The screen door slams and five kids pile out of the cottage, life jackets in place and smears of hastily applied sunscreen streaking down their cheeks and arms. As they spill onto the lawn the two oldest pick up the little guy under the elbows and, feet swinging in the air, carry him to the dock where the first adventure of the day – a paddle boat race around the driving platform – is about to begin.

As the boats are scraped toward the shore, mom watches from the deck. She waits for the opening numbers of the Toronto Stock Exchange to load onto her laptop. The screen door opens and her husband emerges with a tray of toasted bagels and lattes. Before the door swings shut again, the sound of the dishwasher running mingles with the squeals of laughter at the waterfront.

It’s two weeks of paradise for the family of five, with an added cousin and a best friend to round out the numbers. As the new breed of cottage renters, they’ve found what they are after – all the comforts of home, with trees, lake, boats and sunsets thrown in.

“It is not like it used to be,” says Laura Gustafsson of Vacation Time Realty Ltd. in Gravenhurst. “Renters, want it all, a washer, dryer, DVD player, a satellite dish, Internet access and four or five bedrooms. They want something right on the water and usually need some shallow water.”

Kevin Knox the owner of Water’s Edge Vacation Rentals Inc. in Huntsville agrees, saying that renters do not want to feel like they are staying in someone’s home but they want all the luxuries money can afford.

“They usually want a grassy slope to the water’s edge,” he says. “Some will want trees but satellite television is a must. They want their kids to see their shows and Internet access is important.”

According to Knox, there is still the traditional desire for pine décor and hardwood floors and a large wooden deck where people can sit with a view of the lake is mandatory. They want to feel of a cottage but no longer want a quaint place away for it all.

And, if you have cottage with all that you can charge top dollar.

The difference between cottages and resorts is not price or services offered.

“The real difference is the privacy it offers,” says Laurie Lima another company official at Water’s Edge Vacation Rentals Inc.

Families, who might have opted for a luxury resort on the big lakes, are looking for a more private, intimate family experience a summer cottage can provide. They want a secure property where the children can roam free. They want to choose the timing and order of their activities – not necessarily crafts at 11 and swimming at two. They want to take out the canoe when the mood strikes and not wait in line to book it ahead.

With lives in the city so tightly programmed they are looking for the comfort of home without the schedule. They want the option of bring a cousin or friend along with only the added cost of more hot dogs and another jug of juice.

Lodge or resort amenities such as cleaning services and catering are available to cottagers from commercial sources, adds Gustafsson. But, this is not a priority for most cottage renters. They are looking for a family vacation.

“We rent mainly to families,” says Gustaffsson.

A family renting a cottage has at least three options. They can do it privately, from a commercial establishment or through a cottage rental agency. This last option matches vacation expectations with a private cottage. It also offers assurance to the cottage owner that any property damage will receive compensation.

“People who rent privately pay their money up front and have no recourse when they find the shallow, hard-packed, sandy beach promised is a reedy marsh,” says Knox. He explains that he or someone in his office inspects every property, the company rents.

The placement of cottages with an agency is a year round endeavor. Gustafsson says placements begin in earnest after Christmas when owners have decided their use of their cottage.

A three-bedroom cottage rents on average for $1,500 a week during July and August, says Knox. Prices charged for cottages will reflect real estate values. Lima says Water’s Edge has cottages from $770 to $7,000 per week.

Private cottages on the big lakes: Muskoka, Rosseau, Joseph and Lake of Bays can rent for $1,200 to $8,000 a week says Gustafsson. Renting on some of the smaller lakes can cost from $1,000 to $3,000 per week.

Knox says a cottage owner could rent a property for 10 weeks per year on average and earnings would go to off setting taxes and financing a second mortgage to buy the cottage.

The number of cottage rental agencies in Muskoka is growing, says Knox. A few years ago there were probably three or four, today he has lost count of the numbers. “Muskoka will always be a popular market for rentals,” he says.

With email checked and a couple of quick calls to the office or a client completed, mom and dad are ready to join the kids on the beach. A sideways glance and the stroll turns into a new race, as they squeal, clutching books, reading glasses and ice tea. They hurtle headlong down the hill trying to be the first to reach that lounge chair in the shade. Their kids are around them and the rest of their friends and family are just an email away.