Where Have all the Cottages Gone?
November 6th, 2007Cottage n. N Amer. a two story winterized dwelling complete with master bedroom, ensuite bath, spacious living and dining area, finished basement with home theatre system, used for vacation purposes, usu. located in a rural area near a lake or river (also attrib: cottage country).
I recently wrote an article for Cottage Magazine, Retiring to the Cottage. Conducting my research, one thing became very apparent - nobody is retiring to the “cottage” anymore. They are actually retiring to either a brand new custom built home or an extensively renovated property situated on a lake or ocean.
And it’s not just the retirees. On my own lake, Horne Lake, located on Vancouver Island, B.C., old cottages are being torn down and replaced with large homes.
David Foote predicted this trend in 1996, in his book, Boom Bust & Echo. It’s not the boomers, but their kids who, back then, were demanding more space. Eleven years ago it meant bigger homes, but it has transcended to second homes by the water or condos near the ski slopes. Regardless of where we go for our escape, we want a spacious living area and we want it nice.
Even the rental market for cottages has changed. Gone are the days when we would take our cast-off furniture from home, where, if it still works it goes to the cottage - don’t bother. According to Heather Bayer, author of Renting Your Recreational Property for Profit, today’s renters want clean contemporary vacation properties.
Once gentleman I spoke to at the cottage show described how all the old cottages on his bay had been torn down and replaced with year-round properties.
This past summer I spent a week at my brother’s waterfront home, complete with jacuzzi soaker tub, dishwasher, washer/ dryer and finished basement with big screen T.V. I came home suffering from cottage envy. It was nice having all those amenities.
Do more luxurious cottages take away from our experiences at the lake or enhance them? I’ll let you answer that one.
Cheers,
Julie
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November 6th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Egads, Julie - don’t get me started! Having had a camp/cottage/cabin since I was a wee girl, I’m no stranger to cottage living, but if I described my experiences to cottagers in the Muskokas or other up-scale cottagers they would likely be dumbfounded or in disbelief. To me, cottage life is roughing it [to a certain extent]. We have running water, but it’s only cold. We have no indoor toilet, no septic system, but an outhouse in the back. No dishwasher - we boil our water for dishes. No carpeting, but an unfinished plywood floor. No satelite TV - just a roof-top antenna for our 15″ TV! No air conditioning - just windows! No matching dishes, no matching furniture, no matching bedding. We don’t cut grass as we have all natural landscaping. We have a modest boat that gets us to and from the Marina. I keep meagre supplies of food, utensils and cooking supplies - just enough to get by. We turn off our power in the fall and return in the winter for the ocassional overnight stay with heat from a wood stove! We boil our water on the stove for washing dishes and sponge baths! And our cottage life is just the way we like it!!
On our lake, there are very few ‘luxurious’ cottages. However, we are seeing more being renovated and re-built than ever before. And what strikes me as odd is that the majority of these BIG places are only used a few weekends a year. Most of the owners are from Southern Ontario or the States and don’t use their places regularly. Why bother with all that expense if you’re only going to use it three or four times a year?
Now, I admit that I would love to bring my Hot Tub to the camp for those peaceful, quiet, moonlit night soaks, but that would be the only “luxury” item I’d have! Oh, and I do bring my laptop with me to check my email and my favourite blogs - but it’s all on DIAL-UP!!
I like the simple cottage life. Am I one of the few??
November 6th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
As a child, our cottage was closed for the winter after labour day and was left until the May long weekend. We only enjoyed it one season. The cost of that cottage relative to income at that time was pretty economical. Today, it takes more of one’s income to support that same recreational property. In some cases that means doing without in other areas. A waterfront home eases some of this burdon and turns the “cottage” into a 4 season destination. My kids love snowmobiling and ice fishing. You can see a ton of wild life on a snowmobile. Skating on the same lake you wakeboard on isn’t as crowded in the winter….. yet. The small summer cottages on our lake are also disappearing. More even this fall. The homes replacing them would fit quite nicely in upscale neighbourhoods anywhere in the country. I don’t know if I would want to live on the lake permanently but spending quality time there in the winter is every bit as much fun as the summer. Yes putting a hot tub at the lake is in the plans.
November 7th, 2007 at 1:01 am
Thank you for weighing on on that one Deb. You and Running Car present two very opposing but compelling points of view.
Anyone else?
Cheers,
Julie
November 7th, 2007 at 2:28 am
Our cabin is at least 70 years old, with an addition on the back. Up until 2 years ago, we didn’t have running water - due to strata regulations, we now have running water heated by propane, a flush toilet, and bathtub - no electricity, just propane lights and stove. When it gets dark, we sit on the porch or on the dock and watch the stars. We join neighbours for campfires and we talk. Although all the new houses on the lake look very nice, I love our old cabin, uneven floors and all. It smells of warm wood and coffee, and best of all, no vaccum or TV. Expectations are lower, visitors relax more, and the food we cook is far tastier. I always say that if we have all the comforts of home, we might as well be home……….the cabin is our holiday house - I like that its different from our city house.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:45 am
The latest must-have in the rental market is hi-speed internet. More and more renters are asking for it. They expect satellite TV, a dishwasher and laundry as standard. I think you have to bear in mind that many new ‘cottages’ are designed for year round living and will be better equipped because of that.
November 8th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Oh the dilema!. We rented cottages for about thirteen years. We had a always had a dream of one day having our own (we rented some real gems). As our kids were growing we wanted the cottage life to be a part of their upbringing. With the ridiculous costs of what cottages are going for these days, we didn’t know if we’d ever be able to get into the market. The haliburton area is our favourite place, and we couldn’t find anything in our price range. Then one day, we literally lucked out and found the cottage we had been looking for. I hear what’s your saying about renters’ demands for the coattages they’re renting. We rent ours (to help with the costs) and have had to cater to the renters (but we draw the line at the internet hook up. Our cottage is by no means a luxury mansion. It’s comfortable, cozy, has human dishwashers and the only other ‘luxury’ is hot water. Our kids have made friends on our family oriented lake. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. the life memories for our family and friends is unequalled.
November 9th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Thank you Roger. There are a lot of people out there looking for their cottage. It’s nice to hear you found your’s.
Cheers,
Julie