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Do you own a 'cabin'?

General Tso

HR Heisman
Nov 20, 2004
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If so, would you recommend buying one? What do you like / not like a out owning one?

I put '' around cabin because HORT is more likely to own lake homes.
 
No, my parents do. It's actually more like a townhouse than a cabin, although the inside is decorated cabiny.

What do I like about it? It's nice to have a place to stay when I'm up skiing or want to hang out in Tahoe.
Downsides? The annual fees are up to about $25k a year. My brothers and sisters and I will start paying those fees this year.
Parents were tempted to see it over covid when people were leaving 7 figure offers stuffed under their door. This is the compromise.
 
We are looking for a place around Breck/Copper. We were about to pull the trigger on a townhome that they also rent out when not in use, but had to pull out due to some restrictions we didn’t want to abide by.
 
Just bought one 2 months ago.

Too early to say. We’re Airbnb’ing it when we don’t use it. Starting to get renters now. It took a lot of effort to get it to a point we were comfortable renting it out to others - new furniture, grill, kayaks, safety equipment, kitchen stuff, etc.
 
If so, would you recommend buying one? What do you like / not like a out owning one?

I put '' around cabin because HORT is more likely to own lake homes.
Yep. Wooden exterior requires a fair amount of upkeep. When the kids were getting involved in sports and such, we considered moving to town. We are thankful we didn’t.
 
My uncle had a cabin on the Little Cedar that he would let us use but I think the upkeep was getting to be too much for him at 80 years old. He ended up selling the cabin and the land to the county. I was upset when he sold it but understood why he did it. It was a fantastic little getaway.
 
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Better yet, we have close friends who have had a "cabin" since 2000. It is on a small private lake and it is truly a double wide amongst what are now beautiful mansions for the most part. We always help open it Memorial Day weekend and bring lots of food when we are there. I have shingled, checked it in the winter (husband passed away and they had moved from central Iowa to Lincoln, NE in 2006). We have had a lot of fun there over the years.
 
I wouldn’t mind having one in a place with mild summers but the places that appeal to me are also real desirable to others and therefore out of my price range.
Maybe I’ll win the lottery. 😒
 
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My dad had a cabin-like house near Big Bald Mountain in North Carolina. Absolutely beautiful place. Like going to a whole different world.

But he sold it when he was diagnosed with ALS because the worthless treatments were uber expensive.

I might buy a cabin one day, but it sucks that he wasn't able to keep that one in the family.
 
In laws have a cabin on a lake in Minnesota. Absolutely wonderful in the summer months but doesn’t get used much in the winter. Seems like FIL is always updating or fixing something. Think you could pour as much or as little money into it as you wish
 
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Yes, sitting on the deck eating dinner, listening to music and watching the Mississippi and occasional speedboats roll by.

Life's pretty friggin' sweet at the moment.

I suggest for anybody looking at getting one to either have it reasonably close by (say, 90 minutes) and in a location where someone can keep an eye on it. Me personally, I just don't know how people can for example live in the QC/IC/CR/DM...then drive 6 hours or more to northern Minnesota or Wisconsin for a weekend.

Yes, it means I need 2 (or more) of everything with regards to lawn work, tools, etc...plus things dedicated to boating and fishing. Another utility to pay, another property tax to pay, more insurance etc. And I don't use it at all during winter.

But I can't imagine life without it. Hell, been coming up to "the cabin" since I was a kid in the late 60's. I've lived almost my entire life "going to the cabin".

Right now, there's only 2 other human beings within 4 miles of me. The only noises are birds chirping, the chipmunks playing nearby, and the occasional boat that goes by (aside from my music playing). The boat is rigged and ready to for some fishing and a big ass boat ride tomorrow morning.

Can't imagine life without it...r
 
Yes we own a cabin in the Endless Mountains on the northeast New York Pennsylvania border. Been in the family for about 20 years. Spent two COVID years remodeling it. It's out in the boonies away from everything. 10 miles to the next town. No internet no TV no newspaper no cell service. Total getaway place. Read a lot of books there and watch a lot of wildlife. Wonderful place to get away to.
 
Total getaway place. Wonderful place to get away to.

This guy gets it. I call mine my fortress of solitude. One can have a fantastic day sitting the deck doing absolutely nothing at all at my place (that's my Sunday "plans").

Here's my day tomorrow. On the water around 7ish. Couple fishing poles, tank of gas, sunscreen, and the camera cause there's always something to see and capture. A small cooler with some cold snacks packed, a coffee and a slice at the local Casey's for morning fuel - then head to the ramp.

Get some fishing in, then a lock to lock boat ride with some easy floating and tunes mixed in. Then once I get back - some dinner, tunes, bourbon, and stirring the fire.

Easy livin', my friends. Easy livin'. Not a care in the world...
 
My dad had a cabin-like house near Big Bald Mountain in North Carolina. Absolutely beautiful place. Like going to a whole different world.

But he sold it when he was diagnosed with ALS because the worthless treatments were uber expensive.

I might buy a cabin one day, but it sucks that he wasn't able to keep that one in the family.
You hate doctors?
 
You hate doctors?

Yeah, pretty much.

My mother died with a whole grocery bag full of pill bottles. There's no freaking way she was taking them all as prescribed, no bad drug interactions, etc.

Patients expect to walk out of the doctor's office with something that might help them, so the doctors give them a prescription for a new magic pill to take.
 
