Windmill Cottage

The sun is setting on our third (!!!) year hosting guests at the family cottage. It’s been a pretty great experience overall. Most importantly, the bills are being paid which is the whole point. When you think of spending time at a cottage you don’t own, it can be easy to take advantage. It’s innocent enough, right? You’re on holiday! Becoming the official owners of the cabin (which was originally bought by my granny in 1975, then my uncle in the early(ish) 2000s) has taught me some things:

• Hydro bills come every three months.

• Monthly mortgage payments (it’s a second home).

• Monthly tax bills.

• Garbage disposal is not free; you take it to the dump yourself.

• Wood costs between $300-600 annually.

• Road repair cost $1,000 this season.

• New electric fireplace + removal of old wood burning insert cost over $2,000.

This doesn’t cover the supplies provided, propane, upgrades/repairs/general maintenance and what I pay per turn-over (when a guest leaves, the place gets cleaned and ‘reset’ by my parents or by me). Maybe one day when the finances are right, we won’t have to rent it out anymore. We’re pretty lucky, though. We’ve got a good group of repeat guests who respect the property and ‘leave it how they found it’. Strangers have become friends, while still remaining strangers… if that makes sense.

I’ve increased the nightly rate for 2022 as we’ve applied for Starlink highspeed internet. We haven’t received the hardware yet but got an ETA of ‘mid to late 2021’ and the latter is approaching. It’ll cost around $130 monthly. With our current cellular ‘mobile hotspot’ internet, I’m billed anywhere from $850-1,000 per month. This is why we don’t offer the WiFi to guests at the lake. It’s also why we can’t wait to get Starlink up and running.

I’ll be at the lake later this month for some solo time during which I should have the opportunity to take some updated photos. Until then, you can follow our cottage on Instagram: @WindmillCottage and browse through the history, rules, rates and more at: WindmillCottage.ca or by clicking the Cabin Rental text at the top of this page. If you’re reading this on mobile, click the + at the top right of your screen.

I’ve been working on updating the website to ensure that there’s enough information available to guests (new and returning). I’ve been fortunate enough to have nearly booked all of 2022’s vacancies and several new guests are friends! Thank you, you know who you are, for choosing my special place for your holiday!

That brings me to my next point: I’m so not a ‘businesswoman’. I hate sales. I hate talking about money. I hate TAKING people’s money, too. Especially when it’s friends or family. I’ve really had to put it in perspective: if I want to keep this cottage (and I do) then I have to charge a set rate and stick to it. I also have to enforce some basic ground rules for all guests. There are only four biggies:

1. No pets. My daughter and I are allergic and we’re here a lot.

2. No parties. Don’t be super loud from 11PM-8AM.

3. No smoking inside the cabin. Smoke outside all you like, just be responsible with butts.

4 No burning during a Total Fire Ban. Because forest fires, duh.

I’m not a super huge fan of picking up roaches. Haven’t had any issues with cigarette buts but damn, the roaches are real. Roaches, btw, are essentially the butts of rolled tobacco or marijuana. It’s been in your mouth and now I get the pleasure of touching it! Yum! We’ve had some people have outdoor fires during bans, too. If you get caught doing that, the fine is hefty let alone the absolute risk of sparking a forest fire. We installed a security camera to monitor the firepit for that reason.

I think the worst experience I’ve had hosting was in the first season. Took on a stranger from AirBnB who rented the place to ‘unwind’ with some of his work colleagues. It’s a remote cabin in the woods with no internet, far away from the city. It’s not a party place but they managed to blast music so loud, so late into the night that not only did they wake the neighbours resulting in a (minor) confrontation but they also blew my soundbar. Funny enough, the neighbour who ask the guest to turn it down is good friends with that guest’s boss. Maybe one day karma will be served? I don’t know. That group also broke a bunch of stuff, left behind four XL garbage bags FULL of trash (they were there for two nights), left the garbage cans full inside with used tissues all over, stained my couch, smoked inside and left ash all over. There was also trash along our shoreline and food mushed into one of the kayaks.

Absolute bummer but a lesson learned, I guess. That person gave me a bad review/rating on AirBnB which was one of the many reasons I’m moving away from that platform. They did have my back though in recouping some funds to help cover the damage. The bad reviews are permanent, though. So that’s neat!

