Lugging the fourth green garbage bag filled with old clothes, pillows and blankets up the stairs, I’m starting to break out in a sweat. It’s spring and prompted by a phone call from Big Brother’s, they take away all my junk for free, I’m ruthlessly going through our house getting rid of our old, tired and no longer play-with items.

Surveying our front hallway, now crammed full with our cast-offs, I can’t help but feel a pang of guilt. ‘At least it’s not going to end up in a landfill site somewhere,’ I think to myself, ‘Or worse, at the cabin.’

It used to be these items would be stored until spring where they would find a new home at the cottage but not anymore. My cottage or “second home” is exactly that. The only things we take to the cabin these days tend to be brand new and nice. And why not?

With big boxes like Costco, Walmart, Superstore and Target all selling cheap chic, consuming has never been so easy. Cheap and cheerful have resulted in what I believe are the two laws of consumption.

They are:

Laws of Consumption

1. You fill the space you live in - the bigger the home, the more stuff you’re going to have
2. The cheaper things are the more you’re likely to buy.

I became aware of this second law when I owned my flower store, Anne Paterson’s Flowers, in Calgary. Every Friday afternoon from 3 pm until closing, I would sell all the cut flowers for half price, a “happy hour” so to speak. It wasn’t long before word got around and my store was packed with people buying bargain flowers.

People who didn’t normally spend money on flowers were dropping at least $50 every week. They loved “saving” so much money. In reality, they were actually spending more money.

I know the cheaper something is, the more I end up buying. I can’t resist a good bargain. I think I need to change my approach, especially given the environment’s increasingly fragile state. I’m going to start shopping for more expensive items. I won’t likely buy as many, and if I’ve paid a lot of money for something, I’m less likely to toss it.

Agree or disagree - send me your comments.

Cheers,

Julie

Home Depot’s “Great Ideas for Outdoor & Indoor Living” has just landed on my front doorstep. The caption on the front cover, “ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR HOME AND GARDEN,” catches my eye and I quickly drop what I’m doing and begin madly flipping through it. ‘What essentials am I missing?” I think to myself thumbing through its glossy pages.

The Beacon Hill 5-Piece Conversation Set for starters. Apparently if I’m going to have any kind of conversations at all in my back yard this summer, I had better be having them while sitting on these taupe with black leather piping cushions that adorning the charcoal metal frame chairs, complete with pert little blue and lime green accent cushions.

Also listed under “essentials” are the Tuscany square planter, Plantation Patterns 9′ Umbrella in Pompeii Red, and my favourite, a Natco Panache indoor/outdoor area rug - what’s wrong with grass or concrete?

This quickly gets me to thinking. If I were doing a catalog entitled “Essentials For Your Cottage” what would it absolutely have to have? Cappuccino maker? Nah, I don’t drink coffee and I don’t want my guest to get to comfortable.

After little consideration, here’s is my list - I’ve tried to put it in order of importance:

1. Good waterski/wakeboard boat
2. Nice big dock that I could moor the boat on the side and plenty of room for entertaining (happy hour space)
3. Big metal umbrella mounted in a bucket of cement so it doesn’t blow away - (our wooden one snapped)
4. Toys - wakeboard, skis, windsurfer, kayak,
5. Comfortable deck chairs - prefer the plastic Muskoka chairs - easier to move than the wooden ones and they are easier to fish out of the lake after a windstorm
6. Metal swim ladder mounted to the side of the dock
7. Solar lights going from the dock to the cabin
8. Good Fire Pit - level area
9. Cedar Deck facing the water
10. Webber barbecue (with drunken chicken holder)
11. Outdoor table and chairs that don’t mind getting wet
12. Hammock and pillow
13. Appliances: Fridge, stove, washer and dryer
14. Comfortable beds
15. Wood fireplace
16. Comfy couch for late afternoon naps

Did I miss anything? Leave me a comment.

While home decor seems to be getting more complicated, I prefer to keep the cabin simple. Less to clean and less to maintain.

Cheers,

Julie

It’s here. It’s finally here. After months of searching, negotiating, and many faxes, today we take possession of our new recreational property, a three bedroom townhouse at Creekside in Whistler, B.C. I must admit, instead of feeling excited and elated, I am feeling a little overwhelmed.

I have no idea what the previous owners have left us, so I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. This means I’m running around my house shoving pillows and sheets into big green garbage bags. I am however, resisting the urge to go to Costco and just start buying stuff, something we did when we bought our cabin on Horne Lake, B.C.

My husband and I power shopped our way through Nanaimo, stopping at every big box store enroute to the cottage. We forgot that our cabin didn’t have power, so the coffee maker and toaster were a complete waste of money.

