Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved: A Woman Moves a House to Make a Home

by Kate Whouley

This is the memoir of single woman who moved a one-room cottage 25 miles and attached it to her three-room house to make more room for her life and her work. Along the way she received help and support from a group of eccentric friends, an army of tool-wielding men and her bossy grey cat.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Architecture, Humor, Biography

301 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2004

About the author

Kate Whouley (hoo'-lee, rhymes with truly) lives and writes on Cape Cod, in the home that inspired her to write Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved. A Book Sense Book of-the-Year nominee in the nonfiction category, Cottage for Sale received kudos from booksellers and reviewers, and is a popular selection for reading groups.

Kate’s second memoir, Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words, is written with the same “good humor and thoughtful humanity” that author Anna Quindlen admired in Cottage for Sale. According to Kate: “The heart of this book is my complicated relationship with my mother—a relationship healed in a most unlikely way.” Independent booksellers have already voted with rave reviews, placing Remembering the Music on the Indie Next Great Read List in the month of its publication: September, 2011.

“I’m fascinated by human nature—by our limitless spirit and our inescapable mortality, our hopefulness and humor in the face of difficulty, even horror; by the myriad of ways that we feel, think, and interact; by how we live, love, and generally operate in the world.”

Kate may be equally entranced with cats. “My ever-curious and curmudgeonly cat, Egypt, was a key character in my first book; my sweetest-ever kitty, Bix, appears in book number two.” Will Mojo make it into a book one day? “If he sticks around long enough, there’s a good chance he’ll see print.” She adds: “He has a growing following on my Facebook page.”

An avocational musician, Kate has played principal flute in the Cape Cod Conservatory Concert Band since 1995. “When I began working on the new memoir, I thought I was writing a book about the band and my personal musical journey. But as I began to write, I couldn’t help but notice that my mother was turning up on every page.”

When she isn’t writing or playing music, Kate can be found working within the book business as an independent consultant for her company, Books in Common. Kate also volunteers with Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod and the Islands as a facilitator for the Arts & Alzheimer’s initiative.

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not exactly what I was expecting but it still had its merit.

As you've probably read in the blurb. A woman who lives in a Cape Cod house on, where else? Cape Cod sees an advertisement for a colony of vacation cottage homes for sale. For a mere three thousand dollars she could own one of them. She visits the colony, falls in love with one particular cottage, and buys it.

The next several hundred pages contain her adventure in the world of conquering burocrats, getting permission to travel with a cottage, getting it to her property, but promising not to disturb the wetlands, which her property borders, arguing that she will not have more than three bedrooms because the cottage is going to serve as her office and what difference does it make anyway?

She also has trying adventures with the various contracters to move, build, paint, pour cement and what not.

In the end it all comes together, a rougher ride than she expected but who can predict these things?

Whouley's writing style is engaging and she makes what must have been a tedious process sound interesting.

My only complaints are that she could have developed the characters more. I realize this was non-fiction and one can only know so much about men who work on your house, but she never really lets us know her friends and family, either. One particular person, Barbara, whose family owned the property, had a lot of potential and I would very much have liked to have gotten to know her better but we only get a glimpse of her in the beginning and at the end when she is bedridden. It seems an entire story took place while we were attaching the cottage, but we never get to learn of it.

The other complaint I have is that the author writes everything in present tense. I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate reading a story in present tense. If you are not writing in second person you have no business writing in the present tense. It drains any color or rhythm her writing might otherwise have had. All the sentences limp along: subject verb. subject verb. subject verb. It's like listening to someone with one of those ugly monotone voices. A voice with no lilt, no lift, no melodic line. As a musician, I cannot tolerate voices of people who refuse to listen to themselves. As a reader, I feel the same way about tone deaf sentences.

On a positive note, I found her yearning for male relationships entertaining, but only because, being single after an ugly divorce, I was that person. With so many males crawling all over your house, surely one of them is The One. I won't tell you in case you like to be surprised.

I could comment on the unrealistic expectations of a forty-something woman who has never married and perhaps that is why she has never married, but you may want to draw your own conclusions.

Is the book worth reading? It's not War and Peace, but it was a fun, if small, rollick.

[Virginia · Rating 1 out of 5]

A friend gave me this book...it was one of two friends...and I blamed the one, but I think it was the other! Never have I tried to mull through such a boring book. I quit on page 159. The emotional tone doesn't change. The story is not at all interesting. Perhaps because I have overseen several construction projects, including building a separate house on my property, I just don't see what the big deal is about her having moved a trailor...and every excruciating detail, including what her cat was doing. (Pardon me, cat lovers...)

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not get past the beginning pages. I was hoping for a book full of insights into the human condition, but the parts I read were just details of the building/construction process, and I was bogged down.

This book might be better than I found it to be, given other reviews I've read. But I could not get into it.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 bk 14: Reading the Penney Pincher is a weekly habit for the author. After all, hadn't she already found household goods for far less than retail price? While thinking about eventually adding to her small cottage, she happens across an ad in the paper - "Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved". This is the story of how she fell in love with a cottage, learned to deal with city hall, environmental issues, moving companies, and contractors. With Egypt, her cat, helping to supervise, Kate expanded her cottage and allows the reader the opportunity to share her experience. A good, solid read that has proven to be a comfort.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because it took place down the Cape so you could do a lot of visualizing.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When Kate Whouley saw the classified ad for an abandoned vacation cottage, she began to dream. Transport the cottage through four Cape Cod towns. Attach it to my three-room house. Create more space for my work and life. Smart, single, and self-employed, Kate was used to fending for herself. But she wasn’t prepared for half the surprises, complications, and self-discoveries of her house-moving adventure.

Supported by friends and family, and egged on by Egypt, her bossy gray cat, Kate encountered a parade of town officials, a small convoy of State Police, and an eccentric band of house-movers, carpenters, and tradesmen. She found herself dancing on the edge of the gender divide–infatuated with trucks, cranes, tools, construction terms, and a dreamy mason who teaches her the history of concrete.

Sketched with a deft hand and told with an open heart, Cottage for Sale is a deeply personal story that captivates, inspires, and delights. In one remarkable year, Kate moved a cottage and created a home. Once you cross the threshold, you’ll never want to leave."
~~back cover

I loved this book! It was a fascinating combination of the actual nuts and bolts of moving a house and Kate's growth into a competent, more confident woman as she dealt with "the surprises, complications, and self-discoveries of her house-moving adventure." It was fascinating!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something about the genre of books about people building their own homes or cottages or cabins that I simply adore. This one was solid -- the author is an engaging writer and I got a nice sense of the people involved in her project and the work being done. Even her cat's personality came through (and I hate cats).

The other aspect that I appreciated was her go-for-it attitude throughout the process. As a more cautious, belts & suspenders person myself, I'm energized by someone else's risk taking, especially when it doesn't seem out-of-reach. Overall, a very enjoyable and inspiring read for the new year.

===
Just read the 20 year version w updates. New animals, a few new folks and some key folks gone or no longer working. Sounds like the cottage keeps evolving and those who do the work are just as charmed by the space as the author.

I don’t love my home the way she does and part of that is not having the creative freedom to experiment and explore. Kat is cautious and wants things done professionally which makes the place feel a little stiff and formal. But maybe I can convince her over time that a miss isn’t a mistake but rather just information about how our place might evolve. And sometimes a win and out of the ballpark and awesome.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall a little underwhelming. I was drawn to this book because I like memoir and I enjoy reading about places I have lived. This one at its core is a story of home renovation. Really, it's not that exciting. My edition included an interview with the author at the end of the book in which she states her motivation for writing the book was to extend/capture the joy of the renovation. I can totally understand her enthusiasm for expanding her home, but really who wants to hear a lot about someone else's building project? Laying down floor boards for a new hallway isn't the most exciting topic. Once the cottage was moved and there was still half a book left, I wondered in exasperation, "Is she really just going to detail her renovation?" Unfortunately, she does. There are occasional bits of her personal life that kept me engaged and thinking perhaps there is more to this, but really there is not. Although the personal details kept me trying to connect to the writer, they really don't go anywhere.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to get into this one with all of the construction-related detail, but in the end that didn't really matter. There's enough observation of Cape Cod life, along with glimpses into the author's own background, to see what an interesting person she can be. Now that I know Whouley's writing is so solid, I'm really looking forward to reading (listening to actually) her recent book on being a caregiver for her mother's Alzheimer's: Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words: Travels with Mom in the Land of Dementia.

[Jan Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

an okay read--not spectacular

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy watching grass grow, then this book might be for you 😉

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing is ever as simple as you hope it's going to be.

Buying an old vacation cottage and moving it through four small Cape Cod townships to use as an addition to your existing small house is obviously not as simple as, say, a trip to the grocery store. But what surprised me (and the author) was the sheer complexity of getting permission to relocate the building to her property. How many agencies and departments could a small town government have? More than you think and they all have a finger in the pie.

I remember staying in primative vacation cabins on the Gulf Coast, back when families didn't expect much in the way of "amenities." Now few people would consider staying in a tiny cabin with a sketchy kitchen, an even sketchier bathroom, one small bedroom and no TV. Where's the pool? The snack machines? The game room? How are we expected to entertain the kids when the beach and ocean is the only attraction?

So the cabins were sold cheaply to make way for more profitable use and the buyers were required to move them QUICKLY. As this author learned, the move required permission from multiple government employees and committees, none of whom do anything quickly. And Cape Cod is a fragile ecosystem where the wetlands and other natural assets are (finally) being protected. That's as it should be, but it adds layers of complications for the land-owner.

