by It’s definitely a Michigan thing. Owning a Michigan cabin is right up there with graduation from high school. Once you have settled into a career and earned a little extra, you head up north and get a little Michigan cabin on the beach or in a hunting lodge in the woods. According to the National Association of Home Builders, about 5.5% of all homes are second homes.
In Michigan, the first congressional district’s northern counties have over 24% of their homesteads designated as secondary. In the 2010 U.S. census, it was reported that Michigan had over 235,000 homes denoted as being secondary. Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District had 82,755 second homes, almost 20% of its housing stock. This means the cottage or cabin is usually vacant except for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use.
Michigan Cabin Life
Owning a Second Home Is Not Like the First
Since you’re likely to only be there on the weekends and vacations, you don’t have to keep up pristine appearances. You can cut some slack on the cleaning with a rustic cabin or beachside cottage. Old books, fishing reels, and a TV from the 1980s or earlier! (with no remote), And ancient appliances can live out the remainder of their useful lives. We have a 40-year-old fishing boat that makes it to the beach dock yearly. Some of these old boats are great for cruising the Great Lakes.
You Can Have a Fire Circle in Your Backyard
Bonfires, a fire pit, a fireplace ring, or even a circle of rocks are all you would like to make an environment for wonderful stories and conversation. People drop in for a beer, or simply for a fast hello. Kids learn to make a fire, roast marshmallows, hot dogs, and popcorn.
It’s an exquisite opportunity to get everyone together. As the evening fades into the night the stories tend to get longer and sometimes louder too.
Don’t Need No Stinking Yard
The “lawn” is a collection of weeds and encroaching wild geraniums. It’s green and you can walk on it without shoes. That qualifies as a success, as a lawn on the sandy soil the old cabin sits on.
We let the old gravel driveway slowly be taken over by grass and other greens. The two tracks leading up to the cottage give it a rustic feel. The only bad part is that sometimes the old lawn mower finds a rock from the old drive—zing.
The Homey Feel of Knotty Pine and the Smell of Quiet
The paneling and cabinets are over 50 years old, and the tongue-and-groove pine board has a rich butter yellow tone from age and years of former owners’ cigarette smoke. We have to be careful not to brighten it up too much; otherwise, it looks weird.
Likewise, the smell is different too. Coming into the cottage after a long time away is always an interesting experience. Sometimes the smell is benign. Sometimes it’s dusty, and sometimes it’s musty. The initial smell goes away quickly has windows are opened or if someone puts a meal on the stove.
The Cabin Pantry – A Food Museum
If we aren’t diligent about checking out, using, and replacing the canned goods, it can be like entering a time capsule. We have found cans of beans and vegetables in the inner recesses of my parent’s cottage that went back to the early 1980s. The cabin pantry is always a trip back in time.
Now, at the end of each season, we donate our unused canned goods to the Caseville Helping Hands food pantry. Caseville Helping Hands is an excellent thrift store and they host a curbside food pantry each week
New Purpose For the Old Outhouse
Today, the trend of Michigan cabin rentals has meant much updating to Grandpa’s hunting cabin. There was a time in the 1960s when the old cabins and cottages replaced the outhouses. Septic tanks were installed along with their indoor plumbing. Some owners must have had a close connection with the old outhouse because many of them were converted to storage sheds rather than tear it down. A few of the original outhouses can be spotted from time to time.
The Beach Is An Uninvited Guest With The Sandy Feet
By late summer, the vacuum cleaner had several pounds of beach sand in the bag. Sand is just part of being at the cabin and since it’s dirt or mud that shows up on the floor, no one minds a bit of sand. Of course, it’s a different story when you jump into bed with a sunburn and find the beach sand has followed you in on those rough bed sheets.
Thank Goodness for the Party Store
In Michigan, we call any little convenience store that sells beer, wine, booze, and a few groceries a party store. It’s a Godsend, especially during the summer when a trip into town is an ordeal. Plus, you have to wade through all the tourists. (We don’t consider ourselves one, but some locals may disagree.) The little store is only a short bike ride away, and it’s where some of us made our first purchases. It smells like bait, new t-shirts, sweet candy, and newsprint. You could find everything you needed for a day at the beach.
Keeping The Trash Pandas Out of Your Garbage
In northern Michigan, we have to put our trash into cages. Critters love garbage cans. I once heard a horrendous racket outside, only to find three young raccoons treed next to a dumped-out garbage bin full of a week’s worth of smelly food. Some enterprising souls make and sell small wire mesh enclosures to keep the critters out.
Building A Cabin In Michigan
LOGLUXE offers high-quality prefabricated home kits made of wood, which are now available in Michigan. These kits offer an innovative and efficient solution for those seeking to build their dream home with the timeless charm of wood.
Their Michigan cabin prefabricated home kits are designed to meet the highest quality and sustainability standards. Each kit includes carefully selected and treated timber, ensuring durability, excellent insulation properties, and a beautiful aesthetic. With detailed instructions and all necessary components included, building your home has never been easier.
Whether you’re looking for a cozy cabin or a spacious family home, our prefabricated kits cater to various designs and preferences. Their flexibility and convenience make them ideal choices for modern homeowners in Michigan.
For more information and to start planning your perfect wooden home, visit the website of LOGLUXE.
Heating Costs and Insulation Challenges in Michigan Cabins
Keeping a Michigan cabin warm in the colder months can be costly, especially in older cottages built between the 1940s and 1960s. Many of these vintage structures were originally designed as seasonal retreats. Builders often skipped modern insulation, relying instead on wood stoves, kerosene heaters, or baseboard electric heat to take the edge off chilly nights. In a majority of cases, cottage energy upgrades are needed and will save money in the long run.
Today, year-round cabin owners often face high heating bills if upgrades haven’t been made. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Michigan heating costs rank among the top states for residential heating fuel consumption due to its long, cold winters.
One cost-effective way to improve energy efficiency is adding blown-in attic insulation. This method involves injecting loose-fill cellulose or fiberglass into wall cavities, attics, and crawl spaces. It’s especially well-suited for retrofitting older cabins where opening up walls isn’t practical or affordable. Professional installers can usually place blown-in insulation with minimal disruption, sealing gaps that allow heat to escape.
In addition to lowering heating costs, proper insulation can also prevent frozen pipes, reduce moisture buildup, and make the cabin more comfortable year-round. Many Michigan counties offer energy-efficiency grants or rebates that can help offset installation costs. Before starting a project, owners should have a qualified energy auditor assess the cabin’s insulation needs.
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