Build it and they will come

It was all because of their new granddaughter Trixy.

If they built the cottage, they hoped she’d come.

“I wanted to make sure she had a reason to come to Muskoka,” recalls Larry French, who owns Bert French & Son Limited (also known as French’s Fine Homes).

One of his daughters, who lives in the upper Beaches region of Toronto, has a long drive to bring her family to visit her hometown of Port Sydney. The small frame cottage (complete with outhouse) that had sat on the lakeside property for 50 years didn’t inspire frequent visits.

So he called in his troops and got to work.

The new mock timber-frame modern structure was finished in time for last year’s cottage season.

Dubbed the “Time Out” cabin, by French’s wife Marilyn, the cottage is located only 10 km from their permanent residence.

“Some would call their place a getaway,” she explains. “But because it’s so close to our home, we can come here for some time out. Even if we don’t stay, we can get some time away from busy life.” Larry concurs. “I can come out for an afternoon of windsurfing and then go back to work.”

Through wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling windows, the cabin opens its entire western exposure to sunsets that double in intensity courtesy of the lake’s reflection. Serene loon calls are juxtaposed with the children’s laughter wafting across the waves from the camps on the opposite, tree-lined shore.

Enjoying their own summer adventures, either with family or with the church groups who frequently visit, the Frenches have the stage set. Between the patio and the water, a volleyball net and pair of wooden swings invite action. The fire pit and the groupings of matching Muskoka chairs encourage conversation.

The dock, which is quietly rolled into place each spring, points the way to a swimming raft bobbing in the warm sunlight. Nearby boats await the mood of pleasure-seekers: a canoe or kayak, a wind surfer or pontoon boat, perhaps the hand-made rowing skiff crafted by the Estonian settler who also built the original cabin.

But it’s the new cottage that was built to minimize the barrier between the natural splendour of the outdoors and the rustic, but convenient, beauty of the interior. The flow between the two is virtually seamless.

Heading inside from the beach, the granite patio stones give way to a soft green epoxy-coated concrete floor, installed by Woodmount Enterprises of Bracebridge. It erases the challenge of the sandy wear and tear of cottage life. The subtle slope of the poured-and-scored floor at the sliding-door threshold allows effortless wheelchair passage.

With all the windows open, the open-concept great room is more like the screened-in porch of a summer home than the cottage proper. And like the trees that surround it, wood is the key element of construction.

An expanse of tongue-and-groove pine boards clad the room from the baseboard to the peak of the cathedral ceiling. Washed in a natural finish and an abundance of natural light, the airy effect is interrupted occasionally by the grounding force of timber beams with a slightly darker stain. Load-bearing logs were incorporated alongside faux timbers to “give the timber-frame effect without the full cost of a timber-frame structure,” Larry explains. “It’s also easier to insulate,” adds Marilyn.

The children’s bedroom is a fun and colourful place to play on rainy days or when the mosquitos become too much. The 450 sq. ft. hardwood floor of the loft is recycled from leftover “ends” from the family business. Mainly a mix of elm, oak and maple, the floor adds another unique feature to the space.

The over-sized river-rock fireplace was designed and installed by Fireplace King to bring another outside element in. Again, the wooden mantel is a simple but sturdy log construction. “Originally I wanted a log cabin,” recalls Marilyn, “but it would have been too dark and too hard to insulate. I do enjoy having the light. So we have log accents instead.” This is evident everywhere, thanks to the custom woodwork of Mark Parkinson.

In the great room, the inviting sofa gets its lift from an intricate lacing of logs. In a nearby corner, a floor lamp gives a gnarly old piece of found-wood new life. It’s topped off by a length of iron unearthed in their pasture while new post holes were being dug.

In the kitchen, a free-standing log structure supports a granite slab to make an island perfect for playing a game of Scrabble or preparing a picnic. Up a staircase of half-log treads and a pine-pole balustrade assembled from harvested deadwood, a family bedroom features a log bunk-bed and matching twin.

Tucked in a matching dormer, the other sleeping quarters offer a built-in king-sized bed with a lofty view of the lake. Underfoot, the unique design of its hardwood floor is a tribute to economy and ecology. The pattern was crafted from left-over hardwood “ends” found in the French’s Fine Homes warehouse.

This mock timber-frame cottage makes a small footprint on this bushed property in Port Sydney. The neutral exterior blends seamlessly into its surroundings while the maintenance-free landscaping provides one heck of a sandbox.

The unusual granite countertops in the kitchen are seen again in the main-floor washroom (that can be handily locked separately from the rest of the building for the use of day-tripping friends). Primarily black with sliced stones, the Verdi Marinachi granite slabs were cut from Brazilian lava fields.

In the kitchen, the rock sets off the black antique-look appliances, tile backsplash and antiqued cabinetry with hidden lighting. “I had to have the rustic look, but not to the point of inconvenience,” says Marilyn. The in-floor radiant heat and on-demand hot water system provide this comfort with minimal space required for infrastructure, since there’s no hot-water tank.

At only 1,448 sq. ft. (with a 988-sq.-ft. footprint), space is at a premium and no clutter is allowed.

Although Larry has never lived further than a few miles from his childhood home (the adventurous Marilyn moved north from Toronto 40 years ago), the few accents chosen to grace the space carry strong memories of the couple’s world travels: a fireplace brush from Zambia, light fixtures from Mexico, artwork from South Africa and Cuba.

A few touches also hit a little closer to home. These include the pine bench where Larry and his cousins laughed as kids, a birch-bark painting by his artistic brother Bert, and an Asian woodcarving picked up by Marilyn during a trip to Toronto’s Chinatown with her daughter.

A game of beach volleyball is not a rare sight at “Time Out.” The family finds it hard to leave after the lasting memories they make during each visit.

And sitting high on the cleverly disguised Murphy bed are three toys – including a metal bus and plastic dump truck that once belonged to the son of their Estonian predecessor and continue to find residence on the property.

The promise of children in this space was, after all, the main point in constructing the modern building. Just in time, too, since the arrival of little Trixy’s younger cousin Duncan recently made the grandparents’ objective even more meaningful.

But the strategy seems to be working.

After the cabin’s first season, Larry and Marilyn’s Toronto-based daughter asked if it was okay to visit more often in 2008. Her sister, who has her own water-front property down the road in Parry Sound, will often join that pilgrimage.

The cottage is built and they’re all coming.

Mission accomplished.