If you own a lake cottage and are planning on renting it out, then you probably want to make it more attractive. While many people focus on renovating the interior of a home, you should focus on more external elements. The place is most likely going to be used as a vacation spot, so you should focus attention to things that are related to recreation and relaxation.
Lots of Flowers without Planting a Garden
Flowers make every property look more attractive. However, if you don't have a flower garden, don't worry. You don't have to dig up the ground and plant an entire flower garden. Instead, head over to a home improvement store and buy large flower planters and fill them up with colorful annuals. Some home improvement stores sell big, faux stone planters that are made of plastic and are very lightweight. These are affordable and easy to move around. Buy a few of these, fill them with planting soil and plant a bunch of colorful annuals.
Backyard Picnic Table and Barbecue Area
People who are going to rent a lake house want to enjoy outdoors cooking and dining. For this reason, make sure that you have a nice picnic area set up. It doesn't have to be fancy. A rustic picnic table on a nice stretch of yard would work well. Here is how you can do it.
- Clear a space in your backyard that is not under overhanging tree limbs.
- If you don't have a picnic table, you can check online classifieds and purchase a used one. You might even luck out and find one for free.
- Next, purchase two 40 lb bags of landscaping stone at your local home improvement store. Don't purchase anything that is sharp or rough. You should choose smooth stone because your renters might want to walk around the backyard barefoot. Spread this stone out in a large rectangular pattern. Once the stone is laid out, go back over it and tamp it down. Place the picnic table in the center of the stone rectangle.
- Next, purchase stone at your local home improvement store. You don't have to purchase smooth stone, so you can choose rough cut stone if it is more affordable. A 20 lb bag should be enough. Make sure there are no overhanging branches in the location where the BBQ pit will be. You don't want a spark from the BBQ floating up into the trees. Spread the stone out and tamp it down. Then place your BBQ grill on the foundation.
The Big Improvements: Utilize the Lake!
The biggest selling point of a lake cottage is the lake. If you really want to make your place attractive to people, you have got to make the most of the lake. There are two ways to do this.
Get Kayaks, Canoes, or Paddle Boats
Buy watercraft that your renters can use on the lake. The choice of watercraft is up to you.
Most kayaks are designed for one person. There are two-person designs, but you should avoid these because one people can't operate it alone. It is better to buy two or three single-person kayaks. This way, if one person in the group that is renting the cottage wants to go out on the lake, they can do so without pestering someone else to go with them.
Canoes and paddle boat's are both great for multiple people. You only have to one canoe or one paddle boat.
Floating Dock
A floating dock is an awesome addition to your property. It makes getting into and out of the lake much easier. You don't have to walk into the lake through weeds and shallow water if you are going for a swim. You can walk out onto the dock and then dive into the deep water.
It's also great for launching boats. If you have kayaks or canoes, then you can tie them up at the end of the dock. From this vantage point it is much easier to launch a craft. If you try and get a canoe or kayak launched from the shore, you will have to push it with a paddle. You don't want to struggle though the very shallow water. For this reason, a floating dock is the perfect accompaniment to a kayak or canoe.
Share