Nearly a decade after his childhood cottage on Catchacoma Lake, Ont., was torn down, Rob Sandler decided he wanted to revive it: this time bigger, greener, and more welcoming.
As a young adult, Rob, who lived in Toronto, and his then-girlfriend, Nyla Ahmad, who lived in Montreal, would often meet at Rob’s parents’ rustic, two-bedroom wooden cottage on weekends. The cottage offered a natural midway point, even in the winter when they’d have to hike through hip-deep snow to get to the cabin from the main road.
As Rob’s family grew, they replaced the original cabin with a four-season cottage in 1995. Over the next 14 years, it became the place for siblings, spouses, grandchildren, and cousins. “The cottage was an institution,” says Rob. “A part of the family.” But in 2009, to the family’s dismay, they discovered that shoddy tradeswork had created a growing mould issue with the foundation. They had no choice but to tear the cottage down.
Nine years later, Rob and Nyla, now married with two children, were living a bustling life in midtown Toronto. He worked in medical device marketing, and she was an executive in telecommunications. “As time marched on, we started missing the family time you have at a cottage,” says Rob. Their kids were teenagers, and they wanted to make more memories together before they left the nest. “We wanted to preserve that glue that kept us tight,” says Rob.
So, in 2018, Rob and Nyla went shopping for a new cabin, and after a few weeks of perusing listings, they had a change of heart. They realized that none of these new places were right for them; what they longed for was a return to their old property. “We knew how the sun would rise and set, and the colours of the lake and snow at different times of the year,” says Rob. “No other property had that same magic to us.”
While Rob’s parents still owned the unused land, they had no plans for a new cottage, which left the door open for Rob and Nyla to build. They enlisted the help of Heather Dubbeldam, an architect who had previously renovated their 1930s Toronto home. The design of the new cottage would honour the land’s natural beauty, with windows placed strategically to showcase Rob and Nyla’s favourite views. They wanted east-west windows that beamed light in the living room and kitchen throughout the day. Then, they tucked a study down the hall and away from sunlight, allowing it to double as a reading zone and napping area.
Sustainability was top of mind for Rob and Nyla, but new municipal rules required them to build farther away from the shoreline than the old cottage. Not wanting to cut down dozens of trees, they applied for a special building exception with the municipality. A year later, they got it. During that time, “there was very little we could do to keep the project moving forward,” says Nyla. “The designs were done and all that we and our contractor could do was sit and wait.”
Construction finally concluded in 2020, giving rise to a year-round retreat, with five bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living area spread across 2,200 square feet. The pair wanted to ensure ample space for loved ones. The Sandlers’ adult children visit frequently and the extended family—siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews—often make the trek from Toronto for weekends or holidays.
The cottage is designed like an H: a horizontal main room, flanked by two wings. One wing houses the primary suite and two additional bedrooms; the other contains two bedrooms, a sunroom, and the library. “The main room is for communal meals and gatherings, but there are smaller areas on either side where you can be alone or in little groups,” says Nyla.
A cascading deck, built into the natural slope, stretches toward the lake. The exterior, clad in dark grey-stained wood, blends with the trunks of surrounding trees, while warm, red cedar accents highlight the entry porch.
The central gathering space features 12-foot ceilings, expansive windows to capture views, and practical touches, such as pocket doors to maximize space. The shape of the cottage is particularly suited to the colder months: the family uses a technique called “zoned heating,” which allows areas to be shut down when not in use. The design incorporates passive and active cooling and heating to boost efficiency and minimize environmental impact. This includes a heat-recovery system, which exchanges stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air—without losing (much) warmth in the process.
During hot summer days, the family gets by without air conditioning.“The way the windows and doors are placed creates natural airflow, even during heat waves.” In winter, a Stuv woodstove in the living room and a second one from Arada in the sunroom work hard. “Just those two heat almost the entire cottage,” says Rob.
The rebuilt getaway has quickly become a multi-generational hub for both sides of the family. Nyla’s father passed away last year, but the accessible design, which even extends to the deck and lakefront access, means her mother can easily visit the cottage from Toronto.
“It’s like a cast of hundreds in the best possible way,” says Nyla. “It’s not just a retreat for Rob and me.”
For Rob, the cottage represents a full-circle moment. “We grew up on this land,” he says. “Now, seeing my mom spending time with her grandkids here, it feels like we’ve come home.”
Writer Alex Cyr’s work has also appeared in Toronto Life, The Walrus, and The Globe and Mail. This is his first story for Cottage Life.
This story originally appeared in our Winter ’25 issue.
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