We've owned cottages in northern Ontario for years and have had no ill effects on any surfaces from leaving our spaces unheated. Sometimes there is a bit of a musty smell from fabrics but this disappears once the fireplace is going. Be sure to have the plumbing drained and put plumbing antifreeze in

your drains. Your new camp looks lovely.

Other than freezing pipes, mice like to get inside and make nests over the winter. Try to seal up any openings around pipes, etc. I don't think surfaces will suffer, as we have been going a cottage for years and haven't had problems. One thing is to consider the snow build up on the roof after a large storm..may want to have someone watch and remove if necessary. Enjoy your new cottage.

My wife and her family have had the camp since 1960 so we know about pipes, mice and snow on the roof. We are concerned about manufactured cabinetry and countertops which we plan to install in the Spring. We have heard that in an unheated space some cabinets split in the cold, flooring and countertops "lift."

Stainless steel cabinets as are suitable to an exterior kitchen, along with granite counters would be able to withstand the rigors of an unheated winter existance. For flooring, porcelain tile, again, as would withstand exterior conditions. What you are essentially creating is a roofed exterior kitchen, not an temperature controlled interior one.