Yeah, pretty much.

My mother died with a whole grocery bag full of pill bottles. There's no freaking way she was taking them all as prescribed, no bad drug interactions, etc.

Patients expect to walk out of the doctor's office with something that might help them, so the doctors give them a prescription for a new magic pill to take.
And you employ nurses? WTF
 
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Yes.

You are a Davenporter, no General?

Our place is about 1 hr 10 mins SE of here. Quite a few places for sale. Can send you a link if you wish.
Davenport transplanted to Minneapolis, with a wretched hatred for Cedar Rapids. Oak Run seems in the vicinity your speak of. Great area.
 
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My brother built one on my property. It’s on a moveable slab. Not my thing with no electricity. I need AC and sports on the large screen.

Propane and solar lamps/batteries
Propane stove and refrigerator
Running water from a spring piped in, full toilet and sink
Wood stove for heat

Woods and small creek right out back, but no lake or river. I believe it will be moved up to northern WI or MN when he retires.
 
My brother built one on my property. It’s on a moveable slab. Not my thing with no electricity. I need AC and sports on the large screen.

Propane and solar lamps/batteries
Propane stove and refrigerator
Running water from a spring piped in, full toilet and sink
Wood stove for heat

Woods and small creek right out back, but no lake or river. I believe it will be moved up to northern WI or MN when he retires.
Is the creek at least fishable?
 
Davenport transplanted to Minneapolis, with a wretched hatred for Cedar Rapids. Oak Run seems in the vicinity your speak of. Great area.
Wife and I own a summer home up here in NW Wisconsin, Rice Lake Cumberland area.
We come up May first and go back to our winter home November first.
Lots of small lakes to fish for us and just relax and read. Hour and a half from Minneapolis.
Lots of people from there own places up here.
 
Is the creek at least fishable?
Nope. No good fishing on any of my 132 acres. My neighbors all put fake ponds in, but I just couldn’t do it. Lots of bigger creeks near by that allow fishing.

I think his plan from the start was to move it from NE Iowa to up north somewhere when he retires.
 
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My parents have a log cabin on a private lake in SE Iowa. It is a true log cabin that needs adjusted every couple years due contraction of the logs. We've finally convinced them to hire out the staining/upkeep as they approach 70 years old.

I love it since I'm about 45 minutes away from a docked boat, jet skis and great crappie & bass fishing.

If I end up inheriting it I invite all HORTers for a huge sausage fest (huge ones only).
 
Folks had a cabin in Colorado. When they bought it, it was one room with a wood burning stove and no indoor plumbing. They had 2 rooms and plumbing added after the purchase.

We have a "cabin" on the Mississippi. It's actually a 14 x 50 trailer with a 3 season room. It is our cabin since that is what the in-laws called it.

As mentioned it seems like we are always fixing something, or updating. As I type this I am looking out the front window but can't see anything as a fog bank rolled in.
 
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Yes and No.


There is a log cabin on my property that is in ruins and halfway on its side. I believe it is super old, due to artifacts in the cabin, but was in use as recent as the 1970's as there is an outside shower someone built using pvc.

I sit in it every now and then while hunting as it makes a decent blind. There is an old wood burning stove in there I would love to get out that has to be 100+ years old. I would need to access the back of the property via a neighbors property with a wench, pulleys, and a shit ton of rope to get it out. I don't know that I could get it out of my property, through the ravines.
 
If so, would you recommend buying one? What do you like / not like a out owning one?

I put '' around cabin because HORT is more likely to own lake homes.

In Maine they are called “camps.” My wife’s family has one that her grandparents built about 80 years ago. When the deed got down to her generation there were 12 kids to split it among, and since we are ten hours away we opted off the deed. We can still go up there and visit whenever we want, and do it once every year or two.

Beautiful location, and I love it because “the sisters” hang out together the whole time, leaving me in blissful solitude. I used to take my son on hikes on the Appalachian Trail occasionally.
 
We actually have a log cabin in our wooded back yard, of all places. The first owner of our home built the cabin in 1951 using timber from his ancestral family farm. It has a hardwood floor, a large stone fireplace, a vaulted ceiling, and a small kitchen off the back. It looks cool, but the upkeep is a hassle and my family won’t use it because it leaves a musty odor on you that we unaffectionately call “the funk.” It is where we keep large “toys” such as the air hockey table, the foosball table, and the pop-a-shot. Mostly, though, I just clean it periodically.
 
Folks had a cabin in Colorado. When they bought it, it was one room with a wood burning stove and no indoor plumbing. They had 2 rooms and plumbing added after the purchase.

We have a "cabin" on the Mississippi. It's actually a 14 x 50 trailer with a 3 season room. It is our cabin since that is what the in-laws called it.

As mentioned it seems like we are always fixing something, or updating. As I type this I am looking out the front window but can't see anything as a fog bank rolled in.
Always something to repair or replace on cabins or summer homes. New drivway rock and possibly new shingles for us this year. Upkeep is important when using it and especially when selling. Having two places to take care of is not cheap. But still worth it as a place to get away.
 
Cross Lake chain is fantastic - north of Brainerd. I have heard it’s gotten rather pricey though.
That's an awesome area and correct, that whole Brainerd +/- 30 minutes has gone crazy with prices. We've been more focused on areas where poors buy cabins, like Grand Rapids
 
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