What a big surprise to discover that the concrete blocks in the foundation of the old cottage were actually only half blocks! Each whole block had been cut down the middle, presumably as a cost saving measure. It is not possible to support the new structure on this foundation.
A second day of demolition removed the floor and the old foundation that had been so carefully preserved a few days earlier.

So we are starting pretty much from scratch on the footprint of the old cottage, plus the new addition.

The wood frames are now in place for the footings of the new structure. Building of the new structure is about to begin!

Holly our 8 year old golden retriever loves to swim! As soon as she jumps into the truck she anticipates her arrival at the lake, a 25 minute drive from our farm. Once there, she jumps out, runs into the water and starts swimming. 
She will eventually swim back towards shore until she can briefly touch her paws down and then she turns and heads back out again. This goes on for a long time! And she enjoys when the neighbourhood family of ducks swim by.

The highly anticipated Demolition Day was August 15!

Our friends Lindsay and his son Evans (Elm Enterprises) and their crew, Ray and Al, arrived early with the high hoe and dump trucks to first remove the tree stumps, level the yard, and remove the very large brush pile.

Demolition started late morning. Will they be able to save the 50 year old cinder block foundation? High anticipation!!!

This east side wall came off first.

And then the east side interior.

And before long...

And the sub floor and foundation are intact!
A thorough check of the foundation will be happening soon. (There's a hint of rot on one of the corners.)
And the deck? Untouched!

The next day, the foundation for the addition was dug out, no sign of any debris, and looking great!

First step of demolition was to remove the window glass, to carefully remove a patio door that will be reused in the rebuilt home, and to prepare the area near the foundation which is intended to stay intact.

Dogs Holly (left) and Chase (right) are curious but aren't alarmed. Chase is generally on the deck and Holly spends most of her time in the water. (I really need to get some photos and video of Holly swimming!)

Our contractor Brian thought of everything, including protecting the awesome deck. Brian and Mitch are keeping the site immaculate and they've also added a nice sunshade roof over the picnic table on the deck.

First preparation steps of the renovation were to remove 2 large spruce trees and a clump of 6 cedars to accommodate the 14 foot addition and a new septic system. Luckily Hugh, and more importantly, our farm neighbour Cathy are very experienced in tree cutting.

The 2 very tall scraggly spruces were down by the time I showed up after picking raspberries and here's what I found. The first tree, closer to the water fell towards the back of the lot just as expected. The second one, which had a split trunk up nearer the top didn't work out quite as planned. 

No problem for Lumber Jack and Lumber Jill!

Since our renovation project quickly evolved into more of a rebuild project which will take the existing cottage down to the foundation, this wasn't a problem!

​Here's just the start of a brush pile.

We are very happy with this acquisition!

First 2 photos are from early May when we visited the property on the day that our purchase offer was finalized. This was the first time we actually saw the water since the lake was still frozen on our previous visits.

​Our farm neighbour Cathy and Hugh on our first visit after the closing date.

Mark, Meg and their dog Molly on Father's Day. This was just before Molly unintentionally slid into the water off the end of the dock! She is not a natural swimmer.

​Situated close to the Calabogie Peaks (ski) Resort, our lake property is approximately 100 feet of lakefront by 140 feet deep, slightly pie shaped with the wide edge on the lake side. Unlike many of the properties on the lake, ours is flat which at our age is ideal!
Our intention is to renovate the cottage to modernize it, insulate and heat it for 4 season use, and extend it with a small addition. The awesome deck will stay and we'll be bringing the railing up to code.

The existing cottage is 32 feet across by 24 feet deep. We plan to extend it by 15 feet in depth.
​​
Special thanks to David Vincent (Remax Renfrew) for his persistent and outstanding efforts in helping us acquire this property.

Here are some photos of the property.