Picture: Andrés Gómez García
Finland is celebrating the National Cottage Day for the first time today.
The long Ascension Day weekend provides a great opportunity to begin the yearly repairs, which Finns are fond of doing while they become cottagers.
A new research provided by the Association for Finnish Work reveals that the caretaking of one’s cottage is a central part of the experience at the second home.
The repair work not only enhances the comfort but also maintains the value of the cottage.
“There are over half million summer cottages in Finland and a significant amount of Finns’ wealth is attached to them. Spending time at the cottage is estimated to employ 60,000 Finns and it also increases the use of the local services. The function of the National Cottage Day is to remind people of these economic dimensions,” Merja Mantila, project manager at the Association for Finnish Work, says in a bulletin.
According to the research, the largest part of the repairs include piers, saunas and outer roofs and walls. Effort is also put into the yard and terraces. Flowers, plants, garden supplies and furniture fill the shopping lists of cottagers. Luxus products, such as outdoor spas, have been in demand in the past few years.
Because DIY is in fashion at the cottages, most of the repairs are done by oneself. Special repairs, such as building a terrace, or renewing the roof, are conducted by the local entrepreneurs.
23 per cent of those who participated in the research, estimated that the use of services relating to the repairs will increase significantly or slightly this year.
What are the cottagers planning to purchase this year?
54 % plants and flowers
14 % garden supplies
14 % piers
13 % new tools
11 % garden furniture
Using services to repairing and maintenance:
23 % likely to increase significantly or slightly
11 % likely to decrease significantly or slightly
67 % likely to stay unchanged
