Luxury Cottages
For The Perfect
Family Getaway
Custom & Luxury Cottages in Ontario
Are you ready to bring your family’s vision for a
cottage 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
Ontario, helping each one of our clients experience a truly exceptional lifestyle space for
their family.
Your Dream Cottage 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.
Tell us your vision for your new cottage.
We provide a 3D image and floor plan so that you can see your vision coming to life.
The design and plans are finalized and permitting begins
A groundbreaking date is set and we begin building!
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
We contracted the services of Gilbert & Burke Design and Build to renovate our existing cottage and then add on a major addition. The quality of the work was exceptional. Close attention was paid to details and they were proactive in identifying design options that saved time and money. G + B has a very creative, well seasoned and experienced team and provided all round great customer service. They were always responsive to our questions and very proactive in solving all construction issues. We are extremely pleased with the end result.
We have been working with Gilbert + Burke over the last 3 years on the design and construction of our new home on Lake Simcoe. I think one of the most remarkable things is that as the project draws to a close, we will be sorry to say goodbye to the Team. We have very much enjoyed working with this team, even when the inevitable bumps in the road happened. We have never doubted that they had our best interest at heart, and knew they were working to give us the very best home they could within the budget. We love our new home and we have lots of good memories of working through the project. Thank you Gilbert + Burke for making our family dream a reality.
Over the past few years I have had the pleasure of working alongside Gilbert + Burke on various projects. Gilbert + Burke's team is truly professional from the bid stage, down to the final completion. Questions are answered promptly, coordination between trades is spot on , communication through out the project is excellent, and the staff is always very friendly and happy to help however they may be needed.
The Gilbert + Burke is a team of truly talented individuals committed to the project for close to a full year. We encountered crumbling lathe and plaster, a bat colony in the attic and a tow-foot-high crawl space under the house. With each setback, Gilbert + Burke dug in their heels and found often ingenious solutions that spoke to their decades of experience and depth of character. The challenges were many but we really felt that Gilbert + Burke were as truly invested in our project as we were.
Gilbert and Burke completed our cottage on Peninsula Lake in Huntsville in 2019. Their team lead by Brian Gilbert was outstanding. From permits to finishing touches, we were guided throughout the process. Our site super intendant took every detail of the cottage personally and was as proud of the results as we were. Their design team took great care to ensure that the cottage match our personalities and goals. Nothing was ever “cookie cutter”. Everything was designed to our thoughts and dreams. The team was flexible and communicated very effectively throughout the build. We do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking to build, renovate or fix.
Having worked with Gilbert + Burke in the past, we knew that there was nobody else that we trusted in completing our dream. On this project, we tasked them with a tight deadline for completion and even with some setbacks in permits, they were able to deliver. Everybody that was associated with this project was so professional and committed to the end goal. The final result was more than a kitchen or a place to retire, but a warm and inviting place for friends and family to gather for many years to come.
Gilbert + Burke have a professional approach through the entire project process from the first client meeting, to the preparation of a project budget, to establishing a build time-frame, and most importantly their commitment to organization and client communication, made all aspects of the build and enjoyable and rewarding experience. From the start through construction completion, delivery and deficiency resolution, Gilbert + Burke have proven that they are the ones who deliver your dream on time and on budget.
We really appreciated the prompt, friendly service. Brian Gilbert is an excellent representative and his integrity to get the job done at the cost and time projected is of great value. It was a pleasure doing business with Gilbert + Burke and I would highly recommend them to others.
I have built three houses in the past and have worked with many contractors and sub contractors and this was the first time ever that I had one show up on time, do quality work, and within estimate. 3 out of 3, in my opinion.
Wonderful to work with. It was a pleasure to have them in our home and we are very pleased with the results. Looking forward to working with Gilbert + Burke in the future
My family and I are very pleased with the completed project on my house! It looks great! Just what it needed!
What a great team at Gilbert + Burke! They took our vision and transformed it into reality. We love our new space.
The entire Gilbert + Burke team was a pleasure to work with. They were experienced, competent, and exceptionally organized.
Working with Gilbert + Burke was a pleasure. Their workmanship and thoughtfulness throughout the project was amazing.
The Complete Guide to Building Your Custom Cottage
Industry-leading advice to help you design and create the perfect finishing touch to your cottage.
get Your e-book
Here’s what you’ll find inside:
Section 1: Planning to Build
Section 2: Finding the Right Builder
Section 3: Developing a Budget
Section 4: Choosing Your Site
Section 5: Designing Your Home
Section 6: Getting the Required Permits
Section 7: Starting to Build
All you need to know about embarking on the adventure to design and build your own home or cottage.
The journey of designing and building a custom home or cottage is a long one—but it’s so worth it. Whether you’re building a retirement oasis or creating a home for your expanding family, there are few things as important as finding the right builder, creating your plans with intention and covering all of your bases well. We’re experts when it comes to designing luxury homes and cottages, so we gathered all of our expertise and actionable tips in our new handbook—The Ultimate Guide to Designing Your Home & Cottage.
Download our Ultimate Guide to Designing Your Home & Cottage Ebook today!
Your Custom Cottage Builder In Ontario
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.
Embarking on the journey of building a custom cottage is a thrilling step toward this reality. With the help of Gilbert + Burke’s keen design and construction team, you will get to customize your cottage to perfectly suit your family’s needs.
We are passionate about building new custom cottages or renovating existing ones to match our clients’ design goals.
With ample experience in custom home building and remodelling, Gilbert + Burke proudly sources the best materials that include energy-smart, environmentally friendly and finely crafted elements.
We’ve built stunning custom cottages throughout Ontario, including the Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Peterborough and Muskoka and provide quality assurance for every one of our projects. Our mission is to deliver beautiful, one-of-a-kind cottages to families within budget and deadline.
To see examples of our past work and to get inspirational ideas for your custom home, take a look at our portfolio. We can’t wait to create the custom cottage your family deserves.
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!
We build custom cottages throughout Ontario and the greater Toronto region. Please visit our Locations Page or Contact Us to see if we serve your area!
Locations we serve include:
