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Wildwood Lakefront Tiny Cottage Community


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In this post I’m introducing you to a tiny cottage community called Wildwood Lakefront Cottages.

Wildwood (the community) is located in Sedro-Woolley, Washington right on the coast of Lake Whatcom.

It’s just south of Bellingham, Washington if you’re familiar with that area.

Lakefront Tiny Home Community in Washington State

Above you are looking at their single room Writer’s Cottages and right now there’s just two of them. Let me take you inside to show you more below:

Tiny Cottages on the Water

Amenities Include Waterfront Views And More

Once I tell you about the pricing it’ll break your heart.

As it did mine.

But I have to admit that it seems really amazing.

There are lots of amenities in the community which you’ll see in a moment:

  • Waterfront views.
  • Direct access to large lake.
  • Nature trials.
  • Pool.
  • Hot tub.
  • Boat docks.
  • Bicycling.
  • Boating.
  • Canoeing.
  • Kayaking.
  • Water skiing.
  • Wake boarding.
  • Fishing.
  • A general store.
  • Playground.
  • Pier boardwalk.
  • On site cottage manager.
  • Shower house.
  • Wood shed.
  • Two on site yurts.
  • Tennis courts.
  • Club house.
  • Private marina.
  • Gated community.
  • And more.

So just take a look below and imagine yourself living in it just because it’s fun.

And after all..

You can find your own land and do it all yourself for so much less.

Right?

I say that because…

This Tiny Cottage Community is Expensive

Pricing for the Writer’s Cottages that I showed you first are $389,900 each which does include a rare strip of lakefront land.

The water is just 20 feet away from the cabins.

But… If you buy a lot and build it yourself those start at $174,900 (still expensive, I know).

And there are cottages starting at $324,900.

Quite the pricey tiny homes and lots, I know. But I had to show you anyway.

I think you’ll still enjoy just looking at it all below.

Rich People Downsizing?

And I guess for the fortunate few that have a lot of money and want to downsize fast this would be a wonderful option (just scroll below so you can see what I mean).

And yes- I believe there are a growing number of people with this kind of money who want to simplify and downsize so that they can enjoy life more.

Anyway.

There are more small cottages in this lakefront community (just a bit larger) which you can see below:

This one is called The Whidbey:

The Whidbey Model at Wildwood Lakefront Cottages Community

Whidbey Wildwood Tiny Cottage Floor Plan

Yes- this one is also in the same price range ($319,900 to $389,900).

At least it includes your own plot of land and a lake view from your cottage.

There’s much more, too.

Upscale Lakefront Tiny Cottage Community with Fun Amenities

So How Much is $389k in a Mortgage?

But I was curious about how much $389,900 would cost you with a mortgage.

It’s a lot.

So let’s go through the numbers real quick.

The total monthly payment with a 30 year mortgage would be $2,267.59 if you put no money down and had an interest rate of 4%.

This also includes estimated taxes and PMI for not having any money to put down so for most people the payment may be less..

You can do your own numbers using the calculator here.

That’s big money for a tiny house right?

But again you own the land, an amazing view, lots of amenities, and it’s in a wonderful location.

Here’s What Makes Me Mad…

I just don’t understand why real estate investors haven’t started developing more tiny house communities with reasonable pricing all over the world.

Site Plan for this Tiny Cottage Community on Rare Land

Learn More About these Cottages & Community

Related: Townsend Park Model Cottage at Lake Whatcom Community

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 62 comments… add one }
  • David
    April 29, 2014, 5:38 pm

    I am very interested… How much for homes?

    Dvid

    • Gigi
      April 30, 2016, 1:38 am

      If you read the article, you will find all your answers.

  • Ellen
    April 29, 2014, 5:43 pm

    Insane pricing. These are toy vacation houses for the very wealthy, not real living solutions. But always interesting to see. Keep em coming!

