if the owners fi nd the need for it. It seems a fitting symbol of the nature of this rather special property—providing for today, paying tribute to yesterday, and thinking forward to tomorrow.
