When I was a kid, if your average middle class family really wanted a cottage they could probably work hard and buy one. Today, it’s all most people can do to afford their one property in the city. Add to that the cost of vacation properties and “cottage life” is probably out of the question for most. Or is it?
Many of our clients have decided to bring cottage life home by creating an outdoor lifestyle that they can enjoy right in their very own backyard—without the second mortgage to carry, without the three-hour “cottage rush hour” every Friday evening. No, it’s not exactly the same but to hear them tell it, it’s a pretty darn good alternative.
What holds many people back, especially in the city where lots tend to be smaller, is the assumption that the small back yard, or the limited access to their yard precludes them from having a pool. Our response is instead of thinking pool, think water feature, because that opens a lot of new options. Here are just a few. (Sizes are approximate and I’m including the smallest sizes I could easily find although there may be smaller.)
- spa: from 7′ X 7′
- swim spa: from 18′ X 8′ 6″
- fibreglass pool (Balboa model): from 14′ 6″ X 9′ 6″