Cottage Life

OCEAN SHORES — “I want one of those new condos at Ocean Shores, but I can’t afford it.”

That’s the dilemma facing the majority of people who fall in love with Ocean Shores, according to George Donahoe, a developer with 45 years of experience with resorts and time-shares in and out of Ocean Shores.

Donahoe believes he has the answer. He is now taking reservations for a 192-unit “cottage” community to be located across from the Post Office on Chance A La Mer.

Buyers of “The Cottages at Ocean Shores” will have two choices — a 550-square-foot one-bedroom cottage selling for $104,900 or a 940-square-foot two-bedroom cottage for $164,900. They’re modest but modern, and low-maintenance, according to Donahoe right down to artificial turf lawns.

In a sense, they’re the latter-day equivalent of the beach “shacks” that sprang up on the North Beach after World War II, followed by A-frames in the 1960s.

The question is whether there will be reverse “sticker shock” when buyers see what a tiny place $104,900 will buy today.

“Ocean Shores is not set up for high-income tourism,” Donahoe said. “The average income earners from the I-5 corridor love to come to the ocean, but when they want to buy a vacation home, they’re priced out of the market.”

The average price of a home in Ocean Shores was $236,000 in 2006. One-bedroom condos in high-density buildings sell for more than $150,000, and luxury condos can reach $450,000.

Donahoe is convinced these prices aren’t suited to middle-income Washingtonians looking for a beach escape.

“These cottages are for the average family,” he said. “The purchase price includes all furnishings, even silverware and towels. All you have to do is bring yourself, food and clothes and you’re good to go.”

Donahoe says he sold lots when Ocean Shores began to take off in the 1960s and later developed the Windjammer before working for time-share companies RCI and Trendwest. Now he’s the president of Quality Vacations.

The pre-fabricated cottage condos are arranged in rows, with a landscaped greenbelt separating the patios. Buyers aren’t purchasing lots; they are buying their own individual cottage inside the development.

Construction is set to begin this fall, and thanks to the modular construction of the cottages, Donahoe says they should be finished by spring or summer of 2008.

Every unit will have a patio covered by an awning, an outdoor fireplace, landscaping and Dream Turf — a next-generation field turf like the kind used at Qwest Field and Husky Stadium.

“All you have to do is put it in,” Donahoe said. “There’s no watering, no chemicals, no maintenance, and the deer won’t eat it. … When you’re on your patio, you’ll see landscaping, not the unit across the way.”

The streets, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks will use “drain pavers,” a concrete block that lets rain water seep into the sand rather than into a retention pond.

“If we get that 100-year storm, it’ll go down to drainage ditch into the Grand Canal,” he said.

An 8,100-square-foot clubhouse, complete with small cafe, fitness center and 75-foot pool, will greet owners on their way into the development. Solar panels will be installed on the roof to partially heat the pool.

Since the development is on commercial property, the cottages will be available for nightly rental, with the owners seeing an 85 percent kickback.

There are maintenance fees to cover landscaping, utilities, insurance and staff costs, as well as long-term maintenance projects on the condos themselves.

Donahoe, who lives at Ocean Shores, estimates a quarter of the cottages will be occupied full time, either by younger professionals or senior citizens fed up with maintaining a home or paying rent.

Donahoe is currently in negotiations to finalize the purchase of the land from Jim Jordan, and says he will be meeting with city officials to come up with mitigation fees for the development’s impact on city services.

“You do not see very many condominiums that are like this,” Donahoe said. “I’m thinking horizontally rather than vertically.”

by Jordan Kline of the Daily World (can be reached at 532-4000 ext. 111 or jkline@thedailyworld.com)

Some of the most frequent requests I get for the Cottage Life Blog relate to cottage style decorating. It seems that city-dwellers and others love to design their homes around the same warm, inviting, and personal decor that they find in the cottage. So to that end, I am posting another short cottage decor article to give you a few ideas and tips.

The cottage decorating style is a favorite of many and it’s no surprise as the pull of the country cottage is oddly powerful for anyone caught in the confines of todays cities tightly squeezed accommodations. With the image of the city within your house, which one of us wouldn’t seek a something less citified?

Instead of shucking your worldly belongings and heading off to the mountains, you might explore creating a country getaway in your city home with some basic cottage decorating or, as it is sometimes called, “shabby chic decor”.

The first rule of decorating in a cottage style is to make your place seem more spacious. Get rid of all that clutter you no longer use. If items can be reused as storage containers to store those things than that is great. Use suitcases as drawers, or breadbins as document storage. Making new uses of older items is part of the country decorating appeal.

