Cottages and the Recreational Market

The term cottage describes a variety of different structures that are set in a rural landscape, most commonly by a body of water like a lake or river, and used primarily for recreational purposes by urban dwellers.

1. Seasonal Cottages are non-winterized structures designed for summer use, most commonly set by a river or lake. They are often inaccessible by land, and/or blocked from winter travel by uncleared roads, and snow and ice conditions.

2. Winterized Year-Round Cottages are seasonal cottages that have been modified into permanent all-season homes. They are often renovated by summer cottagers to be lived in during their retirement.

3. The Country Home is a spinoff of an old concept that has been made contemporary by urban families who choose to have a home-away-from-home set by the waterfront in a rural landscape.

4. Chalets are fully-equipped homes that are acquired for winter sports use such as skiing. Often they are co-owned, condos or timeshare properties. They are very popular in the Barrie, Collingwood and Huntsville areas, where a wide range of services and businesses now cater to the chalet market.

5. Hobby Farms used to be primarily purchased for small enterprises such as horse training or small crop farms. The current trend offers another variation of the country home, a place for urban professionals to get away from the city in an idyllic country setting.

Please note: GoWaterfront specializes in the waterfront cottages market only.