We are pretty exclusive with who we rent to now and even more private about it. I don’t accept bookings right away from strangers and offer previous guests the option to book in advance. It doesn’t mean I won’t get burned again. People have very different ideas as to how a rental cottage should be treated; if they’re paying me to be there or not. I always try to instill the mantra that ‘this is my second home. This is not a hotel.’ Most people are respectful, tidy and take good care of the place. The one’s that don’t won’t be coming back.

If you have any questions for me as a host, cottage owner or whatever, please ask away! Don’t be shy! Renting is absolutely worth the the stress and anxiety. I do honestly enjoy sharing my family cottage with people who help me take care of it. If I can’t be there, why not?

The Lake

Looking forward to spring, summer, fall… Can’t wait to get back up to the cottage. I’ve been going through hundreds of photos on my iPhone, all from the lake and the valley, while I work on updating my website.

This season will be the first where I’m fully responsible for everything; financial, physical, everything. We’re officially cottage owners! While I’m obviously feeing very lucky and excited to be able to keep this place in my family and eventually pass it down to my kids, Family Cottages are a whooooooooooole thing.

No. 1: Bills

Mortgage, hydro, taxes, renos/maintenance/upkeep, wood, propane, etc.

No. 2: Guests

To offset the cost of taking it on, we will be renting out the complete cabin during stretches we (ourselves) can’t be up there. Since my husband and I work full time, we can’t be up there as frequently as we’d like.

No. 3: Finding a Balance

It’s a new way forward, us being owners and… landlords? Renters? Hosts? Hosts. I think hosts best reflects what we’re hoping to do. We’d love to be able to turn this place over to close friends and family without charging money but it’s just not a possibility at this time. Likely won’t be a possibility for a very long time.

It’s hard for me personally to say ‘no’ to people. I just have to keep telling myself ‘this isn’t a hotel’. It’s not a business. It’s also not a free for all (unless explicitly stated otherwise by me). Finding that balance means success in securing a positive future for this very special place. Ultimately, if I do find that balance, we get to keep the cottage for generations to come.

No. 4: Learning

Our kids are getting older. Life is getting easier. Certainly not out of the woods in terms of this new ‘hosting’ role; Ryan’s been a landlord (by proxy, me too I suppose) for three years now and, well, I’ve been a renter from age eighteen up to twenty seven (?). I still always overthink things; ‘Did I say yes to the right people? ‘No’ to the wrong ones?’ And every time someone asks to bring a pet, I hate that I have to say no. I’m super allergic to animals and we stay up there as often as possible.

With AirBnB, some of those questions answered themselves.

Then there’s their whole rating system (which is flawed). Did you know that giving a host anything less than 5 stars actually damages their listing/reputation? I received 4 stars once because, ‘the place was more beautiful than pictures implied’. A 5 star review on AirBnB simply means, “this place was what it claimed to be”. Nothing more and nothing less.

I’ve had guests give a glowing review and say they ‘intend to book again’ turn around and give me a 4 overall. Guests give me less than 5 stars for accuracy because they couldn’t find the place even though I provide detailed directions including a full ‘driver POV’ video to thoroughly navigate the dirt road from the highway to the front door.

Then there was that one group who trashed my place, pissed off my neighbours, smoked inside, left chocolate to melt into my kayak cushions, left broken glass in the kayaks (a fun find), left used tissues around the living room and kitchen areas among other things like four full sized garbage bags tied off and left out by the BBQ (after a three night stay). That guest left me a bad review because I asked for their damage deposit (which I did receive but it was like pulling teeth).

It’s not all bad. In fact, I consider myself immeasurably blessed. There are wonderful people and families out there who get to share in the magic of the lake. When I can’t be up there with my own family, it’s such a marvelous place that deserves to be inhabited by good people who treat it right and appreciate the nature that surrounds. We’re very lucky to have had predominantly great guests (I don’t think renters is the right word).

Moving forward, I’d personally like to ‘know’ the people I’m hosting and have them know me. Don’t get me wrong, we can be strangers (and stay strangers)! I’m simply hoping to promote interest in my cottage through my social media sites and through my website: WindmillCottage.ca.

It’s a bit more personal for people to say, ‘I stayed at Amy’s place!’ or maybe I just hope it instills a sense of kinship to those who do decide to rent; you’re not just renting ‘a cottage’ from a soulless app on your phone or tablet with a 4.88 star review… You’re not lining the wallet of an anonymous income property owner. You’re renting from me, Amy. A 34 year old radio DJ and mother or two who’s been coming up here since 1986 (when I was born) & plans on spending another thirty or more here.

See you at the lake!