Savary Island: Special Island — Special Cottages

Savary Island Cottage:
Fine woodwork on a fine morning
(click on the image to see it larger)

Given Andrew Van Wersch's background, it's a safe bet that the two cottages he is currently building on Savary Island will be far from the ordinary. See, Andrew is not the type of builder who limited his training to banging together 2 X 4's. For years he supported his family by crafting high-end furniture and cabinets in his large workshop in Roberts Creek, on the Sunshine Coast.

He easily gained membership to the prestigious Wood Co-Op on Granville Island, in Vancouver. But primarily his business was word of mouth: I don't think he ever had to advertise. Andrew always had more work being offered than he could handle, so he could pick and choose, favoring complex, interesting projects. Whether very early in the morning, or late in the evening, as I walked my dog past his property his shop would be lit, and I'd hear Andrew working. To see some outstanding woodwork, check out this carousel picture gallery. Not exactly 2 X 4's banged together!

Just as Savary Island is a special Gulf Island, the two cottages Andrew is building are special cottages. If you are looking for vacation property beyond the ordinary, your search may be over.

Cedar Shingle Siding Coming Soon!

Andrew Van Wersch, Five star builder,
Creator of Fine Furniture and Cabinets
in his shop at Roberts Creek, B.C.
See a Carousel gallery of a few of his fine works by Clicking Here.

Andrew has gone back up to Savary Island, and plans to get all the cedar shingles on the cottage. The cottage is going to look so different in the next series of pictures! Siding makes all the difference. He's also planning on finishing the outdoor decks. Ready for summer relaxation.

Imagine owning such a sweet, well made cottage on such an amazing island. If you don't know about Savary, you can see a few nice pictures of it here. I hope Andrew takes a break from building and snaps a few more of the island. Read, dream, and, who knows, maybe visit.

Sunset on Savary Island

Sunset, Savary Island, British Columbia

While Master Builder Andrew Van Wersch did not take the time to snap any pictures of the wonderful cottage for sale on his last working trip up to Savary Island, he did capture this beautiful sunset.

Look at those miles of beach waiting for you to explore. Pretty cool, huh?

He's going back to Savary this Monday, and promised he would take time off work to take pictures of the cottages. I know last time he made huge advances on the waterfront place, and one thing is for sure: it's going to be spectacular! I have seen Andrew very excited about his work, but I can't remember him ever being this excited! He was absolutely bubbling over with details of just how neat this place is going to be.

Well, that's Andrew. Loving his work.

Savary Island Cottage Progress

Having a ball, Andrew yielding a chainsaw to sculpt a large beam.

Five star builder Andrew Van Wersch returned from several weeks up on Savary Island building his two cottages. That's right: two. For most it would be an overwhelming challenge to tackle one cottage on an isolated island, but Andrew is building two. That's Andrew.

Many, many times I have seen Andrew excited about a building project. He loves it! But I am certain I have never seen him as excited as he is about this project. He really loves it!

He couldn't contain his excitement. You should hear him describing the waterfront cottage (I'm not sure when it gets this big and deluxe, 'cottage' is quite the word, but I guess it still is). His heart and soul are in this project, and you can be sure it is going to be one amazing place!

Sadly, but understandably as he described working from first light until dark, he did not take any time to snap the beautiful photographs I had been hoping for to update the website. When he goes up again, he plans to put the cedar shingle siding on the first cottage, and he has promised to take a lot of pictures once those are on. We will just have to wait.

In the meantime, here is a nice shot of the stunning woodwork for the waterfront place.

More Pictures Soon Savary Cottage

Getting away from it all, on Savary Island, B.C.

The Master Builder Andrew Van Wersch has been up on Savary Island these past several weeks, working on the cottage. Knowing Andrew, I bet he made a ton of progress. When Andrew works, it is like magic. He knows wood and he knows tools like no one else I know.

How many times have I dropped by his shop in the morning for something, seen him getting ready to start some major project, and then dropped by the next morning and seen the project completed? Too many to count. It always reminds me of those childhood fairy tales, where the little shoe man or whoever goes to bed, and wakes to find the little people have done all his work. Accept I know there are no little people in Andrew's shop. Just Andrew doing his own magic.

I hope that Andrew took an hour or two off on one of the sunny days and snapped some more pictures. I will update the website with sunnier pictures that show the progress. Stay tuned.

A Cottage or a Boat?

Some dream of boats ~ I have nightmares!

When it comes to holidays, there are lots of options. Some good. Some not so great.

I could discuss the car trips with kids. That's a good one for chuckles. Or the flights to Europe (three days to recover when you get there, and three days when you get back). Or looking for a hotel on a (surprise!) holiday weekend, in the dark, in the rain. But since this is a blog about Savary Island and cottages, I'll give my views on boats vs. cottages.

Having wasted spent many of my summer teen years on my parents' rather small Chris-Craft, the most important thing I learned about 'pleasure' boats is, avoid them! Here are a few facts:

First, there is nothing cheap about a boat. Just visit any marine shop, and check the price on that anchor junior dropped unattached over the side. Ouch.

Second, there is something boaters get called six-footitis. Every year or two, an uncontrollable urge overtakes them to get a boat just six feet longer. They think that will solve everything. It never does.

And third, the two happiest days of a boaters boating life are the day they get their boat, and the day they sell it. Period.

I could share endless unhappy experiences I had on my parents' boat. Like the time we almost collided (and I mean inches, not feet) with a HUGE tug in the middle of the night, in a storm, as we struggled to find a secure harbor. Or the time I ran into a little stick, and almost sank the thing. Or all the times the engines failed, and I got to squat on the swim plank and power the pig along with the tiny trolling engine, the sun cooking my head while my legs froze in the ocean waves. Oh, I have no shortage of misery to share from those boating days!

Surely there must have been happy times? Yes: When we were tightly tied to a dock and I could jump off onto land. I got to see many beautiful Gulf Islands, and as long as I was on land exploring those, I was at peace. My dream those days was if only my parents had bought a cottage instead of the %@#%%! boat.

And back then, they could have picked up a nice waterfront cottage for a nickle and a dime. Can you imagine what that would have done for their retirement portfolio? The boat was a one way vacuum for large amounts of cash. A cottage.... well, no point in crying over what might have been. The good thing is, they eventually wised-up and sold the boat. And yes, I do believe it was the happiest day of their boating life. I know it was mine.

From a kid's perspective, I always think it almost borders on abuse to keep them penned up on a boat for endless hours and days. I mean, even a large boat isn't very big. On the other hand, a cottage can be small (that's called cozy), but with the whole outdoors right there who cares? Go biking, go hiking, go for a swim at the beach, go find a peaceful spot and read. Now that's a sweet holiday.