cottage maintenance Archives - Cottage Life

Ice build-up on a roof cause an ice dam

4 winter catastrophes and how to prevent and fix them

Man repairing window frame on a maturing cottage.

How this cottager overcomes the challenges of a maturing cottage

General

A man carrying a stack of wood, obscuring his face

A dozen DIY tasks to tackle in winter

A modern log cabin surrounded by trees.

Cleaning up the Cottage Checklist

Close-up of cedar shingles installed on an exterior wall.

4 reasons to use cedar shingles on exterior walls

Green cottage on stilts during spring flooding in Sorel, Quebec.

Simple ways to protect your home or cottage from spring flooding

Frozen copper pipe with a black background.

How to avoid frozen pipes in the winter

Grey water heater in an unfinished room with plywood and brick walls.

How to fix your water heater

Drywall crack next to a blue door.

How can drywall cracks be avoided during the winter?

Clear water running out of a silver faucet.

What water treatment system do you need?

Overhead view of the drainage cover of a septic tank in a forest.

What needs to be done to our septic before winter?

Man applying caulking to a window.

Applying new caulking

Close-up of pine flooring running vertically.

What’s the best way to protect pine floors?

Pathway leading to an outhouse in a thickly-wooded area.

Breaking down outhouse waste with products

Side view of two chairs on a cottage porch with the lake in the background.

Building inspectors and replacing dated parts

Plate with corn cobs.

Is cornblasting more environmentally friendly than stripping methods?

Close-up of a fridge freezer filled with food.

Can a fridge be damaged over winter?