We often get questions from prospective customers about how people use the space and what the total costs look like. Here are some typical scenarios.
Family Reunion: Joey and Mark (two brothers) bring their families and their parents for an annual week together each summer.
This past year, Joey and his wife Karen stayed in the master-bedroom in Cookhouse and their kids (they're still small) slept in the guest-room. This kept the kids close to all the amenities and made for easier bedtimes.
Mark and Anjali stayed in Writers, thankful for some alone time. Their 4 kids stayed in Boathouse, just far enough away to feel like its their own space, but close enough to keep an eye on. Joey's oldest spent a trial night in Boathouse and thinks next year he'll be ready for it full time, but not this year.
The grandparents stayed in Thistledown, happy to have the independence of their own kitchen and bathroom, but easy access to all the goings on. Margaret (the matriarch) likes to sit on the porch of Thistledown and just watch.
Each family took turns cooking out of the kitchen at Cookhouse. Most dinners were eaten outside.
"The best part," says Mark, "is there are 13 people living together for the week, and yet there is no friction. Anjali needs her space, and The Cedars provides it. Total: 13 people. # of fights: 0!" Total
Cost: $2,350
Arts Retreat: BeetleBarrow Studios rents The Cedars for their arts retreats.
BeetleBarrow pays The Cedars a flat rate for the weekend for use of the space. Participants pay BeetleBarrow for their chosen accommodations, as each accommodation is a different price.
The space used by BeetleBarrow's retreats can accommodate up to 13 people. They accept up to 10 participants during their retreats and use the remaining spaces for storage and themselves.
"Having onsite catering and activities that participants can do during break time, like swimming, kayaking, and Bola ball make the chaos of running an arts retreat possible" says Lindsay, one of the instructors from BeetleBarrow.
Total Cost: $2,390 (Space Rental: $1,230, Mid-level catering for 12 people for 6 meals and 2 snacks: $1160)
Team Building: A mid-sized not-for-profit from Belleville has just hired a new CEO, Na, and wants to do some innovative team building with the 31 managers and front line staff.
Before arrival, they assign staff into mixed teams of four and give them a kit full of odd items provided by The Cedars staff, directions to The Cedars, and the expected time of arrival. Teams arrive and are awarded additional items based on arrival time.
Over the course of the day, facilitated by The Cedars staff, teams both compete and collaborate with each other to complete a variety of tasks. The CEO is able to see how her staff work on teams, staff get to know each other better, and everyone gets to experience a fun filled day at the cottage.
"Thank you for providing such a well-organized, effective, and energizing experience for our team. You made it easy to see how staff interacted with each other during both the challenging activities, as well as the relaxed down-time. ...we will definitely be back." wrote Na, after her team building day.
Total Cost: $3,535 (Team Building Facilitation and Activities: $2400, Space Rental: $585, Basic-level catering for 32 people for 1 lunch and two snacks: $550).
Strategic Planning: A local 8 member Board of Directors wants to break out of the usual rut to help them build their next vision.
They've already hired a facilitator to help them with their planning, they just want an inspiring location and someone to take care of them throughout the day.
"It was a pleasure to spend the day at The Cedars. Lunch was fabulous, and we were wowed by your ability to accommodate the different dietary restrictions of our board members." wrote the board chair.
Total Cost: $695 (Space Rental: $460, Top-level catering for 9 people for 1 lunch and two snacks: $235)