This book was published in 2004, but the cabin was moved and its "marriage" to the exisiting house completed several years earlier. When I read that the author's specialty was planning new bookstores or remodels of existing ones, I wondered how she survived the collapse of the book store industry. She's now a writer and a university professor. Some of us still read, if in different formats.

Like most women, I'm interested in houses. I skipped over some details of the construction process, although the author's fascination with it adds to the book's appeal. There's a great deal about her life (past and present) and she tells her story well. For a memoir to be satisfying, I have to like the author and she's a likable woman.

Still single in her early forties at the time of the story, she represents the relatively new phenomenon - the non-wealthy, but independent woman. Why do so many of us remain unmarried now? Probably because we can! Jane Austen famously said that (for a woman) "marriage is the pleasantest preservative from want." Jane and her sister remained single, but always dependent on male relatives. Now, women can support themselves, but that wasn't always the case.

But married couples enjoy greater financial security, so (again) why stay single? I think this author puts her finger on it when she talks about reluctance to give up the freedom of being in charge of her own life and decisions. Historically, freedom has been a rare commodity for females.

At the time this book was written, "childless cat ladies" had not yet become a threat to democracy, so her musings on marriage are philosophical, rather than appologetic. Her stories about her strong-minded Cat-in Charge are simply an expression of affection for the creature who added so much pleasure to her life, as most pets do.

I was fascinated by her story of carefully, tactfully finding her way through the complexities and personalities at her local town hall. She's a small town girl herself and her grandmother was a long-time local government employee. Wonder if she would have been successful if she'd come from a big city and wasn't used to small town peculiarities and customs?

Then there's gender politics, which is ever-present in our lives. The men she works with understand that she's the owner and will be writing the checks, but she's NOT "one of the boys" and must be careful to navigate dangerous waters. Any woman who invades a traditionally male field must do the same. Many of the men she hired are local firemen/EMT's with side gigs. No mention of female colleagues in their day jobs.

It's a good story and I'm glad I read it. Several years after this book appeared, the author wrote a book about her mother's dementia. I'm looking forward to reading that one, too. She has a lot to say about the advantages and disadvantages of modern life and I like her simple, straight-forward writing style.

[Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love anything Cape Cod AND anything construction. This was a perfect blend for me. Kate lived in a
small cottage in a part of the Cape familiar to me. Her cottage/home was all of 367 square feet which for many of us would make a great family room! She shared it with her cat Egypt. IN the back of her mind was a plan to add on .... when a friend mentioned that he'd seen 4 cottages for sale a few towns over for only $3000 each. BUT they must be moved. The wheels started whirling and Kate did buy one of the cottages. She then faced the various issues of permits, moving the structure, attaching it to her own cottage and finishing the work so it looked like it belonged. Her writing is so delightful that in the end, I felt as though I was not only her friend but also knew the workmen and could admire their various skills as they made her expansion just about perfect. It is truly a delightful book.

[Pauline Mountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within all the microagressions that come with being a woman insisting on participating in the building trades, it's refreshing to read a memoir of someone who managed it, the good and the bad. The bureaucracy I've met in rebuilding an old house. The utter disbelief that a woman knows her own mind without relying on male relative is much the same everywhere, only a matter of degree. It does indeed make one treasure the many who accord women the same respect as a man as long as she pulls her own weight with the project. It gives me a little more hope that I will eventually come to the end of this project myself.

[Julie Akeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one crazy, expensive venture into adding on to a home. Very good reading.. but wonder why she didn't shout back at males calling her an 'enterprising little lady' uhhh dude she's in her 40's, who sounds like me in that she does look young for her age at the time she was moving the cottage to her home. Gender issues come into play here but don't overburden the story. She's a single woman who is self employed and decided to get a cottage and add on to her home cause she badly needed an office space. It's a crazy time but it all settles down in the end.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this memoir of sorts was good. I've fallen in love with the Cape since the start of the pandemic, it's become a safe space of sorts, and reading a book so squarely set on the Cape was lovely. It was definitely much more detailed about the actual home-building/reno than I anticipated, real nuts-and-bolts, but it still held my attention and she has an easy style of writing that I found enjoyable. I loved the cast of characters, esp Egypt, but even with the key at the start of the book, I found it hard to keep them all straight as the book progressed. All in all, a nice, pleasant read.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, sort of a written version of This Old House. It was fun getting to know the characters, the craftsmen who applied their extensive knowledge to this difficult project, and Kate’s supportive friends and neighbors. Kate is blessed with an ability to visualize clearly what she wants and was fortunate to have an equally talented group of workers who lived up to expectations. And of course Egypt put in his two cents worth. I’m certain that Kate and Egypt’s creation is a work of art and a wonderful place to live.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a while for this book to take hold for me, due in large part to the subject matter. The project of moving a cottage and attaching it to a house, navigating contractors and paint colors, didn't feel significant enough. But the author's writing style, her observations about things bigger than her own life and house project, and the appreciation for all the people in her life made me want to see this project through to the end.

[Nfmarshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read about my neighborhood on the Cape and a wee small 750 sq ft cottage that, with others just like it, went up for sale to make room for a development.

The writing was resonant, full of the oddities of local government in New England, along with a great array of characters who help the author shepherd her dream to reality, merging the small cottage with her small home.

Very satisfying, delightful read.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2.5 stars. This book was somewhat of a disappointment. Not sure what I expected, but I'm sure it wasn't a plethora of building terms. The author seemed so excited everytime she learned a new one, but for me they were mostly boring. I also kept wondering about all that money she spent. I'm sure houses are expensive on Cape Cod, but I kept thinking there has to be a better way. I just hope she has good insurance, and that no hurricanes, etc. take aim at her dream.

[Rhoda Saatela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I'm always intrigued, and impressed, when a single, self-employed woman takes on a project of this magnitude. The author clearly has a small, devoted circle of talented, generous friends who help her achieve her goal. Many of her descriptive phrases are thoughtful, and well written. It may not be the Novel of the Century, but if you're looking for something "different" and like memoir, I suggest you give this book a read.

[Becky Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how it would be possible to read this and not love Kate, her cat, her friends, the guys who worked on the house, Cape Cod, and, well, maybe the whole world. It was a glorious escape from all that is ugly and contentious. Kate, you're welcome to stop by for a cup of tea any time you're in the neighborhood.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet book that I liked a lot for the first two thirds, but which got a bit boring after that. Interesting to read about the construction, but the author’s reflections and observations of the people (and cat) around her is what makes the book more than just a project journal.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

She wonders if those wives of men who drive in the nails, who build their decks.... appreciate what they have. As a former wife --- I so did.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title pretty much says it all

[Linda Cartlidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

So enjoyable... a wonderful read. Hoping Kristin Kimball writes another book and soon!

[Pip Low · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story - although a bit too detailed in some areas, I really connected with the main character and her dream.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Whouley's Cottage for Sale takes my vote as one of the best books I've read on residential architecture and the relationship between home and heart. It was a serendipitous find, browsing the Ashland Public Library's shelves on residential architecture. Wholey's marriage metaphor aptly describes the complicated, deliberate, craftsman union of Whouley's small Cape Code home to an old-new cottage moved to the site - combining what I see as the best of measured, considered thought, and a beautiful, extravagant, certain passion.

Whouley's cat looks on as Whouley chronicles her thorough and painstaking negotiation of details involved in land use permits, the talents of craftsmen and the progression of the project. I love her careful extravagance to create a perfect space, a space of dreams and vision. I think she must be a remarkable woman, caring so much about the work at hand, and communicating so well its personal importance to those in her life. Every detail is so carefully thought out, and I find it marvelous that the builders Whouley works with are so able, and so capable of both trusting her vision, and sharing their own perspective. It's a flexibility of construction that I didn't think existed in real life.

The other aspects of this work that I loved were the use of space and perception of light. The need to expand into new space was constrained for so long, that when it finally occured, Whouley's discomfort was almost comical. A conversation later, and resulting furniture rearrangement resolved the difficulty. Her bedroom too, a bed centrally placed to see the sky and the trees gave peace and freedom. How the two buildings were made into one showed how clearly Whouley understood the relationship of the structures to each other and to herself. Light was central to the work too, from neighbor Barbara Dowe's dark bedroom to Whouley's understanding that skylights, windows and doors, the flow from old to new, from inside to outside, to being in a place of light and with a view - I can wholeheartedly consent to placing these as a priority of place and in life. This place, this home is wholley and entirely Kate's.

I hope never to have to build, or to renovate but if I do, Whouley's work leaves me optimistic that it is possible with the right skills, the right outlook, and the right people on your side.

Thank you Kate Whouley for writing Cottage for Sale, Must be Moved. There's so much more to think of in your work, thoughts that I consider private and personal, and so I am grateful for your expression of them. I wish to see more of your independent bookstore design work, more photos of your home. I so look forward to reading Remembering the Music and learning from your perspective and your narrative.

--Ashland Mystery

[Karen Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though interesting, it would only appeal to those who have gone through the hoops of building... sometimes bogged down in the details of the mundane workings of the politics/paperwork, but interesting enough.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished it and overall likes it, but feel like the same story could've been written in half the pages. Not sure I needed to know about every baseboard window as the cottage went it. By the last 50 pages I was just ready to be done. Cute story that made me kinda glad my tiny house never made it further than it did.