UKC

I am in two clubs and the Committees seem to spend an inordinate time worrying about the huts. Legislation, liability, finance, maintenance etc; and it seems to me that though very nice they are to, it`s only 5 to 10% of either club that is actually prepared to put an active effort into maintaining the huts with the rest just bitching about rises in hut fees and ovens not working and the lack of enough wine glasses. Would one solution be a return to the past, strip most of them back to the basics, bunks but no mattresses, a pot belly, no cookers, no showers, no electricity and an eco earth privy, like a deluxe bothy, cheap and ultra low maintenance.
Cheers sjc

In reply to sjc:

That certainly sounds familiar!

In reply to sjc: Stripping them back seems like a huge amount of work for the 5-10% to undertake for little benefit. In my experience the ones who help maintain the huts are also the ones that make the most use of them.

In reply to rj_townsend: Not in my experience.

In reply to sjc:

The thing sort of regulates itself. If the 5-10% get tired of it or the work is too much for them then the hut falls into disrepair and either others will decide to help out as a result, or everything stops working and the place becomes more basic anyway!

In reply to sjc:

I think some of the issues are due to legislation eg on fire escapes.
However, I agree that more huts in UK and the Alps are veering more towards mountain hotels. (I know some Alpine huts have had chandeliers and things in for ages.) It is the same with the YHA but it seems that customers want ensuites etc and are prepared to pay accordingly.

In reply to sjc:

Some of what you say is familiar, some not. Our club hut has transformed from a deluxe bothy into a fairly posh affair, though we don't have a shower. Some things (water filter, fire escape lighting etc) were a legal necessity. One thing that has resulted from the upgrades is that hut usage by other clubs has significantly increased. As far as club politics go, yes there is generally always a core who get involved with maintenance but it gets used by many members.

Part of me misses the old beaten earth floor and double burner cooker style huts, a bigger part of me likes the very basic comforts of a fire that works, a kitchen that can accommodate more than two pans at a time and somewhere to dry wet clothes.

In reply to sjc:

When we all lived in back to backs with an outside privy, huts too were quite basic. But as our living conditions improved with CH, power showers, etc, so we begin to demand a better standard in our huts. There is a SMC hut with no electricity and so everything is lit with gas mantels which are nearly aways broken, so emitting a dismal light, the gas fire pumps out loads of H2O during cold winter nights (water condensation dripping from walls and ceiling), and no running water means hand operating a pump every time the loo is used. The novelty soon wears off!