This year I have been showing a lot of older cottages. By older, I mean 1940-1960. There are a lot of cottages around me as I live by the Chesapeake Bay. Cottages are lovely homes and fit in very well in this area. I love them as they can be like a great adventure as you go through and inspect them.

Most of the cottages I have been showing do not have basements. This is mostly because of living near a body of water. What they do offer are cellars and crawl spaces. I love crawl spaces as your never sure where the access point might be. The easy access is on the outside, but I love when you cannot locate it. Then it becomes intriguing for me to find it. I love adventure. I have found the access in a closet under aboard, in a bedroom under the carper, and a little hidden door in the back of the coat closet. Finding it before the inspector is part of my challenge to myself. Going into the access is even more exciting. You never know what you will find in a crawl space! Fortunately, never had an encounter with a body or a snake. Either might keep me out of crawl space for life!

Cellars can be interesting also. You have to wonder what people used the space for 80 years ago. I would guess items they want to store in a cooler place as the space is underground. I can envision nice storage of wine, pantry items, and even vegetables. They all thrive in cooler spaces. The cellar today could be used as a workout space, wine and pantry storage, and even holiday items. Just remember to get it off of the floor. You can build or make a base for the floor. You probably have a sunk pump in there which means it is possible for water to come in. You want any items you store to be at least a foot off of the ground.

If you purchase a cottage and have children, encourage some hide and seek time. These houses are a blast for a nice game like that. You never know where you will find them or what they might find in their hiding spot!