July 25: This day has been inevitable, barring a significant lottery win, since I bought Regatta Island in 2021. The plan was to use the 5 year term of the mortgage to do as much renovation work as possible, and evaluate my options in 2026. There was always the realization that the financing was not in my favour, and at my age (ahem) a certain need for relative security arises. There are limitations to my finances and the overall economic situation is becoming somewhat unpredictable for the next couple of years. So I have decided to list the cottage for sale a year earlier than anticipated.
This has raised a number of emotions, some of which were unexpected. Initially I tried to see the process as a “business transaction” that would reduce my debt load and provide financial resources going forward. While all of that makes sense, the idea of parting with Regatta is more emotionally difficult than I had anticipated. It’s not surprising that this should be the case; builder-mate Roy and I have each invested a lot of time doing the work resolving as many problems as possible. There is a connection to the building that can’t be easily be dismissed, and having gotten the old girl this far, it’s hard to turn her future over to someone else, and realize that I will not be part of her story going forward.
That said, I am proud of what we have accomplished. When I took possession of Regatta it was awash in junk and old furniture. There was a squirrel living inside, sleeping in the mattresses and stashing tons of acorns around the interior. (I occasionally still find some.) The roof leaked and the plumbing system was pretty much non-existent. After 4 years, I now have a viable and comfortable cottage: a new roof; new septic; new kitchen and bath with new plumbing; new decks…. We have brought the cottage back from a point where it might have fallen apart if left another couple of years, and have returned it to a state where a new family can enjoy it and do some more work to make it truly “theirs”.
All of the work came at the cost of spending many weeks on the island working, rather than enjoying the place as “a cottage”. It was, in many ways, a work site, especially during the first couple of years when major projects like building the new kitchen were underway. It was not a place to lie in the sun and drink pina coladas. At some times it was easy to resent having to spend a beautiful day crawling around in the rotting leaves and detritus under the cottage trying to fix the floor. I missed many events in the city that I would have preferred to attend because I was “at the cottage”. In this small way, selling the cottage brings the possibility of having more time to do some things I have missed for the last four years.
But against that small bright spot, there is the sadness in knowing that I won’t be part of the Regatta Island story as it goes forward. My hope is that the new owner will see the value in a 112 year old cottage and will respect that provenance in the work they do. It would be a horror story for me if the new owner decides to renovate or demolish the existing building and use the footprint as the basis for a new McCottage. I could never forgive myself for letting her go, even though I completely understand that I have no say in what the new people will do.
In the meantime, showings are being arranged; people are coming and going. After 3 months of hard work getting her ready for sale, I am trying to take some time to simply enjoy the place “as a cottage” before we have to part ways. These are bittersweet days, and I am trying to be as positive as can be, before the inevitable day comes to say goodbye for good.