Welcome to the lake and welcome to the Forum.
I remember a conversation many years ago with a client from NY. I said "camp" and they noted that nobody around here has a "lake house", it's always a "camp". I then noted that it wasn't really mine, it was a "family place". They said that was something else they noticed. "Nobody ever owns anything here--it's always a "family place".
So I guess it's a matter of your own jargon. If you say "lake house" to me, I'm pretty sure you're not from NH. If you say "camp", I'm pretty sure you're at least second generation, or you have kids who will be, and you've been in NH a couple of decades.
If you say "cottage" I'm pretty sure it's on the mainland and has more than four bedrooms, or at least a guest house. (A guest house is different from a "bunk house" of which most island camps have at least one. Lower taxes and more privacy from/for the kids.)
As I think about it, we mostly talk within the family about going to "the lake"; sometimes, to others, we say we have a camp on a lake If we want to brag, we just say "We have a place on Lake Winnipesaukee. "Place" is perfectly vague.
Summary, I think "Lake house" says you're not from NH, but it is yours and you can call it anything you like.
PS
If you say "T'warn't easy to buy" I'm pretty sure you're from Farmington. Nobody says "t'warn't" anymore. A definite linguistic lacking.
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