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:05 am

      Thanks Ellen, I agree, still inspiring to see (mostly because i know we can all do it for so much less in other places.. we’re getting there)

  • Tucker Blane
    April 29, 2014, 5:43 pm

    I think the concept of a tiny house community is phenomenal. It’d be great for both young and elderly couples who don’t have much money. But the reason why this movement isn’t gaining the traction that it should is because Americans still have this delusion that if they don’t have a 2000+ square foot house with an expansive yard, then they haven’t “made it.” The problem with the younger generation is that they would rather living in the cities to indulge in the “culture” and “night life.” The problem with the older generations is that they’ve most likely lived in their home for decades and don’t want to leave. They can be rather stubborn and “stuck in their ways.” While the idea of simplifying and living in a smaller home with less upkeep and taxes is appealing to them (especially those on a fixed income), many of them simply don’t want to put up with the hassles associated with moving.

    I predict that within the coming years (10 at most) we’ll begin to see more and more of these communities pop up as they become more mainstream people see that they can live just as comfortably in 700 sqft as they can in 2100.

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:06 am

      Thanks Tucker, great insights you have there! I agree.

  • Linda
    April 29, 2014, 5:54 pm

    It’s a nice place but at that price idiots will live here.

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:07 am

      I’d prefer we don’t call anyone names but yeah— it’s expensive

    • Gigi
      July 18, 2016, 6:15 pm

      Having money does not make you an idiot. What a strange thing to say!

  • Kate
    April 29, 2014, 6:09 pm

    Tumbleweed has a Whidbey plan too that I like much better.

  • Ginger
    April 29, 2014, 7:59 pm

    This is such a missed opportunity! I recently downsized from 2300 sq ft with 3 garages, to 396 sq ft with a carport. To do that I moved from NY to Arizona, into a mobile home park just north of Tucson. The problem is that this is not a community of people who chose to downsize in order to live more mindfully, ths is just a MHP. Some of the houses are larger. Many of the people are retired snowbirds. But if I had resources, I would start a community solely for park model homes and tiny houses, and for people who chose this life to live mindfully. I would plan it so there was garden space, recycling center, community rooms, storage for shared equipment (does everyone need to own a vacuum, a lawn mower, power tools, etc). I like the idea of this community in Washington, but really it is way too excessive. I don’t even think itis a good use of resources to put that kind of money into a home…any home. Much less a tiny one. We are in a hostile economic climate…why spend a fortune on a house? But it is very pretty.

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:11 am

      Thanks Ginger and congratulations on your downsizing to 396 sq. ft. I’d love to see your “before” and “after” if you’d ever be willing to share. I’ve been curious about Arizona, too. Oh, and what does MHP stand for?

      I totally agree with your tiny community ideas and wish the same. In fact in the future I wish to create these communities you’re describing 🙂

      • April 30, 2014, 11:10 am

        Alex- I think that MHP is short for mobile home park.

        • Alex
          April 30, 2014, 2:09 pm

          I should’ve thought of that! Thanks Tonita. 😀

  • Susie M
    April 29, 2014, 8:33 pm

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!! The yuppies have caught on!!! downsizing and ‘eco-smart living is ‘in’…. ha ha ha!!!! but look – they can’t leave all the yuppie expensive stuff behind – including the yuppie pricing!!!! where’s the golf course?? Did I miss it?? Uber expensive tiny housing – what an oxymoron…

    • Doc
      April 29, 2014, 9:18 pm

      FYI, the golf course is just a couple miles north! 🙂

  • April 29, 2014, 8:40 pm

    We stayed at Wildwood in an old, run down cottage before the owners gave in to the developers. It’s so sad we can’t afford to go there anymore. It’s a fantastic spot, close to Bellingham, but feels a million miles away. They charge what they do because they can.

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:12 am

      🙁

  • Bill Burgess
    April 29, 2014, 8:58 pm

    Yes probably another Chappin mega bucks fiasco but then I have liked some of his designs over the last 30 years. A shame he dos not have an interest in 4Fathoms Designs. I am trying to hit the $50 per sq.ft. barrier with some of my designs. This type of community make so much sense if we could get the 1% to leave something for the rest of us.

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:13 am

      Thanks Bill, I know we’ll get there.

  • Tammara Wolfgram
    April 29, 2014, 9:11 pm

    Stunning location and wonderful amenities. I like many features of the tiny homes, as well. These are very pricey, but not out of line with other small properties in premium locations. These aren’t affordable tiny homes for most people, but most people don’t expect build or buy a tiny home on a lake. I would like to see more tiny home communities for average people, but building codes and attitudes of governing bodies need to change for that to become more common.

