MARC & MANDY’S COTTAGE GETAWAY

Marc Atiyolil, The Marc & Mandy Show

This past summer, Mandy and I embarked on a new adventure. We’ve undertaken many renovation projects together over our ten years of marriage but our long search for the perfect renovation project was unsuccessful.

That’s when we decided to build our family cottage and film the process. To say we were unprepared for the strain this adventure would put on our marriage and finances would be an understatement! It took some creative planning and out of the box thinking to bring our dream to reality.

As with any project, it’s all in the planning and that’s why we started working with Aaron and his team at L.A.W Electric to help plan out the electrical and lighting plan of the cottage space. Any good design has a well thought-out lighting scheme and their expertise helped make this a reality. We also knew that we wanted to integrate solar energy into the cabin so we worked with Lorena at Evolve Green to shed some light on how to create sustainable energy for this cottage project. When it came to insulating the space, we visited Olympic Building Centre for all our insulation and drywall needs.

The first hurdle we had to face was fitting all of our dreams into the project without going over budget. A small footprint helped keep the project within budget but required some creative design choices along the way to make our vision a reality! We wanted a space that could be used to entertain which, as you can imagine, can be tricky when working with less square footage. We knew that we didn’t want to visually break up the space with different flooring so we had luxury vinyl plank in Mineral Maple by Shaw Floors from our friends at Curtis Carpets installed throughout the space. This helped the worry of wear and tear over the coming years as the floor is virtually life proof.

The first decision we made was to make the kitchen the focal point of the design and we enlisted the help of the design team at Gateway Kitchen and Bath to help achieve this. As you may know, we’re not big fans of overly rustic design therefore we wanted to create a beautiful, city meets country style kitchen with a large island that fills the majority of the open concept living area. The shaker style soft gray, almost white, doors contrasted with the black accents which help modernize the nod to rustic charm in the oak island. Our kitchen designer, Camelle also created a beautiful Chevron pattern in front of the island for visual interest and tie in the Chevron backsplash tile. We then paired the finishes with House of Rohl’s Graceline Pulldown black and gold kitchen faucet with their Shaws apron sink to complete the look. As the living room and kitchen are all located in the same open area, a beautiful inset cabinet was designed for the living room as a permanent furniture piece that mimics the look and feel of the kitchen to help tie the areas together. We are absolutely in love on how it all came together.

As entertaining at the cottage was top of mind, it was designed with full length covered decks along the front and back of the structure with large six foot black patio doors and black grille style windows from Ecoline Windows and Doors. This allows us to blend the outdoor and indoor entertaining areas when hosting guests. The beautiful doors and windows also allow for plenty of natural light to filter through the space, keeping that open and airy feel. We finished the living room with a camel colored leather sofa, a rustic exposed wood coffee table and accent club chair in a blue velvet and accessorized the cottage with a beachy lake life vibe using stunning pieces from Solomon’s Furniture & Appliances.

Since the cottage will be mainly used for weekends and holidays, we were able to keep the bedrooms small. After all, most of our time will be spent outdoors so the bedrooms really do not need to provide much functionality beyond sleeping. Keeping the bedrooms small allowed room for two bathrooms, one for the primary bedroom and one for the children and guests.

The primary bathroom is designed to be a calm, spa-like oasis. Our inspiration came from Sico’s beautiful calming color, Cool Current (6199-42). The earthy green wall color creates that calm, welcoming feel while beautiful marble finishes and black accents keep the space feeling luxurious and modern. Mandy worked closely with our friends at Wolseley Canada on selecting all of these beautiful Kohler pieces from their Tresham collection. When we decided to build, we knew that we had to streamline the process as much as possible to keep on schedule. That’s why we loved how we were able to get everything under one roof from Wolseley Canada including all our plumbing pipes, fixtures and even our HVAC system to keep our cottage cool during the summer and hot on cold winter days. Their knowledge and expertise really took the stress out of planning our cottage oasis.