Get good quality yard sale finds that require fixing and do it yourself. Using older, time worn pieces is part of cottage decorating. Colors should be simple. Really the best selection could be the simplest color of all; white. White helps you have an illusion of space in addition to acting as an interesting backdrop for your personal touches.

Throws, pillows and quilts in vibrant colors work great in any cottage decor. Here is where you can really let out your unique creative flair show through. Shop at garage sales and flea markets for anything from window drapes to towels. A lot of times you can get excellent artwork at festivals and colleges for a bargain, and this has the added advantage of you being able to boast to your friends “Of course, I liked his stuff better before he was famous”.

Old items look a good deal better with the cottage decor then newly bought items from the department store so don’t be afraid to stock up at the yard sale. Old lamps, wrought iron pieces, chairs, coal scuttles and even vintage linens can all be a part of to the shabby chic appeal. And you will be acquiring unique items which you won�t find in every one else’s home.

You can employ the cottage decor to bring the country inside your home. Add softness plus country interest to your home with a container garden. You may grow herbs right on your windowsill - they are good to look at and you can utilize them for cooking as well. I am fortunate enough to have a little roof overhang outside my window where I have an old rain-barrel which will hopefully soon grow a lot of lettuce.

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Willow Beach Resort is proud to announce “carefree cottaging,” another option to cottage ownership.

Haliburton, Ontario - Over the last several years, the price of waterfront property in the traditional Ontario cottage resort areas has risen dramatically. While skyrocketing cottage prices may be well received by cottage owners who are happy to watch their equity increase, people looking to enter the cottage market may find themselves unable to buy due to the high cost of ownership.

The Haliburton Highlands, a well-known Ontario resort and cottage destination area, situated approximately two hours north east of Metropolitan Toronto, offers a number of options and alternatives to traditional cottage ownership. For decades, Haliburton was home to many family-style lodges and cottage resorts businesses as well as modest, private cottage properties. Over the past few years, the Haliburton Highlands has witnessed increases in real estate values that, in many cases, have more than doubled the price of lakefront property. Not only have cottage prices increased substantially, many of the expenses that go along with owing a cottage, such as property taxes, insurance, repairs and maintenance, have increased as well. Cottage ownership has become an extremely expensive proposition.

Willow Beach Cottage Resort has realized the financial inability that some have to purchase a cottage in the traditional manner. As a result, they have seized a growing market of individuals looking for affordable alternatives to traditional cottage ownership. Subsequently, many new and innovative options are being marketed to people who wish to enjoy the cottage experience without the worry and the considerable investment in both time and capital that owning a cottage requires.

While many of Haliburton’s inns, lodges and cottage resorts continue to serve the needs of people simply looking for an Ontario resort vacation through short-term rentals, some properties have been transformed, in whole or in part, to offer an affordable option for those who want to be part of the cottage experience. A number of interval ownership or fractional ownership properties have appeared in Haliburton over the last few years.

Interval ownership or fractional ownership is a concept where buyers purchase the use of a set number of weeks at a vacation property for a set number of years. This allows purchasers the opportunity to share a slice of cottage life at a comparatively affordable price. While interval or factional ownership has many advantages, it is not for everyone. Usually there is little flexibility as to the times that an owner can use the property and, while the capital outlay is considerably less than what it would be to purchase a cottage property outright, factional ownership prices, depending upon the property, can reach over one hundred thousand dollars and more. Management and maintenance fees must also be considered.

In an effort to combat some of the limitations that interval or fractional ownership offers, Willow Beach has introduced a new concept called “Carefree Cottaging.” In talking with many of their resort guests over the last twelve years, Don and Marie Gage of Willow Beach Cottage Resort, an upscale cottage resort on beautiful Lake Kashagawigamog, close to the village of Haliburton, recognize that there is strong market for low cost alternatives to cottage ownership. With Carefree Cottaging, people can purchase a package of either four or five weeks in a particular cottage that they can use anytime over the calendar year. As buyers only purchase one year at a time, it is extremely affordable. As well, because buyers are not purchasing a particular set timeshare week, it is much more flexible for people who can’t always get away at the same time each year.

According to Marie Gage, “We developed Carefree Cottaging for people who are yearning to have a cottage to call their own, but either don’t want the work, don’t have the time, or don’t want to tie up their capital. It’s a one-year at a time commitment with no issues related to having to sell if you choose to opt out. At Willow Beach, Carefree Cottage buyers have full use of all the resort’s extensive amenities. Many factional ownership properties in Haliburton have very limited facilities.”

