If you have a cottage and enjoy decorating the yard, think carefully before investing in buying the new housing skin. It takes up a considerable amount of yard space and is difficult to place any items with a large footprint (like the Garden Gravel) at the front of the house.
Still, it looks very nice overall. I just wish the hotspring portion was a little deeper.
I haven't tried out the medium/House skin on my personal yet to see how it compares. I'll have to see if my FC is planning on switching to the new skin for their large.
If anyone else has switched to the new skin, feel free to add your comments.
Edit: got the medium up on my personal house - it works much better with plenty of room in front of the house to decorate easily. Still been looking for any larges that might have appeared in the wards.