Compiled by Katherine Owen
Photos by Rachel Bowman Photography, courtesy Nick Hudson
One visit to Jeffrey Lake Cabin, and Nick Hudson knew he was onto something special. Here’s how he transformed the 900-square-foot cottage into a getaway that’s as efficient as it is charming.
Nick: This cabin comes with a bit of an interesting backstory; before I purchased it, I actually stayed there myself. My brother lived in Ottawa, and I lived in Toronto, and we wanted to find a place in the middle where we could stay for his birthday. This cabin was listed on Airbnb, and it was conveniently halfway between us. The location was a decently far hike, but if one is willing to make the trek, it’s a fantastic place to be. So, we decided to make the drive.
The cabin itself was in pretty rough shape, but the location was perfect. Even without any sort of renovations, I could tell that this place was special. It had really good reviews already, and even though it was bare bones (for example, the washing machine was in the living room…), it had character. As soon as you entered, there was just this sense of peace and calm; I fell in love with its aura. So, I started talking with the owner about it, and I didn’t think much of it, but I said, “Hey, we loved our stay. If you’re ever thinking about selling, let me know.”
Well, a couple months went by, and sure enough, I get a message from the owner saying that he needs to let the cabin go: “Are you interested?”
I had never purchased a cottage before. I had done real estate deals down in the city, but I had no idea what I was in for or what to look for — things like your shoreline allowance, if it’s on a maintained road, if it’s a private road, if it has a heated waterline, is it four-season or is it three-season… These are all things that I would learn along the way.
Furthermore, it was quite hard to find real estate “comps” in that area. We managed to find a few, and we put in a firm offer, confident about the price. Then, the appraisal came back $150,000 short of our offer. So, right off the bat, we were super stressed. We ended up getting another appraiser out, the broker split the difference and the owner came down on the price. But those were some tough first lessons.
Finally, eventually, it was ours. I was ecstatic. We had gone through a lot with the purchase and the transfer, but now, I had the cottage. And I was just so excited to see what I could do with it, especially from a short-term rental perspective.
I’m a contractor by trade. So, I took the floor plan and I started to think of ways we could reorganize the layout to maximize the space. Then, we came in, tore it back to the studs and started building out new walls. We also added a new color scheme. It was all dark wood in there prior, so I white-washed all the pine walls, which really brightened up the space.
Now, every single square inch of the cabin has been meticulously thought-through to maximize space and maintain functionality; Ultimately, we wanted to make sure that it still felt airy and bigger than it actually was. And I think we were successful in doing that.
We tried to bring the outside in and really create an experience where you feel like you are almost in a tree house — but a very comfortable tree house. Today, it is so peaceful and so quiet; it’s just the coziest place to be. You get a fire going and a hot coffee in the morning, and it’s just my favorite place in the world. And the fact that we can use it ourselves and, at the same time, earn income — now that’s a truly ideal situation.
Plan Your Visit! Book a stay at Jeffrey Lake Cabin by finding it on Airbnb.
