In the 5th installment of our Building a Home series, you’ll see the pretty side of beginning to finish up a project.

As you’ve learned during our Building a Home series, the process behind a full construction, build or remodel is never an easy process. From paperwork and introductory meetings to laying the foundation and placing light fixtures, there is a lot to it. However, as we’ve reiterated over and over again, it’s absolutely worth it — especially once the project starts to take shape. Once all of the walls are standing tall and the brick is piled, it’s finally time to put the finishing touches on your home. In fact, once you get to the final stages of your home building, the end is in sight. The meetings begin to get more exciting as the finishes go on, the blueprints are long past finalized and the major construction itself has already taken place. Now, it’s time to finish it all up.

In the Cottage by the Lake, there were lots of finishing touches to add to the build. We laid the flooring — absolutely beautiful tile and hardwood — and finally installed cabinetry to the home. We also added the trim, placed the interior doors and painted the home. Honestly, it’s just like shopping; our clients were able to work with Gilbert + Burke’s incredible team to pick the colours that add that perfect touch to their walls, and we all looked together for material and finishes to round out their long-thought vision. While there were also lots of unglamorous items left to do, like finishing the electrical, plumbing, heating and installing washroom accessories, there were many fun things left to do as well. One of our favourite finishing touches on the Cottage by the Lake home was the landscaping which was designed with the ecosystem in mind. The landscape protects the fish habitat environment and uses native plantings. With the exterior work done and the insides freshly painted and spruced up, the Cottage by the Lake building was ready to be lived in.

Missed the Build Stage? Check out Building a Home: Start to Finish Series Part 4: Build – Foundations

With Gilbert + Burke, our clients have access to our incredibly talented team of interior designers, adding a new dimension to the home building process. With our experts at your side, you’ll be able to transform your vision into a tangible reality. Whether that means you’re needing help with picking light fixtures and paint colours or it means you’re looking for someone to help you create a cohesive style and mindset for your home, our experts will be at your side.

View the entire project Cottage by the Lake 

Even though we can’t promise that building a home is always seamless, we can promise that the final product is always worth the struggle, time and energy. During our Building a Home series, you’ve watched right alongside us as the Cottage by the Lake project took shape, from blueprints to stone and siding. From the discovery stage to the finishing touches, you’ve seen it all! If it’s time for you to build your very own Cottage by the Lake, contact us. We’ll be with you every step of the way, from each meeting and call to each decision and paint colour. If you’re looking for interior design services to spruce up your existing space, we’d love to help with that, too. At Gilbert + Burke, our favourite thing is to help our clients build spaces that they can call home. Let’s build one together.