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:14 am

      I’d like to see the same thing Tammara and I believe we’re headed in that direction where creating affordable tiny communities is becoming real.

  • Doc
    April 29, 2014, 9:31 pm

    Absolutely love this concept, now we just need to reproduce it all over, at less than a 1/3 of a mil per home! Imagine if tiny housers just built their own homes, bought their own small lake, put in their own well and septic. Thus would be doable. For a lot less money 🙂

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:15 am

      Totally. Thanks Doc. 🙂

  • Comet
    April 29, 2014, 10:10 pm

    Dang!!!!!! These sure are purdy—
    But—
    I live in one of the prettier and greener parts of the US (Upstate NY directly ON the Vermont border) where there are thousands of lakes. And yes there ARE many many houses that cost a LOT of money.

    But—

    For THIS kind of money you COULD have a very NICE house where there would be room to take off your shoes without hitting yourself in the head.

    For example–and yes I have mentioned this as an example and NO I do not have anything to do with the house or it’s sale—for $27k OBO you can have famed Battenkill trout stream front property here. Read that again::: Water. Front. Property. Now–it needs cosmetics and probably updates but—–for THAT price—-within a 5 min walk to a grocery store—do you REALIZE how RARE that is now in Cow Country???—gorgeous small gem of a Museum; overlooks another Museum with Covered Bridge and original one room schoolhouse—45 mins to Bennington VT or Saratoga NY—

    Picture yourself tubing or fishing—

    And then picture these yuppies scrambling to pay that mortgage and send their kids to school AND maintain their PRIMARY home–and the lawn care boat payments greens fees car payments cleaning service

    Stop laughing it’s not polite.

    • E Green
      April 30, 2014, 8:04 am

      link to house for sale?

    • Alex
      April 30, 2014, 9:17 am

      Thanks Cahow, couldn’t agree more with you.

  • May 3, 2014, 6:41 am

    I do not believe that the rich are purchasing these tiny home to truly downsize. I think it’s far more likely they are purchasing them to downsize for a weekend. 😉

    • Alex
      May 4, 2014, 11:36 am

      Great point Lannette!

  • Elle
    August 12, 2014, 3:10 pm

    The cottages are just beautiful, high-end finishes and amazing views of the water. However, I have to ask, “Why would a person/family pay so much for a place in the Wildwoods and live on top of other people?” I would not. Such, stick-your-finger-out-the-window-and-touch-your-neighbor’s-house is not my idea of peace. It’s still a neighborhood.

  • Nila Ridings
    March 22, 2015, 12:45 am

    Because this community has an HOA, I wouldn’t take one of these places if it was given as a gift.

    They fail to mention anywhere on the website or Facebook how much their dues are nor do they post a copy of their CC&Rs.

    Buyers Beware!

    • S anji
      July 4, 2015, 2:29 pm

      Amen sister!

  • Kristina H Nadreau
    August 14, 2015, 1:22 pm

    I am appalled at all the political nonsense that gets thrown around here.

    this blog/site/venue is about the many designs of tiny and small houses plus different types of construction.

    that is all.

    it is not about how unfair life is or distribution of wealth or preferred area of the country or taxes or anything….. This is not meant to be a venue for posting vituperative judgementsal remarks about profit making/taking developers or HOAs or people who can afford expensive houses large or small.

  • Nanny M
    October 20, 2015, 6:32 am

    I agree, Kristina. I am hearing a lot of envy and resentment, which I didn’t expect here. Like some of us feel tiny houses are only for us, the not-so-rich. And those not financially challenged don’t deserve one, are crashing our party. Yes, we may be “locked out” of some places, but we do have other options. I feel it’s ok if I can’t have everything others do. I may even be richer in other ways than some who may appear the most fortunate.

  • Sandi
    October 20, 2015, 1:57 pm

    Hi, I for one would love to see people of wealth also thinking about their footprint (it may seem delusional, but it is possible). Love the tiny houses and all they represent. Thinking everyone should be thinking about their footprint.

    • Alex
      October 20, 2015, 3:01 pm

      Great point, Sandi, me too!

