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Cottage and Waterfront Home Builders in Ontario
Ontario custom builders who build cottages, chalets and waterfront homes, grouped by region, with what to ask before you hire one.
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Cottage and Waterfront Home Builders in Ontario
Custom builders who build cottages, chalets and waterfront homes, grouped by region.
Building on a lake or river is different from building in town. Access, shoreline rules, septic and wells, and a short building season all change the schedule and the price. The builders below say on their own websites that they build cottages, chalets or waterfront homes.
Vetted builder
ICFhome operates this website. Check its licence and references the same way you would check any builder.
Builders who build cottages and waterfront homes
Free listings, not vetted. Most of these builders are in cottage country, so the list is longest for Muskoka, the Kawarthas and the Near North.
Simcoe County and South Georgian Bay
ColdwaterGilbert + BurkeCustom homes, cottages and boathouses; renovationsMidlandDeCarli ContractorsCustom homes and cottages; additions, renovationsWasaga BeachMighton ConstructionCustom homes, cottages and chalets; additions and renovationsThe Blue MountainsOptima HomesCustom homes and chalets; renovations, basements, additions
York Region
Richmond HillAltevita Design BuildNew custom homes, cottages, additions, renovationsAuroraGallaugher ContractingCustom homes and cottages; renovations; additions; custom kitchens
Durham Region
OshawaHenley ContractingCustom homes and cottages, additions, renovationsSunderlandDanBrook Home DesignCustom homes and cottages, additions, garages and shopsUxbridgeSteele CarpentryCustom homes and cottages, rebuilds, renovations, additionsPort PerryKOR ConstructionCustom homes and cottages; additions
Peel and Halton
BoltonBachly ConstructionCustom homes and cottages; renovations; commercial and restoration divisionsOakvilleRuso DevelopmentCustom homes and cottages; renovations
Hamilton, Niagara and Grand River
Waterloo, Wellington and Dufferin
Grey, Bruce, Huron and Perth
SouthamptonSeaman & Sons BuildersCustom homes, cottages and net-zero homes; renovations and additionsGrand BendOke Woodsmith Building SystemsCustom homes and cottages; heritage and addition renovationsTobermoryAnd-Rod ConstructionCustom homes, cottages and secondary dwellings; major renovationsOwen SoundBerner ContractingCustom homes and cottages
Ottawa and Ottawa Valley
Kingston, Quinte and Southeastern Ontario
BrockvillePryers ConstructionCustom homes and cottages; renovations; additionsFoxboroHarmony HomesCustom new homes and cottagesKingstonCharette Custom HomesCustom new homes, including waterfront homesBloomfieldHickory HomesCustom homes and cottages, turnkey new homes, pre-designed model homesGreater NapaneeMarquise ConstructionCustom homes and cottages; commercial building; remodelling
Kawarthas, Peterborough and Northumberland
CobourgEC Design BuildCustom homes and cottages; additions; garages; agricultural buildingsMindenWindy Ridge HomesCustom homes and cottages on clients’ lots; garages and decksLindsayR. Moore HomesCustom homes and cottages, including lake homesHaliburtonCedar Winds Design BuildCustom homes and cottagesLakefieldFour Points ConstructionCustom homes and cottages; boathouses; garages; renovationsLakefieldKawartha Lakes ConstructionCustom homes, cottages, waterfront structures, renovationsPeterborough areaO’Reilly Custom Homes & ConstructionCustom homes and cottages; additions and renovationsPeterboroughFulcrum Custom BuildersCustom homes and cottages; renovations; commercial buildsHavelockBCC HomesTurnkey custom homes, cottages, garages and shops, renovations
Muskoka, Parry Sound and Near North
HuntsvilleBredin BrothersCustom waterfront homes and cottages; island residences; boathousesPort CarlingForest Hill Fine BuildersCustom cottages, island builds, boathousesHuntsvilleSML ContractingCustom homes, waterfront cottages, additionsGravenhurstAbove & Beyond BuildingCustom homes and cottages; boathouses; renovationsGravenhurstMcAulay ConstructionCustom cottages and homes; boathouses; renovationsParry SoundCedarland HomesCustom homes and cottages; bunkies; garagesSeguinJS Custom BuildersCustom homes and cottages; renovations; decks and docksSeguinMCR BuildingCustom homes and cottages; garages; boathouses; docksPort CarlingLakewood ConstructionCustom lakefront builds; renovations; additionsPort CarlingCraig Watson ConstructionCustom cottages; boathousesHuntsvilleStratton HomesCustom homes and cottages; pre-designed homes; multi-unit residentialHuntsvilleHLD MuskokaCustom homes and cottagesPort CarlingTamarack NorthCustom seasonal homes, cottages and boathouses
Northern Ontario
KenoraBlack Fox ConstructionLakefront homes, custom cabins, garages, renovationsSudburyUp North ContractorsCustom homes, waterfront and remote cottages, renovationsRichards LandingTimmerman Scott BuildersCustom homes, waterfront cottages, off-grid and remote-access buildsSudburyBarné Building & ConstructionCustom modular homes, cottages, conventional new homesKenoraHughesman HomesNew custom homes and waterfront homes; renovations, docks and boathousesKenoraSierra ConstructionNew homes and cottages, renovations, docks and boathousesLittle CurrentTrue North BuildersCustom homes, cottages, renovations
Windsor, Essex, Chatham and Sarnia
Before you hire a cottage builder
- Shoreline approvals. Work near water may need a permit from the local conservation authority, and on some waterways from Parks Canada or Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Ask who applies for them and how long they take.
- Setback from the water. Your township’s zoning sets how close you can build to the shoreline. It varies from one township to the next. Lot zoning in Ontario.
- Access. Water-access and island lots need materials brought in by barge. Many rural roads have spring load restrictions. Ask how the builder plans deliveries and what it adds to the price.
- Septic and water. Most cottage lots need a septic system designed and permitted under the Ontario Building Code, and a well or lake-water system with treatment. Can you build a septic system yourself?
- Three seasons or four. A year-round cottage needs a different foundation, insulation, plumbing protection and heating than a summer place. Decide early.
- Supervision. You will not be on site every week. Ask who checks the work, how often, and how you will get photo updates.
Read more
Cottage and rural construction insurance, entry doors for waterfront homes and house construction systems compared.
About this directory
Who runs this directory: BuildersOntario.com is operated by ICFhome, a custom home builder in Simcoe County and South Georgian Bay. ICFhome is listed as a vetted builder, and we say so on every page where it appears. Every other builder on this page has a free listing compiled from public information and has not been vetted. Payment never decides who is listed. Vetted listings are a paid upgrade, accepted only after we research the company, and are always labelled. How we choose builders. Builders: list your company free or get a vetted listing.
