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Before and After PDF Print E-mail
BeforeOne family updates a cottage in the Fraser Valley’s original recreational community.

For brothers Doug and Tim Neetz, and their cousin Steve Bergmann, collaborating to buy, renovate and flip an old-timer house at Cultus Lake was a sure bet. Between the lake’s beautiful mountain views, accessible location (100 kilometres east of Vancouver and just 10 km south of Chilliwack) and the area’s healthy real estate market, the trio knew they could turn a profit.

But after working together for 16 weeks — double their expected timeline — to complete everything from the initial design sketches to choosing paint colours, they couldn’t imagine parting with the end result.
“We became emotionally attached to the project and wanted to keep a part of it,” says Doug.
Doug and his family managed to transform the interior and exterior of a non-descript mid-20th century bungalow into a modern, functional, and private year-round getaway. It feels like a deluxe mountain chalet on the outside and a sleek urban loft on the inside.

AfterAfter purchasing the property for just over $300,000 in early 2006, Abbotsford-based Doug, a real estate agent, boat dealer for Wakecraft boats, and owner of a graphic design company, along with Tim and Steve, both contractors with extensive building experience, sat down to sketch out design ideas. They came up with a few plans and much of what they sketched out that first day, particularly the exterior details, were actually incorporated into the house. Their goal was to create a modern-looking, livable space suited for both families and couples. Some expansion was required in order to do this but, for the most part, the group wanted to alter and update what was already there.

To read the full story, pick up the January issue of Cottage magazine at your local newsstand.To get more great articles like this one, subscribe now.
 
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