Custom carpentry at the gateway to the Muskoka Lakes.
The First Town You Reach
Gravenhurst sits at the south end of Lake Muskoka, about 170 kilometres north of Toronto, which makes it the first Muskoka town most people arrive in. Around 13,150 people live here year round, and the town has been the home port of the RMS Segwun, the oldest operating steamship in North America, since 1887.
The short drive changes how people use their property here. A cottage two hours from the city gets used on ordinary weekends, not just in July. It is often someone’s first cottage rather than a family place handed down three generations. And it means owners can actually come and look at a build in progress, which we like. Nobody has to take our word for how it is going.
Custom Decks in Gravenhurst
With a solid year-round population and a busy seasonal one, the work here splits fairly evenly between full-time homes in town and waterfront cottages.
- Multi-level decks on sloped and rocky lots
- Cedar, hardwood and composite surfaces including Millboard and TimberTech
- Glass, cable and aluminum railings
- Pergolas, privacy walls and integrated lighting
- Outdoor kitchens and built-in seating
- Deck repairs, resurfacing and railing replacement
Docks on Open Water
The south basin of Lake Muskoka is wide open. On an exposed shoreline the wind gets a long run at you, and a dock here takes weather that a sheltered bay further north never sees. That drives the build: heavier cribs, more thought about orientation, and hardware chosen for a beating.
The smaller lakes around town behave differently again. Gull Lake sits right in Gravenhurst and is calm and shallow by comparison. Kahshe Lake is large, cottage-dense and shallower in places, which changes what a crib has to sit on.
- Timber crib docks built for exposed and sheltered sites alike
- Steel dock systems where the bottom conditions suit them
- Dock resurfacing and structural repair
- Shoreline stairs and landings
- Builds on Lake Muskoka, Gull Lake, Kahshe Lake and Sparrow Lake
Sparrow Lake, and the Permit Nobody Expects
Sparrow Lake is the southernmost lake in Muskoka, and it is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway. That puts it under Parks Canada, not just the Town.
Here is the part that catches people out. If your property is on the Trent-Severn, you need an In-Water and Shoreline Work Permit from Parks Canada before you apply for your municipal building permit. The federal approval goes in with the municipal application, not after it. Get that order wrong and the whole project waits.
We know the sequence and we file both. If you are on Sparrow Lake, tell us early and we will start the Parks Canada side first, because it is the long pole.
We Handle the Permits
Gravenhurst runs its own building department and zoning bylaw, so setbacks, dock sizing and boathouse rules are set locally and differ from Bracebridge, Huntsville or Muskoka Lakes.
Depending on the site, provincial and federal approvals can also apply, from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Navigation Protection Program, or Parks Canada on the Trent-Severn.
We file the permits for you. Drawings, submission and the back and forth with whichever authorities have a say over your shoreline, in the right order.
Requirements change. We confirm current standards with the Town of Gravenhurst on every project.
Also Serving the Surrounding Area
We work throughout Gravenhurst and the surrounding area, including Muskoka Wharf, Muskoka Beach, Severn Bridge, Kilworthy and Torrance, and across Lake Muskoka, Gull Lake, Kahshe Lake and Sparrow Lake.
What Our Clients Say
Martin and his crew were on time each workday, professional, thorough and patient. Martin would listen if I had any developing questions. Excellent work, fine finishing on my new deck, better than I expected. 5/5 stars!
Jack L., Google Review
Fantastic experience! Martin is an exceptional craftsman. The skill that went into creating our all cedar pergola is incredible. Thank you for a great job!
Jill M., Google Review
Read all of our reviews on Google
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Parks Canada permit for my dock?
If your property is on Sparrow Lake or anywhere else on the Trent-Severn Waterway, yes. You need an In-Water and Shoreline Work Permit from Parks Canada, and it has to be in hand before the municipal building permit application goes in. We handle both and we start the federal one first.
Does an exposed shoreline change how a dock is built?
It does. The south basin of Lake Muskoka has a long fetch, so wind and wave load are real. Cribs get built heavier and orientation matters more than on a sheltered bay.
Do you work on Kahshe and Gull Lake as well as Lake Muskoka?
Yes. All three behave differently, and we build to the site rather than to a template.
How soon should I book?
Winter or early spring for a summer build. Permits are the long pole, especially anything involving Parks Canada, so the earlier the better.
Do you build for year-round homes as well as cottages?
Yes, and in Gravenhurst that is a good share of the work given the size of the permanent population.
Start Your Gravenhurst Project
Tell us which lake you are on and we will tell you what it needs, permits included. Free quotes.
Get a free quote or call 705-706-5894.
