Are you ready to bring your family’s vision for a
custom boathouse on South Georgian Bay to life with
a builder you can trust?
At Gilbert + Burke, our expert team designs and builds your dream boathouse
that perfectly fits your family’s goals and helps build your family’s legacy.
For over 20 years, we have created stunning, unique boathouses throughout
South Georgian Bay, helping each one of our clients experience a truly exceptional
lifestyle space for their family.
Build Your Custom Boathouse
With a Simple Process
We know that building anything can be stressful. That’s why our design
process is set up to be as stress-free as possible.
Fine-tune your vision with our team to ensure every design detail reflects your desires and lifestyle needs.
Transform your ideas into a concrete plan, with initial sketches evolving into a detailed blueprint.
Personalize your boathouse with a choice of high-quality materials and finishes that capture your unique style.
Our expert builders bring your custom boathouse to life with precision craftsmanship and attention to every detail.
What Makes Gilbert + Burke Different?
We believe everyone building a custom luxury boathouse in Muskoka deserves a builder whose process and experience delivers the exact design your family wants and helps build your family’s legacy.
That’s why we make sure every client experiences…
- Exceptional communication
- Expert interior & exterior design
- Transparency in every step
- 20+ years of custom-building expertise
And all backed with the Gilbert + Burke brand and reputation
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Our Valued Clients
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Your Custom Boathouse Builder For South Georgian Bay
Are you ready for a new boathouse to love?
You already have a cottage that you spend weekends and vacations at, and it’s a home away from home in every sense.
Now, it’s time to design and build a custom boathouse to add an elegant finishing touch to your favourite cottage getaway.
Too many contractors either don’t steward your money well or fail to bring your vision to life. On top of that, they don’t deliver on the promises they made which sold you on working with them. This tends to leave customers feeling misunderstood when the design doesn’t match their vision and upset when a contractor doesn’t uphold their contract.
At Gilbert + Burke, we believe everyone building a custom luxury cottage or home deserves a builder whose process and experience delivers the exact design your family wants and helps build your family’s legacy. We’ll work hard with you every step of our journey so that you not only get exactly what you want but also have someone who knows how to do it well.
Building a cottage in beautiful South Georgian Bay is the ultimate choice for those looking to enjoy an unbeatable landscape, impeccable community, and breathtaking backdrop. From Clearview and Collingwood to Blue Mountains or Wasaga Beach – there are countless options when it comes time to making your dream home come true here in Ontario!
We can’t wait to help you make it reality!
The South Georgian Bay is on the highest point of the Niagara Biosphere, which is a UNESCO biosphere reserve that showcases the environment in a way that other places simply cannot. When you build your cottage home in South Georgian Bay, you’re building in a place that promises constant adventure and awe.
Some common attractions in South Georgian Bay according to TripAdvisor include,
- The Grotto
- Flowerpot Island
- Bruce Peninsula National Park
- Sunset Point Park
- Science North
- Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
- Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster
- Big Nickel & Dynamic Earth
- Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons
- Georgian Trail
- MS Chi-Cheemaun
- Nancy Island Historic Site
- Inglis Falls
- Bobby Orr Hall Of Fame
- Fathom Five National Marine Park
The first nautical charts of Georgian Bay were made in 1815 by Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen, who called it Lake Manitoulin. Captain Henry Bayfield, who made more detailed charts of the bay, renamed it in 1822 after King George IV. His charts are the basis for those in use today.
The Canadian Hydrographic Service traces its history back to 1883, when it was originally established as the Georgian Bay Survey, tasked with charting and improving knowledge of the bay after a steamship wrecked there the previous year, killing 150 of its passengers.
Over the years, 32 lighthouses were built on Georgian Bay. Six of them were designed with limestone towers; these were built in the 1850s and are known collectively as the Imperial Towers. Some of the 32 can be toured by the public, some cannot, and some are accessible only by tour boats or private boat.
We provide custom homes and cottages in all of the South Georgian Bay neighborhoods, which include Clearview, Collingwood, Blue Mountains, Wasaga Beach and their extensions to the following zip codes:
L0M | L9Y | L9Z
Contact us today and let’s get started on bringing your dream luxury home to life!
Custom Boathouse FAQ’s
A space uniquely designed to fit the landscape, lake and needs of the client. Boathouses can be built inland as a place for storage, or on the water for water access.
When planning to build a boathouse, it is important to check with local municipalities/bylaws on what is and is not allowed. Some areas allow up to a certain size, others do not allow any at all.
When considering building a boathouse, you need to consider the seasonal water levels, whether you will be storing a boat in the boathouse, kind of watercraft, the draft of the boat. These are all main considerations to know whether a boathouse is plausible. These are all things we take into consideration when planning your boathouse. Confirming local bylaws is part of our planning process, and will determine whether the waterfront is feasible for a boathouse.
A permit is required for building a boathouse – the bottom of the lake or body of water is considered Crown Land and is not owned by the homeowner, for this reason you must have a permit to occupy Crown Land.
Accessibility and building specifications will dictate whether or not a boathouse can be used year-round. If it is built as a four season building, and is accessible, then the living space can be used year-round. Keeping in mind seasonal weather patterns for the area, and intended use will dictate this.
As a custom design/build firm our process is in collaboration with you to make sure that your vision for your new boathouse is captured. Once we have your vision in mind, we can identify your budget, develop concepts, create a project development plan and then begin construction. Contact us to get started!
There are many factors that influence the length of a build. Weather, size of the structure, complexity of the build, lake levels, and finishes are all contributing factors to the length of time it takes to complete.
