Custom Home Builders Kawartha Lakes, Within City Limits
Custom home builders Kawartha Lakes lot owners compare may work anywhere in the Kawarthas, but your lot answers to one municipality: the City of Kawartha Lakes.
My Own Cottage builds year-round homes on lots you own anywhere in the City. Preconfigured models start at $229,500 for the structure and delivery, with site work, permits and municipal charges quoted separately.
- HCRA-licensed
- Tarion-enrolled
- Look us up by company name in the Ontario Builder Directory
My Own Cottage Inc. is an HCRA-licensed, Tarion-enrolled prefab home and cottage builder based in Orillia, Ontario. Search “My Own Cottage” in the Ontario Builder Directory to see our HCRA licence. We deliver anywhere in Ontario and work from our facility in Orillia, not from an office in the City. This page covers the City of Kawartha Lakes part of how we build on owner-supplied lots across Ontario. A lot in Selwyn, Trent Lakes or Cavan Monaghan sits in Peterborough County instead, and follows the City and County rules for Peterborough lots. Converting a cottage you already own is a different job: see what a cottage needs to be lived in year-round in Kawartha Lakes.
| Year-round model | Floor area | Bedrooms / bathrooms | Preconfigured model starting at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbour Side | 1,269 sq ft | 3 / 2 | $379,500 |
| Hudson | 1,550 sq ft | 3 / 2 | $524,500 |
| Fern Gully | 2,054 sq ft | 3 / 3 | $519,500 |
| Montebello | 2,307 sq ft | 3 / 2 | $619,500 |
Each price covers the structure and delivery only. Foundation, site preparation, servicing, permits, municipal charges and turnkey finishing are quoted separately against your lot.
Every model in the catalogue is published with its preconfigured starting price.
Key takeaways
- The City of Kawartha Lakes is single-tier: it issues the building and septic permits for every lot inside it.
- 2026 City development charges for a single detached home run from $24,131 per unit on a rural lot to $69,537 in Urban-Lindsay.
- A new home’s building permit costs $23.25 per square metre of floor area, with no HST on building or septic permit fees.
- On vacant land, the building permit application goes in before the City will issue a septic permit.
Custom home builders Kawartha Lakes: which kind do you need?
The right builder depends on what is already on the land, and whose drawings you are building from.
Which kind of builder fits a Kawartha Lakes lot?
| Builder type | What you bring | What they build | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom builder (My Own Cottage) | A lot you own or are buying | A year-round home from a published model, fitted to your lot | Owners of a rural, waterfront or village lot who want a primary home, including one that replaces an older building |
| Architect-led builder | An architect’s drawings | A one-off or luxury design built entirely on site | Owners who have hired an architect and want the drawings tendered |
| Renovation or design-build contractor | A house or cottage that already stands | Renovations, additions and conversions | Owners improving a building they already have |
If you are shopping for homes for sale in Kawartha Lakes, a real estate listing is the route, not a builder. Turning an existing cottage into a year-round home is a renovation, and what a four-season conversion requires in Kawartha Lakes covers it. For a second unit behind an existing house, start with Ontario’s rules for additional residential units, which permit some by right in urban residential areas.
Is your builder based in the City of Kawartha Lakes or the wider Kawarthas?
The City states that it is “a single-tier municipality in Ontario,” formed when the County of Victoria merged with 16 former lower-tier municipalities on January 1, 2001. The Kawarthas is a wider region, and a business with “Kawartha” in its name can be based outside the City. Ask every builder on your shortlist where it works from and which homes it has completed inside the City.
How does a custom home builder from Orillia build in Kawartha Lakes?
Custom home design starts from one of our models, each with a published price. Prefab homes and modular homes are two names buyers use for this route, and the City charges and permits below apply the same way to either. Every build runs through four stages, Design, Build, Deliver and Install, with delivery and installation as the two stages on your lot. Licensed-trade installation affiliates, contracted professionals rather than employees, carry out the foundation, site preparation and servicing. They quote that work against your Kawartha Lakes lot, and the scope is set in the agreement before the build. My Own Cottage helps with municipal permits.
