We removed the old cottage one Labor Day weekend and Jerry began the construction of of the new cottage: much larger than the old one (Jerry and Joyce have lots of children and grand-children) and more like a summer home than a cottage. Several of Jerry's boys work in building trades and I can do wiring well enough to pass inspection, so it was mostly family-built.
It was set on dozens of 14" x 30' pilings, so the leveling ritual is a thing of the past. Four times large loads of materials were brought over on barges but the majority of materials were ferried over in various boats ranging from 16 to 20 feet in length.
This summer (95) looks like it will see the end of this project. Cabinets and carpeting, paint and varnish, fixtures and furniture are all beginning to make it look like a place to live.
New construction locally must conform to all aspects of the building code, so the new cottage has things like a 200 amp electrical panel, although there is no power on the island other than a small portable generator.
A picture of the new cottage. (35k)