      • C Bailey
        October 1, 2019, 9:12 am

        I agree … And quite frankly, if I find one of my neighbors in a la-dee-da small home next to mine, I would be one of the first to take over a bottle of wine and she’s a glass in their deck. Anyone who welcomes a smaller footprint, be it their main home or a vacation home, will be a friend of mine.

  • Kerry
    October 20, 2015, 7:28 pm

    Oh happy day. No, really!! The wealthy are starting to realize that their fantastically huge mansions don’t bring them happiness. What they want is connection…to their families, their communities, their world. This is a good start. Let’s face it, change is uncomfortable for most. So let’s start here. Well done, Wildwood. I salute you!!!

    • Michelle
      April 29, 2016, 10:39 pm

      This is recreational housing only, not for full time living. They are vacation homes.

    • paula lyons
      July 9, 2021, 6:27 pm

      i am really interested in an affordable tiny home/park model community in Washington. do you know of a resource that shows any other than bellingham?

  • David Lee
    October 28, 2015, 9:55 am

    I think that a possible approach to affordable tiny home communities is through co-housing (http://www.cohousing.org/what_is_cohousing). I have met a few folks who have purchased homes through this means that otherwise could not afford to buy a house.

  • Mochelle
    April 29, 2016, 12:34 pm

    I visited this place. It’s recreational housing, NOT for full time residence. I was told $300,000 to $500,000 for pricing. This is not for the downsizing rich, they are vacation homes.

  • Nancy N
    April 29, 2016, 12:57 pm

    In the past I’ve tried to post only positive comments but this one pushed a button for me so here goes. No criticism to you Alex for posting I love seeing all that you post!
    OMG! Beautiful but…… so EXPENSIVE!!!!!
    The tiny/small house movement just seems to be turning into expensive secondary housing, no real “home” solutions here. Certainly not in my price range. Congratulations to whoever is lucky enough to afford them, they are beautiful and look to be well made.
    If I was a contractor I would be building a tiny/small house community of well built, attractive homes at affordable prices. Sure wish I could make this happen.

  • jake
    April 29, 2016, 10:35 pm

    Goodness gracious gorgeous designs.

  • AmyCat =^.^=
    May 5, 2016, 4:00 pm

    The ONLY reason this article should’ve been re-listed in your weekly e-mail would be if you had something NEW to report since you wrote this in 2014! WHY do you keep re-sending articles that are YEARS old as if they’re NEW ones???

    If you’d gone back and written a NEW article, with a link to the first one, saying “Here’s how this TH community’s doing, 2 years on…”, THAT would’ve been worthy of a second look… Though I’d be MORE interested in seeing how more affordable communities and co-housing set-ups are doing. I expect if you go back and look at this place again, you’ll find a bunch of 1%ers & Seattle yuppies using their “tiny” lake-front homes for weekends and vacations, and no one actually living there full-time unless they’re now retired from their high-paying Seattle jobs…

  • Babs
    May 7, 2016, 4:43 am

    Hey Everyone! I was very impressed with Wildwood and the small cottages, to the point where I contacted them w/questions I had about the community.
    But first, you should know the cottage prices are now lower as are the prices for land only.
    OK, that said, Wildwood Cottages is a resort. It is for recreational use only and has a maximum 180 night stay per cottage. You own it, but because of the historic use and recreational nature you can occupy no more than 180 nights any time of the year (open year round.) The HOA fee is $125/mo, which includes water, sewer, wi-fi, upkeep/maintenance of the grounds, facilities and common property, etc.
    That is when I put on the brakes. I don’t care how much it costs, low or high, I will not be limited in the time I can stay in a cottage I own! Too time-sharing feeling for me.
    Hate to be a bad news bearer, but it should be known. Still love those cottages though.

  • Otessa Regina Compton
    July 18, 2016, 4:48 pm

    THIS IS NOTHING LESS THAN SPECTACULAR. HEY THERE MANSIONS WATCH OUT, TINY COMMUNITIES ARE COMING UP IN THE WORLD, JUST MAKE ROOM!!!

  • David
    July 18, 2016, 5:21 pm

    For $389,000 with lakefront property, for Sedro-Woolley, WA, that is a good price. A “normal” sized house on that land would run $600,000 in that region… I know, because I used to live there 10 years ago.

