The compact one room bunkie down by the beach is where arriz and I stayed every weekend during construction. It was small but cosy. I have some very fond memories of our time spent here. It even has a tiny propane fridge and stove so we were able to cook in there. Along with the bbq outside we were able to prepare some amazing meals here.
Photography: Mark ChallenAfter the cottage was built, the bunkie became a combination guest cabin and dock house. My good friend Mark snapped this shot when he was up last summer. A few guests absolutely love to stay down here on their own for an old school cottaging experience. Most of the furniture in here is hand me downs from Arriz’s old loft and my first apartment that was stored in the basement. We kept the old futon frame that was already in the bunkie (it kind of fit perfectly) but updated it with a new fabric upholstered mattress. So much better!
The wood burning stove kept us warm well into November when we packed up and headed back to the city full time for the winter. I found the striped fabric at DFO, which is no longer, and fashioned some curtains for under the counters to keep all of our gear out of site. And i used some of the tile remnant from the shower up at the main cottage to cover the old broken tile under the fireplace.
One of the bigger moves was to stain the whole building in African Night by Sico and add a standing seam steel roof. What a difference! You can check out the before pics below.
Before
BeforeBEFORE
And here is what the bunkie looked like when we bought the property.The round dining table and chair set and bureau went to Goodwill and I’d totally forgotten that the bunkie was once red. It stood out like a sore thumb from across the lake! I far prefer it when a building blends with its surroundings in cottage country.
Before
BeforeBEFORE
Looking back at these photos, I can’t believe the bunkie once looked like this. It’s amazing what a lot of paint and elbow grease can do. I’m not entirely sure if I’d have the energy to take this on at this stage in my life.