As cottage prices in the Haliburton Highlands continue to rise, the dream of cottage ownership will only be attained by a lucky few. The market for alternatives to cottage ownership will continue to grow because people will continue to look to Ontario’s resort areas for recreation and relaxation.

PREPARATION:

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Allow milk to boil for 3-5 minutes, or until saffron has dissolved.

Remove from heat. Allow to cool to warm drinking temperature and serve immediately. Or pour over ice for a delicious cooler.

recipes, saffron, milk, cottage

A group of residents in my home town of Toronto are fighting to save a century-old home in the Beaches Neighbourhood from demolition.

While they argue it’s a “quintessential” part of the area’s character, not all residents are convinced.

The owners of Cowling House on Wheeler Avenue want to tear down the large 103-year-old white cottage and build two new houses in its place.

Area resident Jordan Levitin argues the house is one of the few unique buildings left on the street and represents the kind of architecture that draws visitors and residents to the neighbourhood.

“It is a quintessential part of the character of this neighbourhood,” Levitin said in an interview with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Monday.

“It’s why people from all over the city come down to the Beaches on a sunny Sunday afternoon to go for a walk. It is very much the type of house that says: ‘This is the Beaches.’ ”

A small group of neighbours gathered Sunday for a rally to protest the development. The Ontario Municipal Board is expected to meet Monday to discuss the group’s petition to stop the owners from tearing down the building, a plan that has received approval from the city’s committee of adjustment.

Marc Lipman is one of the area residents who is not opposed to the development and said that as long as it adheres to bylaws, the construction should be allowed to proceed.

“It is a lovely home, but it’s also a lovely home that is is in desperate need of repair that no one who can afford to buy it is willing to do,” said Lipman.

He noted that the building is not protected as a designated historical site.

Levitin said the owners should be allowed to earn a profit on the deal, but asked at what point do neighbours have a say about the changing character of their neighbourhood.

“I think we, as a community, have a collective right to say this is enough. This is the point at which we stop tearing down our history,” said Levitin.
Source: CBC News

Toronto, Beaches, cottage, cottage life, news

By JACOB LAMMERS of the Sandusky Register

Home sweet home does not do justice to the 1936 cottage-style house on the Chaussee.

Joe and Mary Lou Viviano purchased the house off Cedar Point Road from Helen Bremmer in April 2003. Bremmer had lived in the house for nearly 35 years before selling it.

Mary Lou knew it was the right place the moment she walked through the doors. “It has a nice warm feeling. When you walk in, you just feel small.

“I like it all, every bit of it. It’s smaller, just what I wanted,” Mary Lou added.

“My wife likes the cottage style,” Joe said. Joe also bought the house because it would give him a chance to remodel it. “Ever since I’ve been a kid, my folks had rental property and I worked on those houses. I’ve always had a talent for it.”

Joe, who has a degree in industrial engineering, began remodeling the house in September 2003 by working on the overall design and layout of the house. The complexity of redesigning the house did not dissuade Joe. “When you’re inspired, it goes fast.”

Joe stripped the entire one and a half story house and took out the breezeway, where he added a guest bedroom. The back of the house was transformed after contractors added on a kitchen, living room, dinette area and fireplace.

He then converted the downstairs bedroom into a master suite, which required him to add onto the room.

The upstairs proved more of a challenge since it was completely unfinished, Joe said. Another challenge was the addition of a stairwell from the living room to the upstairs. The upstairs features two guest bedrooms and a bathroom. One guest bedroom is reminiscent of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” with its four small separate beds.

In addition to the interior, the Vivianos had their annex, a building for tools and garden supplies moved to opposite side of the yard because it blocked their view of Lake Erie.

In December 2004, after spending $200,000, the Vivianos were ready to move into their 2,500 square foot cottage-style house.

Within the house, Joe and Mary Lou brought with them unique antiques and family heirlooms. Joe restored a 98-year-old Peninsular stove, which resides in their kitchen. Also, Joe purchased a a rocking chair from Westinghouse, an old hotel located where the State Theater now stands. In the living room, Joe hung a 150-year-old gold-trimmed mirror, which was passed down to him from his father.

In 2005, Joe made a pair of renovations, which included a deck in the spring and an addition of 12 feet to the annex. The Vivianos do not not plan to make any more renovations or additions to the house since they are satisfied with how it has turned out.

With so much work put into the house, it holds a special place in their heart.

“We love it so much we would never sell it unless we had to,” Joe said.

cottage, cottage life, sandusky