    So, the concept of tiny homes helping make affordable what would otherwise be out of reach is still relevant for this community. I think some people get sticker shock with the $300k + price range but they don’t realize that regular size homes in that region are far more than that.

  • Susanne
    July 19, 2016, 11:06 am

    Wow 389,000. And
    I thought the 143,000 was high someone else mentioned.ugh.

  • Susanne
    July 19, 2016, 11:08 am

    Sorry my
    Mistake, 143,000 for another house., in this email.

  • Cindy Clark
    July 31, 2016, 12:34 am

    Not sure about other states, but in Massachusetts, at least, there is no property tax on mobile homes. That is why towns limit them. Mobile home residents send their children to school, use fire, police and other amenities which puts the burden on homes with a foundation. When mobile homes are taxable, they will be allowed, I’m sure. Many towns have senior mobile home parks.

    • Dick
      July 31, 2016, 3:52 pm

      Hi, Cindy. I lived in mobile homes in Missouri for eight years after college, and yes, I paid no property tax. But I *did* pay “personal property tax”, the tax charged on cars, farm equipment, farm animals, etc. So even though anyone who owned a MH paid no property tax, we did pay tax.

    • Kathie B
      December 31, 2019, 5:18 pm

      Hi Cindy! My Mom & Step-Dad live in a mobile home park in Massachusetts. Correct, they do not pay property taxes. However, the owner of the MHP does. This is passed onto the residents in the form of their monthly land lease fee which is close to $800.

  • Doug Walsh
    August 11, 2016, 10:00 am

    Please sign me up for the news letter

  • Bill Creamer
    October 24, 2017, 1:20 pm

    While this community looks fantastic, it could have been done with factory built mobile homes like the Paradise by Palm Harbor, which nicely appointed, with custom finishes, an 8 ft front porch, 9 ft ceilings and a multitude of windows, cost about 65,000 plus transportation and site costs. This and similar homes (600 to 840 sq ft) could have made or could make a beautiful community that retired folks on limited incomes could enjoy. Being built with HUD standards, instead of RV standards, would make them year round communities.

    The State of Washington needs affordable housing, and has made some moves to protect existing small mobile home communities, but something like this should be explored by the state. You would think all the liberal minded folks in Seattle would be all over this as a low cost housing solution, but no, it isn’t happening as much as I can tell from 3,000 miles away.

    There was an attempt to build a few demonstration of concept tiny homes in or near Seattle, but by the time the government was finished building the homes, due to code and zoning issues, they really weren’t tiny homes anymore, and the pricing reflected that.

    It’s really frustrating that just about the only way to affordably build a tiny home on private land in Washington is to find a property with a run down house on it and tear down the house and put your house there, assuming the local zoning and codes allow a dwelling of less than 1,000 sq ft, which some communities in Washington don’t allow as full time residences. That way at least you already have all your utilities on the property and just need to hook up those utilities to your new home – without paying a fortune in permits, fees and inspections, as you would if you had purchased raw land.

    Someday, and I hope it’s soon, some group of perspective homeowners is going to band together and hire a developer/ general contractor, to buy a piece of land and create a community of tiny homes, where you own the land outright and you can build your own custom tiny home there, with community water, sewer street lighting etc. that is paid for communally based on your individual metered use. The problem with this idea is that you are taking a risk (with a bunch of strangers) that the community actually gets built and there are enough people willing and able to put their homes there.

  • Laura
    July 13, 2020, 8:26 am

    Thanks so much for the information. It was very useful.

    This mortgage calculator, https://tryhomeflow.com/mortgage-calculator, is a little bit more complete and it lets you add other costs like maintenance fees, so that you can have a better understanding of what you’d end up paying monthly.

    All the best!

    Laura

  • Kelly
    March 17, 2021, 11:45 am

    I realize this article is a few years old… but the problem remains: a lack of affordable housing, coupled with greed, consumerism and the wastefulness of resources. I am a full time RV’er now, searching for the land and perfect sustainable tiny home and life. This has been my dream for more than 10 years… before it was cool! Lol! Yet zoning laws continue to block this most important progress. And I assure you… the driving force behind that is greed. So I believe it’s up to us( those who choose a simpler existence) to keep pushing the reasons why local building codes need to be re-worked. The planet needs us to do that!!!
    There’s my pair of pennies😊

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