BONUS! Get the Ayer’s Cliff floor plan the Roberson’s used in designing their home.
A custom home designer by trade, it’s no surprise Ian Robertson has a knack for seeing the potential in blank spaces. Creating floor plans for beautiful, functional homes from nothing more than an empty canvas and a collection of ideas is his thing.
But his honed sense of vision doesn’t just kick in at the drafting table. It works on pieces of overgrown land, too.
After searching for property on which to build a family cottage for about two years, Ian and his wife, Elaine, came across an neglected lot with a dilapidated shack on the shores of Haliburton Lake. Something clicked.
The collaboration between Ian and the design team was seamless.
For example, the design team helped Ian pare down the size of the cottage without losing usable space and suggested using conventional framing rather than roof trusses. In the end, the final design is a hybrid with a main log structure and a wood frame with siding above.
Throughout the home, open spaces reign—thanks to the easy-flowing floor plan and an abundance of vaulted ceilings. The logs give the home its rustic vibe while contemporary touches include beams wrapped with trim, drywall accents and black window trim, cabinetry, and light fixtures.
Equal parts rustic and refined, the cottage was the perfect retreat for the Robertsons. After moving in on Canada Day, the couple and their kids spent the rest of the summer reconnecting. Only in the early morning hours, before the sunshine rose over the trees and began to spread across the lake, was all quiet. Soon, the tunes of everything from The Tragically Hip to Taylor Swift filled the air — the sign the fun, and the bustle, was about to begin.
On a typical day, the family would gather for a relaxing breakfast then head outdoors to play frisbee on the lawn, swim from the dock, and explore the lake via paddle board or kayak. In the evening, everyone came together for dinner and a little friendly competition. “Cards and monopoly are favorites around here,” says Ian.
At summer’s end, on a whim, Ian posted the home for sale online. “We just wanted to check the status of the market,” he says. Turns out, the person who came across the listing immediately, Peter Vandendeool, has the same knack as Ian Robertson for seeing the potential of a place. Peter could envision his family—grown children and grandchildren—spending days lounging in the sun and playing in the water.
The fact the home was Confederation built — “He was aware of Confederation’s reputation of quality,” says Ian — and the fact the cottage was turn-key sealed the deal for Peter. They closed the sale less than a year after the home was completed.