When it came to designing the kids’ bathroom, we wanted a bright and timeless space that they would enjoy! This bathroom features beautiful pieces from American Standards’ Town Square S collection. American Standard took all of the hard work out of the design process with their collections that are easy to choose from and most importantly easy to install. We loved the crown moulding design of the collection and how it was complemented with timeless finishes. As parents, cleanliness of our kids’ bathroom was also important and that’s why we were so impressed with how their toilet repel bacteria and even the overall design of the toilet makes it easier to clean!

The design of the cottage created a large, open loft area above the main cottage. Through-out the process, the plan was to use this space as a man cave that I could have as my own little getaway. As we neared the end of the build, we realized we had not thought about entertaining when weather was uncooperative. In the end, the decision was made to use the loft area as a flex space that would offer space for guests to gather as well as space that we could use as a family when weather did not permit outdoor activities. The room now houses a sitting area with a TV along with a table and storage space for games, toys and other items that we can use to create memories when stuck indoors. This flex area could also be used for additional sleeping space should we entertain overnight guests. For the exterior of the cottage, we wanted to continue that city meets country style so Mandy visited CanWel Building Materials as they carry some of the best exterior finishes in the country. We chose a stunning James Hardie siding in Countrylane Red as our main color which allows the cottage to really stand out among the forested landscape. Matt and his team at Above Code Exteriors installed the products flawlessly onto the cottage! Instead of pairing this with a traditional white trim, we chose a black accent that gives the look a more modern, urban feel and pairs well with our windows and doors. The black accents also help tie together the roofing shingle that I helped install with Agassiz Roofing. For the two decks, CanWel Building Materials helped us select two different deck tones from MoistureShield Composite Decking, Smokey Gray to frame out the decks and Cathedral Stone for their centres. This creates a beautiful mix of gray and beige to keep these decks looking timeless as trends evolve and change. One thing we really loved about MoistureShield is their Cool Deck technology which makes the material cooler than other composite decking. This feature reduces heat by up to 35% to help keep our feet cool while walking on the decks during hot summer days.

After 6 months of tirelessly working on our family getaway, it is finally complete and we look forward to enjoying it for years to come.

On January 19 and 20 of this year, WRLA members arrived in Winnipeg for our annual Building & Hardware Showcase, and it seems like this was one of the best years yet!

Over 2,000 exhibitors and retailers filled the third floor of Winnipeg’s RBC Convention Centre for two days, bringing with them special deals, new products, and a willingness to connect and renew relationships. Although we first went back to an in-person event in March of 2022, the feeling this time around, and the sentiments expressed by those in attendance, was that this year’s show really felt like a return to “normal”.

The week started out for the WRLA team as we welcomed our Board of Directors to Winnipeg, and took a moment to mark the well-deserved retirement of Mark Kuzma. Mr. Kuzma retires from Taiga Building Products after a career of over 35 years working and building relationships within the industry. In a so-good-we-couldn’t-have-planned-it coincidence, the board and WRLA team took a trip to the Canada Life Centre to kick things off, and were treated to a win by the Winnipeg Jets!

On Tuesday, January 17, we kicked off the week’s events with the debut of the all-new WRLA Academy. Instructor Mike Herperger, from Robinson Residential Design, led students through our new Blueprint Reading Course. This course has become a prerequisite for our newly upgraded Estimating Level 1 class, which now assumes blueprint knowledge and gets into the business of estimation right away.

Wednesday found the convention centre crackling with energy as everyone was finalizing their move-in and booth assembly. The overall look of the final show came into view towards the end of the day, and with the WRLA team getting the New Product Zone squared away to finish things up; the scene was set for the event kick-off.

Rolling Out The Red Carpet

Guests making their way to the show through Winnipeg’s heated walkways (which come in very handy during winter) were treated to literal red-carpet treatment as representatives from Tourism Winnipeg gave everyone a boisterous welcome.

At nine o’clock, the doors opened. Winnipeg’s Deputy Mayor, Markus Chambers joined Manitoba Minister of Natural Resources, Greg Nesbitt, WRLA Board Chair Andrew Reimer, and WRLA President, Liz Kovach to cut the ribbon and begin the show.

Immediately upon entering the doors of this year’s show, there was a level of excitement and enthusiasm that began strong and carried through the entire event. While we first returned to an in-person showcase in March of 2022, the timing and execution of that event were still subject to lingering health restrictions. Here in January of 2023, one of the comments we heard most was how great it was to be “back to normal.”

So Much To Do And See

While eager attendees made the rounds of the booths, reconnecting with friends and taking advantage of oncea-year show special pricing, WRLA hosted a robust slate of programming both in our classroom and on the show floor. Our newest instructor, Nicole Younge, from Star Building Materials walked members through the completely revamped, enhanced, and upgraded Estimating Levels 1 and 2 on consecutive days.

In the workshop space, we welcomed Brad Cumiskey from Toolbx to talk about E-Commerce, and Pete Baran from Blueneck Business Mechanics held a master class on business succession. We also had a presentation from Dirk Propp at Immigrate Software who talked about the advantages and procedures for working with Canadian newcomers—a great asset to some of the labour shortages we’ve all seen recently. Joel Siebert of Mountainview Building Materials struck a particularly resonant chord with his seminar on getting your sales team ready to sell, delivering the presentation to a standing-room-only crowd.

Although the day was proceeding at a lively pace, almost everyone took time out to enjoy the fantastic Ukrainianstyle lunch provided by our sponsor, the Sexton Group. The catering staff outdid themselves, and everyone had something great to say about the food before heading back upstairs to the show floor.

One highlight of the afternoon was a gathering of “Ladies in LBM”. Attendees from all walks of the Lumber and Building Materials Industry came together. Facilitated by Liz Kovach, it was an hour full of networking and sharing stories of personal experiences in the industry. There was a goal set at the top of the hour to “leave with three business cards.” From all indications, it was a huge success!

An Awards Night To Remember

Thursday evening at the ballroom of the Delta Hotel, members were treated to a fantastic networking and awards event, full of food, drinks, and some truly special moments. We honoured four outstanding salespeople with Salesperson of the Year Awards (Check out their profiles on starting page 43!) and welcomed Industry Achievement Award Recipient, Steve Buckle of the Sexton Family of Companies, to the stage. Steve gave a stirring speech, and one by one, expanded the number of folks who were sharing the stage with him, from his family, to his associates, to his sales team, making sure that all in attendance knew that these relationships, these personal connections were truly the secret to success. Following the awards, the crowd got moving with music provided by Little City Band and a great time was had by all!

That Friday Feeling

The second day of the Showcase held more of the same, with some of the workshops being offered again to allow attendees to catch sessions they may have missed the first day.

As the day continued, WRLA was happy to see another delegation of politicians arrive to take in the show. We welcomed NDP MLAs Diljeet Brar, Matt Wiebe and Jamie Moses and NDP candidate Rob Loiselle, as well as Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont and MLA Dr. Jon Gerrard.

On each visit, WRLA staff and board members a highlighted the issues of importance to our members, while touring the floor. They talked about supply chain bottlenecks, and advocating for a home renovation tax credit. (Check out the full recap of our advocacy at the show in this very issue on page 16!)

As the show drew to a close, The Best Booth Award was announced, and for the second year in a row, we congratulate All Weather Windows! We also awarded the Best New Product of the Year to EcoPoxy. Congratulations to both of these outstanding companies for leaving a lasting impression on our show attendees! (Read EcoPoxy’s new product FlowCast SPR on page 40.)

WRLA thanks everyone who attended this year’s show, whether as an exhibitor, a dealer, or a special guest, and extends a special thank-you to our amazing sponsors, without whom none of this would be possible. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to Winnipeg in January of 2024!