Nicholson BrosDevelopments
the Kawartha lakes and cottage country

Custom builds in Kawartha Lakes.

Nicholson Bros builds and rebuilds across the Kawarthas — Stoney Lake, Buckhorn, Bobcaygeon, and the lakes and townships of cottage country — including our own project at Cashabog Lake.

The Kawarthas are lake country, and building here is mostly a problem of access and site before it's ever a problem of design. Getting equipment in, getting services to a build site that may be a long way from the road, working on granite shoreline and shield rock, and getting a house to feel like it belonged on the water from day one — that's where most of the brain work goes. Cashabog and Stoney Lake taught us those lessons on our own jobs; we bring them to yours.

Much of the work up here is teardown-and-rebuild: an older cottage or lake house on a lot nobody would give up, taken down to the dirt and rebuilt as a home you can use year-round. Same view, same shoreline, new everything. We handle demolition and the rebuild as one job, and we plan the access and the season so the lake doesn't cost you a year.

What we build in Kawartha Lakes

Four ways we work.

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Common questions

Building in Kawartha Lakes.

What's an owner's representative, and how is it different from a general contractor?
A general contractor runs their own crews and answers to their own margin. An owner's representative answers to you. We sit on your side of the table — managing the architect, the trades, the budget, and the schedule on your behalf — so your interests are the only ones in the room. On most of our builds we do both: represent you and run the work.
Will the budget I start with be the budget I finish with?
Closer than you're used to. Every allowance is named in writing during the Design phase, so you choose finishes against real numbers rather than guesses. Surprises come from vague budgets and undocumented decisions — we remove both. Where the world moves on us, you hear about it the week it happens, not at the end.
Do you build on land I already own, or help me find it?
Both. If you own the land, we start by walking it with you before anyone draws a line. If you're still looking, bring us in early — we've spent three decades reading sites across this region, and the right answer often starts with the wrong-looking lot.
How involved do I have to be?
As involved as you want, and never more than you have to be. The decision schedule tells you exactly what we need from you and when. Between those points, you get a weekly photographed site walk — whether you're down the road or in the city. The point of hiring us is that you don't have to become the contractor.
How many projects do you take on at once?
A small number each year, by referral and direct inquiry. We'd rather run a handful of builds properly than spread two brothers across a dozen. It's worth reaching out early — often years before you break ground.
Nearby
PeterboroughTrent HillsRecent builds
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