I’m also conscious that unlike our cabin, our new townhouse will be in a rental pool. While I prefer pretty, functional and long lasting are going to be a better choice. Heather Bayer, my favourite blogger, gives the following recommendations in her article, The High Cost of Buying Cheap:

1. Buy a self cleaning oven - spend the extra $200- it will be worth it in the end
2. Buy a good vacuum cleaner
3. Invest in good glasses - as cheap ones chip easily (Ikea makes a great box set)
4. Good coffee maker (and spare carafe) and coffee bean grinder
5. Good Quality knives - Heather’s guests often commented on her poor quality ones
6. Good sheets - avoid the really cheap ones and the really expensive ones because they wrinkle coming out of the dryer
7. Good Bedding - comforters, blankets
8. Good mattresses - most important

The lesson here is to buy good quality items the first time down the isle. Heather found buying cheap ended up costing more because they had to replace it. I’m also going to make a list of everything we need and then go shopping. Here’s to getting it right the second time.

Cheers.

Julie

There is something luxurious about sinking into a bubbling hot tub after a long day of skiing. It is even more spectacular when you can sit outside and gaze up at a starry sky while sipping a cold beer.

One of the first purchases we want to make, after we take possession of our new vacation property, is a hot tub. According to CottageBlogger, “It is a hard fact that most renters in the fall and winter will rent a cottage with a hot tub in favour of one without, even at a higher cost.” Since our new property is located at a popular ski destination, having a hot tub makes good business sense with the added bonus that we get to use it too.

Budget for $7,000 plus

A good hot tub from a reputable dealer that can seat six people is likely going to start around $7,000 and that’s before installation and maintenance. It is strongly advised we buy from a dealer who will offer a good warranty program.

Installation

And then there are the installation costs. The best installation calls for a poured reinforced concrete slab, or an already well-constructed LEVEL patio or deck. Most hot tubs require a dedicated 220 volts service in addition to a GFCI breaker - not sure what this is going to cost, but we will need to hire an electrician to assist with the installation. Cottageblogger recommends budgeting an additional $2,000 for electrical upgrades.

The other challenge will be getting the hot tub onto the deck, as access from outside is virtually impossible. It is going to have to go through the condo. Hmmm - need to look into this.

Maintenance

Operating a hot tub will drive up our electricity bill by an estimated $40 a month. Chemical supplies will likely run between $12 to $15. And then there are the extras:

• Submersible pump - it helps to change the water faster
• UV sterilizer, recommended over an Ozonators - good for people who forget to add the chemicals
• Zorbies - oil sponges that help obsorb oily lotions

The hot tub will need to have the water checked and chemicals added to it on a regular basis, especially if it is being used by a lot of people. We will need to make arrangements to have someone perform the maintenance on our behalf, again, adding more cost to it’s maintenance.

Test Sit

It’s also recommended we try out a few hot tubs for comfort before we purchase one. This will entail calling up the dealers and arranging for them to fill them up so we can go and have a soak. This just makes me giggle to think I’ll be sitting in a show room in Burnaby having a jacuzzi.

There is a lot research that will go into the final purchase, so stay tuned. If anyone has purchased a hot tub recently, I would love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Julie

Although it’s only 10 a.m., the sun’s rays are starting to burn my forehead. Bits of rock, grass and dirt are swirling around me as I lunge my weed wacker into the tall grass. Hacking away at the dense growth, I keep my eyes peeled for long black slugs, seeking shelter in the moist earth. ‘Don’t want to hit one of those,’ I think to myself. Once the wacking is done, I will “tidy” up the beach front. Unaware of the path of destruction I am causing.

It’s ironic that all my hard work is actually dirtying my lake, speeding up runoff, contributing to soil erosion, and destroying fish habitant. This according to B.C.’s Sarah Weaver, co-founder of the Living By Water Project, and co-author of the book, On the Living Edge: Your Handbook for Waterfront Living, “Most times people who convert their shorelines don’t know the impact of what their doing.” Clearly I am one of them. Weaver adds, “I run the risk of damaging the thing that attracted me to it in the first place.”

She explains the shoreline, where water meets land, is where your waterfront property is the most susceptible to erosive forces. Erosion is a natural process causing a gradual wearing away of land surfaces by water, ice and wind. Left unchecked slumping, surface runoff and silt deposits can cause major property and building damage.

It is important for cottagers, like me, to understand the value of the “buffer zone.” By cleaning up my beachfront, i.e. removing rocks, small shrubs, logs and driftwood, I am actually damaging the riparian area, that narrow strip of land located along shoreline. Unbeknownst to me, where land and water meet is a unique and often highly productive ecosystem.

