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Home and cottage in a single location.

The empty nest-that exercise in which an ever-increasing number of the boomer generation is engaged-is about the adjustment to life without daily responsibility for children. The realization that your kids don't need you anymore (except, of course, for monetary subsidization) tends to be traumatic for mothers, and a welcome relief for fathers.

There are physical and financial realities to be faced as well. The family home may no longer be a good fit for two people and occasional guests. Some opt for the ease of urban living in a condominium environment with the cottage available for weekend getaways, or even extended summer stays. Some buy or build a smaller home-again with the cottage available for weekend getaways and summer stays…

We tried something different. We came up with a concept that would provide us with both full-time home and cottage in one. Arguably, nowhere is this more geographically and financially feasible than in Atlantic Canada.

Oh, we did the conventional weekend cottage thing for a few years: rushing home from work on a Friday afternoon to pack the kids and dogs and boats for the drive, unpacking at the other end, and then the reverse process on Sunday night. Although the actual family cottage experience is wholesome and infinitely relaxing, we found the pack-and-drive routine to be stressful. As in every family, the teenagers eventually found excuses in the frantic avoidance of "uncool" experiences such as spending time with (oh-so-boring) parents and younger siblings-and so the "family" weekend experience descends (or ascends, depending upon your view) into a semi-meditative experience where two people each disappear into the plots of their respective novels sharing only the drive, sections of the newspaper and meals.

Then there's the cottage maintenance factor-two of everything and twice the chores. And the cost, both capital and operating (plus tax).

We resolved to put it all in one place. Years of fruitless searching for the ideal existing property led us to the conclusion that we should build a home custom-suited to our needs and wants. The considerations required in the normal process of planning to build a new home are many and complex. Add the prerequisite elements of cottage life as well and… well, it's fun.

There are very few (affordable) places in all of Western Europe where both home and cottage elements are available within commuting distance of a major centre, and not that many even in North America. Atlantic Canada is full of opportunities to combine them. It's early days, but so far we highly recommend it.

In most cases, perhaps the single, most significant decision to be made is whether to build, rather than buy. In fact, we did both. We renovated the wide-open upper floor of an existing 24 by 32-foot Cape Cod cottage into two guest bedrooms and a bathroom. The lower floor was renovated into a spacious 32 by 12-foot kitchen, while the former living room, complete with fireplace, became our new dining room.

The new 30 by 46-foot, two-storey section consists of a ground floor great room open to the roof, a large den, mud room, powder room, hallway, foyer and vestibule. Upstairs houses the main bedroom and ensuite, an office/library and a 10 by 20-foot balcony area overlooking the great room-and offering a fabulous view of the river.

The original foundation provides a full basement area for storage and utilities, while the new section was built on a concrete slab into which in-floor hot water heating was installed. In-floor heating was also retrofitted under the old section, negating the old forced-air system.

The timber-framed great room is enhanced by a second fireplace and 30-foot stone flue wall, situated approximately 25 feet from the dining room fireplace. The visual effect of the two fireplaces roaring on cool nights is wonderfully warm and inviting. But we went around in circles on this, considering first an open conventional fireplace then an efficient air-tight fireplace insert, and back to a large conventional fireplace again. Aesthetics won out over economy. It's a house with the ambience of a cottage.

Timber framing was extended outside to both decks-once again offering cottagey architecture within a fairly large structure. At the southern end of the building a timber-framed structure covers the parking area, creating a carport, and half the south deck. In this way, the deck is partially protected from sun and rain, while the remainder is open to the sky.

The western covered deck is also framed in 10 by 10 timbers, but screened against insects, and the two decks are connected by an exterior walkway. The screened deck houses the barbecue, hot tub and a seating area. By installing removable glass or Plexiglas windows, we will be able to heat that area in the cold seasons. An adjacent small "chalet," already wood-lined and fitted with a wood stove chimney stack, will become a sauna in due course.

In all of the design criteria, we very deliberately worked towards a warm and welcoming environment for friends and family alike, while dealing with the reality of a need for privacy. Upstairs, for instance, our own quarters and the guest quarters are separated by locking doors and insulated walls. The stairs are closed-in instead of being left open out of concern for the safety of grandchildren (some day); similarly the height of the rail on the balcony, and so on.

And, speaking of stairs: the renovation called for the original staircase (at the north wall of the building) to be removed completely and a centre-hall stairway installed. We sweated over this one. The new stairs could have been unassumingly conventional-or they could turn suddenly at the bottom and sweep dramatically into the great room area. It was difficult to visualize, but we opted for the grander gesture and had the stairs custom-made from beautifully grained elm. There were some tense visual moments as the stairs were being installed, but it paid off in the end.

The large kitchen was designed solely by Linda (I was sternly warned off). Adjacent to a sitting area, it features a breakfast bar where guests can sit comfortably and socialize while the meal is being prepared. A six-burner propane stove, two fridges and a freezer, and more than 30 feet of counter space allow us to cook for good-size crowds (the record being about 60 so far, to the extent that the line between "entertaining" and "catering" becomes blurry).

A bar sink is adjacent to both the wine rack and liquor cabinet, and a wide variety of glasses are within arm's reach of that corner.

But, once again, we worked to maintain the cottage aesthetic. From the floors to the wine rack, everything is fashioned from real wood in traditional mode. The breakfast bar was made from a storm-damaged oak that we were obliged to take down not 50 feet from the house. The original hardwood floor was salvaged from an old dance hall in Halifax. The oak trim is of traditional rural design.

Sometimes the norm is so normal that we tend not to see past it-and having a separate home and cottage is the Canadian norm.

Life in Atlantic Canada provides us with a myriad of lifestyle advantages over most of the rest of the planet. Being able to combine the relaxation of cottage living with the comforts of home is high among them.

Next issue-the high-skill trades.

Wish list for a post-familial full-time country home

"House" elements

  1. A reasonable commute to our offices in the city, and for friends and family to visit.
  2. Guest quarters (which facilitate overnight stays for family, or friends who may have indulged in some grape with dinner) and assured privacy for our guests and ourselves.
  3. A large country kitchen because Linda loves to cook (and she's very good at it) and we enjoy entertaining.
  4. A great room. (Did I mention we enjoy entertaining?)
  5. Two working fireplaces ('cause we love 'em).
  6. A mud room ('cause we have dogs and dirty boots).
  7. A hot tub ('cause we work hard and we deserve it).

"Cottage" elements

  1. Waterfront (in our case a major river).
  2. Recreational opportunity (we can fly fish 70 feet from our deck, we can go boating or tubing, we can feed deer or watch birds and a host of other wild critters).
  3. Opportunity for physical exercise (we can hike, snowshoe or ski right from our front door, or we can canoe or kayak on the river. There's always wood to be cut, split and stacked as well as other physical chores).
  4. Room for our dogs to play safely.
  5. A serene environment (no neighbours within barbecue-smelling or lawnmower-hearing range)
  6. An extended array of decks for outdoor living during three of the four seasons.
  7. A night sky free of light pollution.

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