- 01Design
- 02Build
- 03Deliveron your lot
- 04Installon your lot
Two of the four stages happen on your lot, and the foundation, site preparation and servicing they rest on are quoted against it before the build. Bring the lot address to a free, no-obligation consultation.
How much does it cost to build a custom home in Kawartha Lakes?
The model is the first number, and we publish it. Our preconfigured prefab homes start at $229,500 and run to $949,500, covering the structure and delivery to your lot. If you are looking for a prefab home under $100,000, no model in our catalogue fits: the lowest-priced models start at $229,500.
An average cost, for Ontario or for Kawartha Lakes, can’t price your lot: the City’s 2026 development charges alone differ by $45,406 between a Rural-Other and an Urban-Lindsay lot, our arithmetic on the City’s schedule.
What does the model price leave out on a Kawartha Lakes lot?
Six costs sit outside the model price on every lot. Each one is quoted against your lot before you sign.
| Cost outside the model price | Who sets it on a Kawartha Lakes lot |
|---|---|
| Foundation | Licensed-trade installation affiliate, quoted against your lot |
| Site preparation | Licensed-trade installation affiliate, quoted against your lot |
| Servicing (well and septic, or City water and sewer) | Affiliate quote, plus the City’s connection and frontage fees on a serviced lot |
| Permits | City of Kawartha Lakes building and septic permits, an entrance permit for a new driveway, and any conservation authority permit |
| Municipal charges | City of Kawartha Lakes development charges, set by the lot’s service area |
| Turnkey finishing | Quoted separately |
What does a custom home cost per square foot in Kawartha Lakes?
My Own Cottage doesn’t quote a price per square foot, because pricing tracks specification rather than floor area. Two of our models of near-identical size sit 1.7 times apart per square foot. Compare model prices, then add the site work and City charges for your lot.
Compare the models themselves, each published with its preconfigured starting price.
What does the City of Kawartha Lakes charge on a new home in 2026?
A development charge is a one-time fee a municipality charges on a new home. The City of Kawartha Lakes charges a single detached home between $24,131 and $69,537 in 2026, set by the lot’s service area, with permit fees on top.
How much are Kawartha Lakes development charges on a serviced or rural lot?
| City service area | What By-law 2025-139 says it covers | 2026 charge, single or semi-detached |
|---|---|---|
| Urban-Lindsay | Land within the transit, police, water and wastewater service areas, outside the wastewater-NWT service area | $69,537 per unit |
| Urban-NWT | Land within the transit, police, water and wastewater-NWT service areas | $61,929 per unit |
| Urban-Other | Other land within the water and wastewater service areas | $66,916 per unit |
| Rural-Ops | Land within the police service area that is not in the water or wastewater service areas | $26,084 per unit |
| Rural-Other | All other land in the City | $24,131 per unit |
Source: the City’s 2026 residential development charge schedule, January 1 to December 31, 2026, under By-law 2025-139. The four water and wastewater lines, all charged in Urban-Lindsay and Urban-Other, total $43,553 per unit, our arithmetic on the schedule, and account for most of the gap between urban and rural lots. The schedule has no separate total for a lot on City water with a private septic system, so ask the City to confirm the charge for that kind of lot. By-law 2025-139 makes the charges payable at the first approval it lists, a building permit among them, and indexes them each January 1, so confirm the rate for the date your permit will issue.
How much is a building permit for a new home in Kawartha Lakes?
The City of Kawartha Lakes charges $23.25 per square metre of floor area for a new residential building permit in 2026, under Building By-law 2024-219, with a $271.00 minimum. The City measures floor area “to the outer face of exterior walls,” and leaves unfinished basements, plumbing and decks out of the area for a detached home. A home measuring 150 m², about 1,615 sq ft, pays $3,487.50 at that rate, our arithmetic on the City’s fee.
What septic, entrance and servicing fees does Kawartha Lakes charge?
| City of Kawartha Lakes fee, 2026 | Amount | Unit | Set in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Septic permit, Class 4, up to 4,500 L a day | $975.00 | Per permit | Building By-law 2024-219, Schedule A |
| Septic permit, Class 4, 4,501 to 10,000 L a day | $1,191.00 | Per permit | Building By-law 2024-219, Schedule A |
| Site servicing permit, filed separately | 4.5% | Of construction value; no added fee if filed with the building permit it serves | Building By-law 2024-219, Schedule A |
| Residential demolition permit | $271.00 | Per permit | Building By-law 2024-219, Schedule A |
| Entrance permit for a new driveway onto a City road | $250.00, plus a $2,000.00 deposit | Per entrance | City Entrance Permits page, 2026 fees and deposits |
| Municipal service connection | $120.00 application, plus $296.00 connection | Application fee plus connection fee | City Municipal Service Connections page, under By-law 2021-162, as amended |
| Water and sewer main frontage | $224.00 water, $281.00 sewer | Per metre of residential lot frontage, to a maximum of 16 m | By-law 2021-162, as amended |
The City states: “Please note there are no additional taxes (HST) applied to Building or Septic permit fees.”
Which development charge, permit fees and connection fees apply depends on your lot’s address. Send it, and get the site work quoted against your lot beside the model price.
What permits and approvals does a new year-round home need in Kawartha Lakes?
Approval runs through the zoning that covers your lot, any conservation authority review, and then the City’s building and septic permits. The City states that “approvals from other agencies are required in many instances before a building permit can be processed and issued.”
Which zoning by-law applies to a lot in Kawartha Lakes?
The City’s zoning page states: “The City of Kawartha Lakes currently has 19 Zoning By-laws that are in effect. The Zoning By-law that applies depends on the location of your property.” Most carry the name of a former municipality, such as Emily, Verulam, Fenelon Township or Laxton, Digby and Longford, and the City links each one with its schedules.
A consolidated Rural Zoning By-law, adopted May 21, 2024, still faces a request for review at the Ontario Land Tribunal, so the City states that “the former Township Zoning By-laws remain in effect,” with “portions of the RZBL settled in January 2026” applying. To find your zone, the City directs owners to “use the City’s Planning and Property Viewer and review the applicable Zoning By-law text.” For setbacks from the water on a waterfront lot, see how shoreline zoning works in Kawartha Lakes.
Which comes first in Kawartha Lakes, the building permit or the septic permit?
On vacant land, the building permit application comes first. The City’s septic permit page states: “Applications for a Sewage System Permit on vacant land will only be issued once the associated building permit application has been submitted, deemed substantially complete and any required lot grading and drainage plan has been approved.” The order on a regulated vacant lot runs:
- Where a conservation authority regulates your lot, get its permit or written exemption before you apply for the building permit, as the City’s house permit guide directs.
- Submit the building permit application with an Applicable Law Checklist Form, and get any required lot grading and drainage plan approved.
- Apply for the septic permit. The City states that most residential sewage system permits “will be issued within 10 business days once the application package is deemed complete.”
- Pay the development charges. The Chief Building Official withholds the building permit while any charge remains unpaid.
Which conservation authority covers a lot in Kawartha Lakes?
Four conservation authorities list the City of Kawartha Lakes as a member municipality: Kawartha Conservation, Otonabee Conservation, the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. Which one reviews your lot depends on the watershed the land drains to. Bill 97 consolidates Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into 9, with a transition date of February 1, 2027 or such later date as may be prescribed, so check which authority handles your lot when you apply.
Four conservation authorities · City of Kawartha Lakes
- Kawartha Conservation
- Otonabee Conservation
- Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
- Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
When does a Kawartha Lakes lot need a conservation authority permit?
A lot needs one when the house or any grading falls inside a regulated area. Kawartha Conservation states: “You will need a permit for any development that occurs within Kawartha Conservation’s Regulated Area.” Its list of development includes “Construction or demolition of a structure (e.g. house, garage, shed, storage building, etc.).” Ontario Regulation 41/24 has applied since April 1, 2024.
How do you check whether a Kawartha Lakes lot is regulated?
Use Conservation Ontario’s CA Maps, which Kawartha Conservation describes as an interactive map showing whether a property falls within its regulated area, with mapping from neighbouring authorities too. For a pre-consultation or site visit, Kawartha Conservation takes calls at 705.328.2271.
Not sure which zoning by-law or conservation authority covers your lot? Bring the address to a free, no-obligation consultation before you apply for any permit.
Serviced or rural: what changes for a year-round home in Kawartha Lakes?
Servicing changes the budget more than the community name does: City water and sewer bring an urban charge and connection fees, and a rural lot brings a well and septic system.
What changes on a lot with City water and sewer in Lindsay, Bobcaygeon or Fenelon Falls?
The City publishes annual reports for 21 drinking water systems but only 6 wastewater systems: Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Omemee, Coboconk and King’s Bay. Woodville, one of the City’s five Urban Settlement Areas, has a City drinking water system but no City wastewater system on that list. Inside the servicing boundary, the City’s service connection page states that you are “required by By-Law 2014-255, to connect to the system,” and that the run “from the property line into the home is the responsibility of the owner/applicant to arrange with a private contractor.”
21 drinking water systems
6 wastewater systems
- Lindsay
- Bobcaygeon
- Fenelon Falls
- Omemee
- Coboconk
- King’s Bay
Woodville a City drinking water system but no City wastewater system
What changes on a rural or waterfront Kawartha Lakes lot with a well and septic?
A rural or waterfront lot outside City water and wastewater pays the Rural-Ops or Rural-Other charge, and needs its own well and septic system, both quoted as servicing against your lot. The rural area takes in the former townships, from Bexley and Carden to Manvers and Mariposa. The City’s septic page states that “the Ontario Building Code requires vacant land to be developed with a Class 4 sewage disposal system, septic tank and disposal field,” and that a property too small for one “may not be eligible to be developed.” Have a septic designer assess the lot before you firm up an offer, and on a waterfront lot read what a septic system near the water has to meet in Kawartha Lakes first. Replacing an older cottage or house adds a $271.00 demolition permit, and By-law 2025-139 credits the old building’s charge only if it could be occupied within the five years before the new charges are calculated.
What does a year-round home in Kawartha Lakes need that a seasonal lot may not?
A year-round home needs a road you can use year-round. CMHC’s Prefab Plus mortgage insurance requires a property “suitable and available for full-time and year-round occupancy” with “year-round vehicular access including homes located on an island.” The City states that unassumed roads “do not meet the City’s minimum standards for assumption and the municipality absolves itself of liability in connection to these roads.” The City also notes that entrance permit approvals “can be delayed during winter months due to snow cover.” Confirm who maintains your road in winter before you buy the lot.
Buying a rural or waterfront lot? The well and septic system are quoted as servicing against it, so send the address for a scoped quote before you firm up an offer.
How do you find a reputable, licensed custom home builder in Kawartha Lakes?
Check the licence first. The Ontario Builder Directory is the official source of information about licensed builders and vendors in Ontario, and you can search it by company name. The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA), Ontario’s home builder regulator, runs it.
How do you verify a builder’s HCRA licensing and Tarion enrolment?
Look the builder up in the Ontario Builder Directory. Builder licensing and the Directory moved from Tarion to the HCRA on February 1, 2021, so the Directory is the official place to check HCRA licensing. The Directory states that each builder’s full profile includes “details related to their regulatory compliance and warranty information.” Search “My Own Cottage” there to see our licence, and run the same search on every builder on your Kawartha Lakes shortlist.
What should you ask a custom home builder in Kawartha Lakes before you hire?
Ask every builder on your shortlist the same five questions, and get the answers in writing:
- Is the builder listed in the Ontario Builder Directory, and what does its profile show?
- Which homes has it completed inside the City of Kawartha Lakes, and can you see them?
- What does the quoted price include, and what is priced separately?
- Who prepares the building permit and septic applications, and who checks whether a conservation authority regulates the lot?
- Does the quote show the City’s development charge for your lot’s service area?
Who is the best custom home builder in Kawartha Lakes?
No page can tell you which builder is best for your lot. Ask each builder which homes it has completed inside the City of Kawartha Lakes, read its reviews and ratings, and check its licence. Then compare what each builder puts in writing: a starting price, what it leaves out, and who handles the City permits, charges and site work.
- A starting price
- What it leaves out
- Who handles the City permits, charges and site work
Hold us to the same test. Send your lot address, and get our model price and what it leaves out in writing, with the site work quoted against your lot.
How We Verified
| What we checked | Primary source | Date checked |
|---|---|---|
| Single-tier status and 2001 merger | City of Kawartha Lakes, Municipal Responsibilities | October 1, 2026 |
| 2026 development charges by service area | City of Kawartha Lakes, 2026 Residential Development Charges and By-law 2025-139 | October 1, 2026 |
| Building, septic, demolition and site servicing permit fees, floor area, HST | City of Kawartha Lakes, Fees and Development Charges and Building By-law 2024-219 | October 1, 2026 |
| Septic permit order, issue time and Class 4 requirement | City of Kawartha Lakes, Septic System Permits | October 1, 2026 |
| Other agency approvals, Applicable Law Checklist and conservation authority approval before application | City of Kawartha Lakes, Building, Septic and Renovations and house permit guide | October 1, 2026 |
| Water and wastewater systems, service connections and fees | City annual reports and Municipal Service Connections | October 1, 2026 |
| Roads and entrance permits | Road Responsibility and Unassumed Roads and Entrance Permits | October 1, 2026 |
| Zoning by-laws, Rural Zoning By-law status and Planning and Property Viewer | Zoning, City-Wide Major Projects and Planning and Development | October 1, 2026 |
| Urban Settlement Areas | Jump In Kawartha Lakes, Rural Zoning By-law | October 1, 2026 |
| Selwyn, Trent Lakes and Cavan Monaghan in Peterborough County | Peterborough County, Townships | October 1, 2026 |
| Conservation authority membership, permits and mapping | The four authorities’ pages linked above, plus Kawartha Conservation’s Apply for a Permit and Property Mapping | October 1, 2026 |
| Bill 97 consolidation and transition date | Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Bill 97 and Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency | October 1, 2026 |
| Year-round occupancy and vehicular access | CMHC, Prefab Plus | October 1, 2026 |
| Builder licence lookup, profile contents and the 2021 move to the HCRA | Ontario Builder Directory and Tarion | October 1, 2026 |
What should you bring to a custom home consultation in Kawartha Lakes?
Bring your lot’s address, whether it is on City water and sewer, and your survey if you have one. At a free custom home consultation, we set the model price beside the City’s development charge for your service area, the building and septic permits and the site work. Then compare our written scope with any of the custom home builders Kawartha Lakes lot owners have on their shortlist.
Our facility: 12 Lankin Blvd #3, Orillia, ON L3V 7B6
Sean Stevenson is Chief Marketing Officer and Buyer Experience Lead at My Own Cottage Inc., an HCRA-licensed, Tarion-enrolled prefab home and cottage builder based in Orillia, Ontario.
For five years, Sean has worked alongside the company's build team, guiding Ontario buyers from lot assessment and budgeting beyond the model price through zoning, permits, development charges and final occupancy. Sean focuses on the part most buyers underestimate: what a prefab home costs to complete once the foundation, servicing and approvals are added to the model price.