Photo courtesy of Handley Lumber
today’s customers. Where previous generations appreciated the craft of building and didn’t mind the time and effort required to maintain it, younger generations place more value on leisure and comfort and are less likely to spend time on upkeep. “We see this trending daily as homeowners and cottagers move from traditional products to favouring lower-maintenance alternatives and I don't see this stopping anytime soon,” says Handley. “We all want more time to enjoy the cottage, not work on the cottage.” It applies to dock materials as well as choices for building boathouses, and beyond. “If anything, this trend is growing and infiltrating traditional products to make them lower maintenance,” says Handley, offering the example of
Feature Story: On the Waterfront
prefinished wood siding (a popular choice for boathouses.) “This option retains the traditional aesthetic of true wood siding, but greatly reduces the maintenance associated with painting and staining.”
Boathouse decision: fixed vs. floating Another choice facing owners who want to build boathouses, beyond the building material: Will it be a fixed or floating structure? Budget can be a deciding factor in this, since pile driving, required by a fixed option, sends the price significantly upwards. A floating boathouse—typically supported by a pontoon base made of PVC or aluminum—generally costs much less. Floating can also make sense, too, if the lake floor isn’t solid enough
for piles, or if the depth of the water makes pile driving cost-prohibitive.
Legal considerations A wrench in the works, when it comes to docks and boathouses, is the building restriction in many areas. Some areas simply don’t permit the construction of new boathouses. “Everybody would like a functional boathouse with living space and sleeping quarters above, with boat storage underneath,” says Jesse Austin, of Austin Builders Inc. “But Permits are few and far between in our area.” Instead, says Austin, many opt for structure that’s no more than 13 feet in height, with boat storage underneath and a sundeck area above. “There are lots of things people would like to do when it comes to boathouses,” says
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