Should you put an addition on the cottage or build a bunky?

Should you put an addition on the cottage or build a bunky?

This is a question that I am being asked a lot these days. With aging cottages and ever expanding families people are starting to find their cottages cramped for space.

What to do about the lack of space (personal and private) is what is fueling the debate over whether people should be adding square footage to their cottage or should they be adding a bunky?

There are several questions that you need to ask yourself to decide which one is right for you and your family cottage;

What do you need the extra space for?

If you need the extra space because you don’t have enough bedrooms then a bunky could satisfy that need. But remember that a bunky is only basically good for one extra bedroom, if you require more than that you should think about adding an addition.

If you need that extra space for living, gathering and general enjoyment because the family is out growing the existing cottage then an addition to the cottage would probably be better. This would give people more space to move around and allow for a more enjoyable experience.

Do you want to use the space all year round?

Bunkies are not made to be winter residences. If you require that extra space for winter as well then you should think about adding an addition instead, this way it is easier to heat and people would have access to a washroom without having to trudge through the snow every time nature calls.

How much would you use the extra space?

If you only require the extra space on the long weekends in the summer then a bunky would probably be better for you. The bunky is then used for overflow guests and only for an average of 15 days a year and a two or three days in a row.

What is better for the Resale value of your cottage?

If you care about the resale value of your cottage then you should probably add the addition. Bunkies do not add a lot or any real resale value to your property. A bunky does not last as long as a normal home as well as they usually do not have heat or a proper foundation under them. Winter can be particularly hard on bunkies and they can require a lot of maintenance.

Do you need more bathrooms?

With more space comes more people and more people require more bathrooms, even if the new bathroom is a simple two piece it can alleviate those dreaded line ups (especially in the morning). This becomes extremely expensive to accomplish in a bunky and harder to protect in the winter. Adding an addition to the cottage is an easy way to accomplish much needed bathrooms. Bathrooms are not cheap to put in a home but they do not take up a lot of space, this means that you can easily add a powder room (2 piece) or a larger bathroom with a small stand up shower in the corner without sacrificing on the size of the bedrooms.

What is your Budget?

This is the big question, Money. Bunkies are not cheap to buy or have built per square foot especially compared to what you are getting, 4 walls and a room. But they are a lot cheaper and simpler then putting an addition on your cottage. If you are on a limited budget then the bunky is probably the most preferable way to go about adding sleeping space.

But if you have a healthy budget then you should probably bite the bullet and have the addition added. The additional square footage will never go down in value and with larger families (which are always growing with children and grandchildren) you will always find use for the space. Remember that adding sleeping space doesn’t help the bathroom lineups, it actually makes it worse.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

The pro’s and con’s of adding a bunky at the cottage

The pro’s and con’s of adding a bunky at the cottage?

Currently all the rage with cottage owners is to build bunkies or buy the pre-fabricated ones and have them installed on their property. There are pro’s and con’s to adding space by adding a bunky or adding several of them as seems to be the growing trend.

Pros

• As long as you keep it to 100 sqft or under you do not require a building permit.

• They do not require a foundation.

• They can be used as a storage space when you don’t have guests to sleep in them.

• They give guests a private place to retire too.

• You can run electricity to them.

• You can buy pre-fabricated ones that are delivered and assembled onsite.

• They can be constructed so that they fit the surrounding area and fit into the cottage feel.

• Without a building permit you can set them closer to the water then a conventional building that has to be placed back from the high water mark.

Cons

• Bunkies that are built without building permits cannot have a bathroom in them. Guests would have to either use an outhouse or walk to the main house every time nature calls.

• If you have a building permit for your bunky and you put a bathroom in it the cost per sqft will be extremely high as you will have to deal with the waste either through the septic system or some kind of holding tank.

• Building a bunky without a foundation will save you money but you still have to excavate the area that it is to be built on so that it is sitting on a level surface, free of organic material under it and has a gravel or sand base.

• Most people do not have the skill to build a proper bunky; it’s basically like building a miniature house and thus have to hire someone to do it.

• Since most bunkies are small they only usually have one room which means that it is basically a bedroom.

• Pre-fabricated bunkies are extremely expensive to buy. It is probably cheaper to have one built by hand on the property.

• Because bunkies are a simple structure they are notoriously hard to keep vermin out of; mice, bugs, raccoons and even bears have been known to break in and cause damage. A lot of people find that keeping a bunky clean enough for guests becomes harder than keeping the cottage clean.

• A bunky can be a very difficult place to install a fireplace whether it is wood or gas. This means that for heat you have to rely on baseboard heaters which can be expensive and inefficient.

Because of the vermin problem when bunkies are built you must take great care in what you are planning to build them with. You should not be using conventional insulation (fibreglass). You should be using insulation that has a resistance to vermin like hard foam board and other products that resist bugs and mice.

There should be a lot more thought put into a bunky then just framing up 4 walls and a roof if you want people to enjoy it and for it to last.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.