Are you ready to bring your family’s vision for a
cottage in the Durham Region to life with a
builder you can trust?
At Gilbert + Burke, our expert team designs and builds your dream custom cottage
that perfectly fits your family’s goals and helps build your family’s legacy.
For over 20 years, we have created stunning, unique cottages throughout the Durham Region
and greater Ontario, helping each one of our clients experience a truly exceptional lifestyle space for
their family.

Your Dream Cottage In The Durham Region
Doesn’t Need To Be Complicated
We know that building anything can be stressful. That’s why our design process is set up to be as stress-free as possible.
We align your vision with practical designs to ensure every detail meets your desires.
Our team creates concept art and blueprints to give you a visual representation of your luxury cottage.
We guide you through selecting high-end finishes for aesthetics and utility.
Our construction process is planned with precision and performed by exceptional custom builders.

What Makes Gilbert + Burke Different?
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.
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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Your Custom Cottage Builder In The Durham Region, Canada
Whether it’s a rustic design with natural elements or a more contemporary look with clean lines and large windows, our team is here to help you achieve the cottage you envisioned.
We are committed to open communication, quality craftsmanship, unmatched customer service, and eco-friendly design.
From conception to completion, our seasoned team of designers and homebuilders will be with you every step of the way.
Are you worn down from the daily grind and tired of staring at technology all day? Do you want more time to connect with your loved ones and do the things that refresh you and bring you joy?
At Gilbert and Burke we know how hard it is to set aside time for the things that matter. We think everyone deserves to be able to take time off and have a place they can go to retreat, relax, and connect with special people.
That is why we build custom cottages in the Durham Region. Our cottages are completely customizable, so you can tweak yours to fit your needs and lifestyle to a T!
Give us a call today to start the conversation about your custom cottage.
Informally referred to as Durham Region, the Regional Municipality of Durham is located east of Toronto in Southern Ontario. It forms the eastern end of the Greater Toronto Area, and is a part of the Golden Horseshoe region. It covers approximately 2,500 square km, and its government is headquartered in Whitby.
The souther portion of the region is mainly suburban, and the northern end is made up of rural landscape and small towns. Established in 1974, the region is home to roughly 696,692 people.
The Durham Region website describes the area like this:
Durham Region is east of Toronto, in the Golden Horseshoe area of Ontario. It is a mix of rural, residential, and commercial land. North Durham is mostly rural, with a thriving agriculture sector, and is home to Oak Ridges Moraine. To the south, lakeshore communities offer urban development and a diverse employment base.
There is plenty packed into the region! Some popular Durham region attractions include:
- Jungle Cat World Wildlife Park
- Parkwood Estate
- Greenwood Conservation Area
- Ontario Regiment Museum
- Canadian Automotive Museum
- York-Durham Heritage Railway
- Treetop Eco-Adventure Park
- Pingle’s Farm Market
- Rotary Park
- Oshawa Museum
- Bowmanville Zoo
- Brooks Farms
And plenty more. You can explore all this plus any number of exciting outdoor adventures in the Durham Region. There is plenty to do here! You will also find bountiful natural scenery and beauty to enjoy.
If you would like to build a custom getaway cottage in Durham, contact Gilbert and Burke. We would love to help you build a cottage that fits you and your family like a glove.
We serve all Durham Region area codes, including 289, 905, and 365, as well as all the municipalities in the area:
City of Oshawa, Town of Whitby, Town of Ajax, Municipality of Clarington, City of Pickering, Township of Scugog, Township of Uxbridge, Township of Brock
Contact us today to start the conversation about your custom cottage. We look forward to hearing from you!
Custom Cottage FAQ’s
A custom cottage is very similar to a custom home – both refer to having a beautiful custom place for you and your family. Each has it’s own unique qualities, but the main difference is a home is the primary residence, and a cottage is your vacation property.
The majority of our projects are between 1500-3000 sqft of interior living space, not including a basement (which not all builds have). But we will build your dream cottage of any size, including some up to 10,000 square feet!
“Typical” features are the usual bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen… but they can be fairly luxurious or high end. Some more unique features would be a wine fridge or wine cellar, waterfall bathroom fixtures, theatre room, sauna, etc. And if you are on the lake, don’t forget to include a custom boathouse or other water features!
We don’t have a “starting” price because every project depends on the custom features you want to include, other factors include complexity and scope of the project. Contact us here to get your quote and pricing started!
Yes, as long as it is insulated well enough to withstand the winter and has adequate heat to live in and keep all water lines from freezing.
No, unless you build a smaller custom cottage. Because a cottage takes the traditional things a home does (foundation, walls, plumbing, design, etc), the average cottage costs the same as a home.
It usually depends on the complexity of the design and the size of the build, but from start of design, through project development, to completed construction in typically 12-18 months.
Our builds are 100% customized to what our clients ask us and willing to pay for. We want your cottage to be your perfect home away from home, so we will do everything we can to bring the full customization experience alive.
We begin with the initial consultation, followed by a preliminary concept design, and then project development. Once everything is approved, we break ground and start building your cottage!
cations we serve include: