Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Van Dyke.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Lake-living experts
We’re Dann and Julie Van Dyke, owners of Cottage Works since our beginning in April 2009. After being cottage-owners and weekenders in Mason County for five years, and living full-time on Lost Lake (Custer) and Hamlin Lake (Ludington) for the past 20, we’ve learned a lot about lake-living that we like to share with our clients.
Professional experience
As a graduate of Grand Valley State University as a degreed Mechanical Engineer, and having worked in this technical field for 17 years as a Designer, Project Engineer, Project Manager, Customer Support Manager and Engineering Manager, Dann has the skills and background needed to tend to your every detail and make sure that your project requests are handled timely and professionally. Dann also has his Builders License and has many years of building experience. We do not beat around the bush and give you false promises. If you want hard workers with straight answers, you have found the right place and Cottage Works will be your last call.
Focused on making each summer special
Each year starts with the excitement of spring. Then the dock and lifts must be placed accordingly with the water depth. Maybe you need a new dock or want to add a patio so the grandkids have more room to fish and play. The boats and other water toys come out of storage and must be launched. You may need a seawall, or your deck may need refinishing, siding power washed or screens replaced and painting may be needed.
The Cottage Works crew can take care of anything on your to-do list. Don’t be afraid to ask and leave the work to us so you can sit back and enjoy your weekend.
Working through the winter
Let Cottage Works use their building expertise to handle any inside renovation during the winter months. Need a kitchen or bathroom update, or new flooring? We can update your cottage while you enjoy your winter away.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With 18 years in business, we’ve evolved from a very small business, working out of our home, to renting a building for a few years, then building our own building on the corner of US-10 and Stiles Rd. We continue to grow year-after-year in this specialized, niche business.
Our biggest struggle is finding qualified, skilled staff to handle our service workload. Unfortunately, most seasonal businesses have this issue and it is unfortunate that our pool of candidates are becoming less and less mechanically inclined as time goes on.
As you know, we’re big fans of Cottage Works Corporation. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
https://yourcottageworks.com/
Our service offerings can be found on our website.
Our level of communication sets us apart from other contractors. We are most proud of our diverse service offering from dock and boat lift installation to full home remodels. Our customers will wait a year for us to perform their service because they know they can count on us for our quality workmanship and fair pricing.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Spending weekends at our Grandparents cottage up on Higgins Lake. I’ve always been drawn to lake living and have no lived on a small lake and now a large lake for more than 20 years. We’ve raised our children on lakes and we can’t get enough of all that lakefront living has to offer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yourcottageworks.com/
- Instagram: cottageworks_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cottageworks