Allowing deep rooted vegetation to remain and planting additional grasses, shrubs and trees that are indigenous to the area, I can help buffer my shoreline from erosion. The Living by Water website states that if a buffer zone is properly maintained it can:

1. remove up to 50 percent or more of fertilizer chemicals and pesticides
2. remove up to 60 percent or more of some bacteria
3. remover up to 75% or more of sediment (soil particles)

Leaving driftwood, rocks and fallen trees in place along the shoreline will help absorb wave activity, and help minimize the impact of the large wakeboard boats, that I have grown so fond of.

This is great news. I now have a legitimate excuse to relax and take it easy at the cottage. As I gaze out from under my hat, good book in one hand, cold glass of lemonade in the other, I can take comfort in the fact that doing absolutely nothing is good for the environment.

Cheers,

Julie

Update on my environmental challenge: we have stopped buying bottled water and now just keep a jug of cold water in the fridge. I am still trying to wean myself off zip lock bags, this is proving to be harder than I thought. I am trying to consume local produce and meat/fish. Now if only they could grow mandarin oranges in the Okanagan.

Cottaging inspires cottage industries. From dock builders to cottage security systems to mouse traps, nowhere is this more evident than at the recent Fall Cottage Life Show.

Take for example, Catsue (Cathy Susanne) McBroom, president of Chantry Island Design, who used the show to launch her new line of “Cabana Wear” that hearkens back to the classic and comfy cabana clothing of the late 1950s and 1960s.

It is her retro women’s terry cloth lined bathrobes that first catch my eye. They are beautiful, fun and create a sense of nostalgia.

The line is inspired by McBroom’s early childhood, where she spent her summers on the shores of Lake Huron’s Southhampton beach, across from Chantry Island lighthouse. She recounts:

“Southampton is a “big water” beach, more like an ocean beach with sandbars stretching out into the surf. The wind can come up quite quickly, so it gets chilly there. I remember my Dad had one of those cabana shirts. It was terry cloth lined and buttoned up the front in a classic stripe pattern on the outside.”

Her playful fabrics are hand selected by McBroom from suppliers are across North America, and constructed here in Canada. At the moment, Chandry Island Design are available only by mail order through the company’s online catalogue at www.chantryislanddesign.com. CottageDaily.com will be giving away one girl’s size 4-5 Romper - shown in today’s photo.

To enter, email (julie@cottagedaily.com) a photo of your favourite cottage moment along with your name and where the photo was taken. We will be posting the photos on CottageDaily.com.

Also congratulations go to Mike and Brenda Homuk, who won the chair cushions we were giving away at the show.

Cheers,

Julie

Walking into the condo, I can feel my heart sinking. The old blue carpet is worn and frayed around the edges. The white walls are scuffed and gouged. Entering the living room, my eyes are immediately drawn to the bright pink flowers covering the circa 80’s blue couch. As I gaze around the room, I quickly note the cheap brass picture frames unevenly doting the walls. The white laminate kitchen table and chairs match the kitchen cupboards. Its hard to focus on the room’s spaciousness and the incredible views when all I can think about is, ‘how could you make this place look better?’

Regardless of whether I am buying a vacation property or a home, I like properties that have been fixed up. The nicer the renovation, the more I like it. According to Glen Mishaw, a real estate agent in Whistler, I’m not alone. He notes that painting the walls and putting down new flooring will show a property better and sell it faster. When I ask him for a dollar figure he declines to comment.

So how much is a renovation worth to a buyer and how much can it increase a property’s value? That’s going to depend on the market and the property. A unit we are currently considering buying, if it was renovated would likely list for $40,000 to $50,000 higher than the current asking price.

Getting a property ready to sell is a time consuming process. Aside from painting and new flooring, here are five easy ways to make your property more saleable:

1. Pictures - take them down or hang them properly, especially if they are uneven and mismatched. It’s better to leave the walls bare.
2. New bedding - most big box stores sell “bed in a bag” combo sets. Get rid of the ratty comforters and go with neutral shades.  Throw cushions are great for adding splashes of colour but use sparingly.
3. Lighting - get rid of those brass lamps from the coffee table and the night table. Ikea is a great place to go for inexpensive modern lights.
4. Clear off your counters - get rid of candles and holders made prior to 2000. Burn any flowers or plants that are synthetic or dried. This includes all swags, silk ivy plants, wreaths. Old wine bottles belong in the recycling bin not on top of kitchen cupboards. Store family photos in a rubber maid container along with the other stuff from your closets.
5. Window treatments - balloon valances, hanging blinds and cheap plastic blinds detract from the view. Ikea, Target, Walmart and even Home Depot, all sell neutral window treatments and wrought iron rods. Curtains can neutralize a room and create a clean modern look.

A lipstick renovation is all about painting the walls, putting down new flooring and following steps one through five. It’s important to remember, most women make the decisions and we love lipstick.

