Are you ready to bring your family’s vision for a
cottage in Peterborough 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 Peterborough
and greater Ontario, helping each one of our clients experience a truly exceptional lifestyle space for
their family.

Your Dream Cottage In Peterborough
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
Schedule a Call
Your Custom Cottage Builder In Peterborough, 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.
You deserve to be happy with the work that’s being done on your home, and we’re here for you every step of the way. We take pride in our ability as contractors by always putting customers first so they can feel confident about their decision when choosing a contractor who will provide excellent service!
Finding the right builder is important when building a custom luxury cottage or home. At Gilbert + Burke, we believe everyone deserves an experienced team of experts who will work hard with them at every step so that they can get exactly what they want and have somebody on board doing things right!
Peterborough is known as the gateway to the Kawarthas, “cottage country”, a large recreational region of the province. It is named in honour of Peter Robinson, an early Canadian politician who oversaw the first major immigration to the area. The city is the seat of Peterborough County.
Peterborough and the Kawarthas offer several attractions. The region is host to an array of museums, cultural exhibitions, indoor and outdoor galleries and theatres, Aboriginal heritage attractions and historical sites, as well as an arts community.
Some of the many fun things to do in Peterborough include,
- Riverview Park and Zoo
- Peterborough Lift Lock
- The Canadian Canoe Museum
- Whetung Ojibwa Art and Crafts Gallery
- Indian River Reptile Zoo
- Jackson Park
- Beavermead Park
- Showplace Performance Centre
- Publican House Brewery
- Peterborough Musicfest
- Del Crary Park
- Peterborough Farmers’s Market
- Peterborough Museum and Archives
- Black’s Distillery
- Hutchison House Museum
Located on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, Peterborough is home to 83,651 people. The population of the Peterborough Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes the surrounding Townships of Selwyn, Cavan Monaghan, Otonabee-South Monaghan, and Douro-Dummer, was 128,624 in 2021. In 2021, Peterborough ranked 32nd among the country’s 41 census metropolitan areas according to the CMA in Canada. The current mayor of Peterborough is Diane Therrien.
According to Britannica,
In 1821 Adam Scott founded a sawmill and gristmill at the site, which became known as Scott’s Plains. In 1825 almost 2,000 Irish immigrants settled there, and the town and county were renamed for the group’s director, Peter Robinson. Peterborough became a commercial and manufacturing centre for the surrounding area and a tourist centre for the Kawartha Lakes region. The canalization of the Otonabee River as part of the Trent Canal system provided a direct link with Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay by means of the world’s highest hydraulic lift lock (1904), 65 feet (20 metres). Peterborough’s manufacturers include electrical appliances and machinery, boats and marine equipment, hardware, lumber, watches, and food products. The city is the site of Trent University (founded 1963) and of Fleming College. Inc. 1905. Pop. (2011) 78,698; (2016) 81,032.
An analysis in 2017 said: “A moderate but improving growth environment is foreseen for the region and the Peterborough CMA in 2017 and 2018. The region’s shift to service-producing industries will continue as in other regions in Ontario and a growing portion of service industries will become export-oriented.”
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Peterborough had a population of 83,651 living in 35,977 of its 38,006 total private dwellings, a change of 3.2% from its 2016 population of 81,032. With a land area of 64.76 km2 (25.00 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,291.7/km2 in 2021.
Contact Gilbert + Burke today and begin planning your new family cottage. We can’t wait to help your dream getaway home come true.
We service all postal codes for Peterborough including K9H.
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: