After months of searching with friends Cherri and David for a cottage to buy together in Muskoka, it’s love at first sight when Colin and Justin discover a 4 –bedroom log home on a quiet little lake.

Colin and Justin move into their cottage and meet with their contractor Dan to get this reno started! Dan’s plan? Start on the 2nd floor, then tackle the basement, and meet in the middle to tackle the Kitchen and Great Room. Everything has to be in keeping with his tight schedule if they’re to finish on time and on budget. The first room they’ll take on is the dated and dowdy 2nd floor guest room. Colin and Justin reckon they can take this on themselves and, when it’s finished, have a clean and comfortable place to sleep while they live in the construction zone.

Cherri and David are trusting Colin and Justin to work their design magic throughout the cottage. But when it comes to the spaces that will be specifically for Cherri and David, the boys are feeling a little more pressure. And to start, this bathroom needs a glamorous, spa-like transformation. Smashing tile, sanding floors, peeling wallpaper are all quite satisfying but if the boys don’t wow Cherri and David with their idea of a spectacular makeover of their master bathroom, how will their co-owners feel about the rest of the reno?

Co-owners Cherri and David loved their new bathroom so Colin and Justin are confident they have carte blanche to make all the design decisions for the cottage. But they do make some unique decisions. Seriously, who takes away a bedroom at a cottage? You need more space for guests, not less. But, for Colin and Justin, quality trumps quantity and they’re going to great lengths to expand the largest bedroom to give Cherri and David a master suite that would rival any 5-star resort. Of course they’ll see the logic of losing a bedroom to create a fabulous room with a view. Won’t they?

With the second floor of the cottage complete, it’s time to follow Dan downstairs to fully gut the basement to create the blank slate that will become the shared family room and Colin and Justin’s bedroom with ensuite bathroom. But first, that hot tub’s gotta go!

With so much work going on inside the cottage, Colin & Justin take a breather outside to soak in the view, commune with nature, and remember what about Muskoka they fell in love with. Quite pleased with themselves to be on budget at this point in the reno, and only a little behind time, they envision a proper home for the hot tub, nestled into the trees as opposed to the basement! The boys dream of a brilliant outdoor living space with plants, and granite and beauty from the hot tub right down to the dock. But, here comes Dan with today’s reality check. Their dock is rotten and sinking and needs to be replaced. But, this wasn’t in the budget!?! Now this is a sticky wicket.