Cheers,

Julie

If you are still trying to figure out what to do with all those pictures you took this summer, you may want to consider making a photobook or a calendar, and here’s why.

Last Wednesday’s blog, Picture This, talked about putting together photobook. A representative from Chapters Indigo saw the posting and is offering the first three readers a $10 coupon to try their service. Actually he offered them to me, but I am giving them to you, so you can try their service and tell me what you think about it. Send me an email at julie@cottagedaily.com if you are interested.

Calendars

If your family, like ours, is into making calendars with your digital prints, you may be interested in the following offer from Future Shop. This promo is only available to new Future Photo members. Go to www.futureshop.ca to enroll, membership is free, and you can make a calendar for free, a savings worth $19.95. Shipping may cost extra. The only stipulation is, you have to make the calendar within 60 days of signing up.

I like these calendars because I can personalized them with family member’s birthdays and anniversaries.

Fall CottageLife Show

One other item I would like to bring your attention to is, the Fall Cottage Life Show, taking place November 2 - 4, 2007 at the International Centre in Toronto. For those of you who live on the west coast, you may wonder why I am promoting this show. If you are thinking of doing major cottage renovations or are building a new one, the fall show focuses on building, renovating and decorating. It’s the only show of it’s kind in North America, and unlike other home shows, this one is geared to cottage and cabin owners. You can get a coupon for $2.00 off admission in this month’s issue. Besides, spending a weekend in Toronto really isn’t that bad.

Cheers,

Julie

It’s the end of the summer and like most people, I have 100’s of photos trapped on my digital camera and even more on my computer’s hard drive. I like the instant gratification I get from my digital cameras; I no longer need to print off pictures to see what they look like, but if my hard drive crashes, so do all our family memories.

Organizing my family photos has become an onerous task. I am really good at emailing them, but when it comes to printing them off and actually placing them in an album, I am at least five years behind.

Fortunately, there are some really great online solutions for preserving our cottage holiday.

Photo Books are hard cover photo albums that you design online. I can transfer my digital copies directly to the book all from the comfort of my home. I can insert captions or comments, design the layout and chose the theme. It’s kinda like on-line scrap booking, only you end up with a nice coffee table style photo album. I can even put a title on the front of the book, i.e. Horne Lake 2007’s Summer Adventures. The best part - I can order as many of these as I like. One for my collection, one for the kid’s and their grandparents (a nice Christmas present).

The cost to create an 8X8 book starts at $29.99 US. Soft cover ones are cheaper and start at $24.99 Cdn. I would like to do one of these at the end of every summer for our cabin and include all the events and visitors for that season.

There are a number of companies who provide this service: Future Shop Photo, Chapters.Indigo.Photobook, but my favourite company is Shutterfly. They are based in the US but they offer a greater variety of photo books, and I prefer their style selections.

Another option for my photos other than the traditional album is a calendar. Traditionally calendars go from January to December, but I can design one that starts anytime and include lots of cottage photos.

I can also set up my photo album online Flickr.com is probably the best known and most popular online photo sharing site.

I am excited about creating a photo book of our family. If anyone has done one, or has other ideas for storing your digital pictures I would love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Julie

With Labor Day weekend just around the corner, cottage season is grudgingly coming to an end. For some, this will be their last year as they make the difficult decision to sell their recreation property.

Before you lay out the MLS welcome mat, here are five things you can do to help sell your cottage, according to Chris Winney, a sales representative from Royal LePage, who specializes in the Land O’Lakes region in Ontario.

The five things Winney recommends are:

• Get rid of the clutter. “Often things end up at the cabin that are not bad enough to throw out, but good enough for the cabin,” she explains. Winney provides clients with a cargo trailer to help with the process and advises them to use hotel rooms as an ideal. Personal effects and knick-knacks need to be cleared so potential owners can envision their treasures lining the shelves. Less is more.

• When asked about spending money to fix up the cabin, Winney cautions sellers. Focus on the outside, specifically, the dock. Make sure you have a good dock, “Spend $10,000-$15,000 and build a dock to die for,” she recommends. The first place she takes buyers to is the waterfront. Investing money on your dock will yield a good return. “Don’t pour a whole lot of money into anything but the dock; the new owners are going to change the cottage anyway.”

• Make sure the property looks great. Rake, take away refuse, trim tress and spruce up the privies. Don’t get rid of the privy, people want them.

• Fix what needs to be fixed: baseboards, steps, and replace the deck if it is rotten or broken.

• When it comes to selling your cottage or cabin, it is all about first impressions. Everyone wants privacy first. Make sure the natural growth provides privacy but doesn’t impede the view.

Making the decision to sell your cottage is a very difficult and emotional process. But once owners make the decision, the rest becomes easier. Hopefully these five tips will help you sell your cottage.

Cheers,

Julie