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For many Ontario homeowners, the idea of a private retreat is appealing. But what’s the better investment, buying a cottage up north or creating a custom backyard retreat at home?
While cottages offer nostalgia, a backyard renovation provides comfort, flexibility, and lasting value without ever leaving your property. Let’s compare the two options by cost, lifestyle, usability, maintenance, and return on investment.
A backyard renovation usually costs less upfront and offers greater long-term value.
Upgrades like landscaping, patios, and outdoor kitchens can deliver substantial long-term value. According to Canadian real estate professionals, energy-efficient renovations not only enhance everyday comfort but also increase resale value. These improvements boost both enjoyment and equity in your primary home.
Cottages often come with high purchase prices, rising taxes , seasonal upkeep, and unexpected costs like insurance and repairs. Over time, the total investment is harder to recover, especially in less predictable rural markets.
Imagine ending the week with a soak in the hot tub under soft lighting. Stepping from the sauna into crisp morning air. Preparing a meal in your outdoor kitchen while the kids play nearby and friends gather around the fire.
A backyard retreat makes these moments part of everyday life, not something you drive hours to find. No packing. No rushing. Just space to reconnect, on your schedule, at your pace.
Cottages offer an escape, but they take time to reach and effort to maintain. A well-designed backyard brings the experience home, offering comfort, connection, and calm, without ever leaving the place that matters most.
A backyard retreat can be built for four-season living and tailored to Ontario’s climate and your lifestyle.
Features like heated patios, covered structures, retractable screens, lighting, and saunas turn your yard into a wellness space that works all year. Add a fireplace or cold plunge, and you’ve got a retreat that serves every season.
Cottages often cannot compete. Winter access is limited. Pipes freeze, roads close, and snow removal becomes necessary. Year-round use can be difficult or costly.
A backyard retreat is part of your home. It’s designed to fit your life, not take it over.
ongoing care is simple: light gardening, surface cleaning, and the occasional equipment check. And with LandArt’s five-year warranty and tailored maintenance packages, your space stays in top condition, without the stress.
Cottages are different. What starts as a weekend getaway can quickly feel like a second job. Opening and closing the property, storm prep, weatherproofing, pest control, unexpected repairs, it all adds up. The time you hoped to spend unwinding often gets spent maintaining. You either give up your free time or pay someone else to manage it.
A backyard renovation doesn’t ask for more of your time. It gives it back.
A backyard renovation adds value to the home you live in every day.
Landscaping can boost property value by 15 to 25 percent. Outdoor kitchens may deliver up to 200 percent return on investment. Covered living spaces, lighting, and pools are not just upgrades, they’re enhancements that improve resale and day-to-day life.
Cottages, though enjoyable, rely on market trends, weather conditions, and location. Their value can be unpredictable.
When you invest in your primary residence, you build both lifestyle value and financial value in one place.
Cottages offer a sense of escape. But backyard renovations offer daily comfort, lower stress, and lasting value, right at home.
With a thoughtfully designed backyard retreat, you can create a space that reflects your lifestyle and stands the test of time.
