Category: Cottages and Vacation Properties

Comparing 5 Types of Wells

If you own a cottage or a house that is not connected to a municipal water system, your water likely comes from a well or cistern. This blog post summarizes five types of wells to help you keep your water system in good condition. For more information, read the related article “Water Supply & Wells”.

What are drilled wells?

Your best well option is a drilled well, dug by percussion or rotary drilling machines to a depth of possibly thousands of feet deep. These wells are superior to other types because they have a lower risk of contamination by drawing water further away from the surface and are cased throughout.

What are dug wells?

Also known as bored wells, these wells are dug by shovel or backhoe and partly cased with stones, brick, tile, etc., to prevent collapse. They have a large diameter and are approximately 10 to 30 feet deep.

What are driven point wells?

Also known as a sand point well, this small diameter well is built by attaching lengths of 1-1/4” or 2” diameter steel pipe together with threaded couplings. At the end of the last pipe, a drive-point well screen is threaded on, and it is usually 2 to 3 feet long with a hardened steel tip or drive-point at the bottom. The screen allows groundwater to flow into the well but keeps sand out.

What are shore wells?

If you own a cottage near a river or lake, your water source may be a shore well. These kinds of wells can be installed by digging with a backhoe or larger equipment, or by blasting with explosives.

These kinds of wells require a water quality test and a certification of the flow rate. Water levels, especially on the Great Lakes, can vary considerably with the seasons, so it’s best to have a deep shore well. If you dig a new one, do it in the late fall when water levels are lower.

There is a possibility that your well could be contaminated lake or river water. If this is the case, use sterilizing equipment like a chlorinator or ultraviolet light to remove bacteria.

What are cisterns?

If your cottage or rural home does not have access to a well, you may need to use a cistern. A cistern is a large holding tank that can be filled periodically by a water supply company or rainfall. Before using the water held in a cistern, it should go through a water purification system installed in your home.

Cisterns can be made from concrete, concrete block, brick, or steel fibreglass. They are commonly buried underground and can last about 20 years (longer for prefabricated cisterns). A cistern should be cleaned annually by a commercial cleaner checked for cracks or erosion.

Buying a Cottage on Leased Land

Ontario Cottage, South Bruce Peninsula Real Estate

Across Ontario, the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of cottages are owned with the land included. However, there are some cottages where you can’t buy the land. What does that mean for you as a cottage owner?

What is leased land?

There are about 3,200 cottages in the province under land-lease deals, located in places like Lake Simcoe, the Sudbury area, and here in Bruce County. All of these cottages are built on land owned by First Nations and leased to cottage owners. The cottage residence can be bought but the land cannot.

What are the fees for leased land?

The purchase price of land-leased cottages can be quite low compared to fully-owned cottages, but there are other costs involved. The cottage owner pays a yearly lease fee (perhaps $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the proximity to a lake) and there may be a service fee ($600, for example) for garbage pickup, road maintenance and other essential services.

The leasing agreements come up for renewal at a fixed number of years.

Are there leased land cottages in Grey and Bruce counties?

One of Canada’s largest recreational lease arrangements is located here in Bruce County between the towns of Sauble Beach and Southampton on Lake Huron. The Saugeen First Nation leases land to about 1,200 cottagers in four different blocks of land.

The membership leases with the Saugeen First Nation came up for renewal again in May 2021.

How long do the leases last?

Leases are determined by individual First Nations. They can run anywhere from five to 25 years.

What is the annual cost?

The purchase price of land-leased cottages can be quite low compared to fully-owned cottages, but there are annual costs that include the lease fees and the service fees.

The annual lease fees can vary between First Nations, and even between waterfront and other locations within a First Nation. For example, a waterfront property might lease for about $9,000, while cottages further inland might lease for around $6,000.

An annual service fee pays for work provided by the fire and police departments, the works department (road maintenance, recycling, garbage collection, landfill site monitoring and maintenance, streetlights), and the land & leasing office. This fee could be $1,000 per year.

Can the annual fees increase drastically at the end of the lease period?

It’s possible. The rates are determined and set every five years by an appraiser using a direct market comparison. If land prices are going up everywhere in the area near the leased land, then the annual fees would increase in a similar manner.

Can you rent a cottage that is leased?

No. You are not allowed to use your cottage for business purposes like renting your cottage to the general public.

Are there other restrictions for using a leased land cottage?

There will likely be a few restrictions. Here are some examples:

Unlimited use of the cottage from May to October
From November to April, you can occupy your cottage for a total of 10 days in each month
You might be able to extend the unlimited use of the cottage by two months by contacting the Land Management Office and paying an additional lease fee

What are the typical closing costs for the buyer?

When you buy a lease land cottage, these are the types of closing costs you’ll encounter (listed here with approximate prices).

Home inspection (optional): $400
Septic Inspection (often at sellers expense): $350
Lawyer: $600 to $800
Insurance on cottage: $600 to $1000
Administrative transfer (no land transfer fee): $500
Survey of the property (optional): $80

Where to find more information

If you would like more information about cottage properties owned by the Saugeen First Nations 28 and 29 (near Southampton and Sauble Beach) and see a copy of a lease, use the contact information below for the Land Management office or the local cottager’s associations.

Kirk Roote

Lands Manager

Saugeen Land Management and Leasing

P.O. Box 640

Southampton, Ontario, N0H 2L0

Phone: 519 797-3039 (weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm)

Email: kirk.roote@saugeen.org

Website: https://saugeenfirstnation.ca/

There are four cottager’s associations in this area: Chiefs Point, South Sauble, French Bay, and Block “B. They are all represented by a board of directors of the Saugeen Cottagers’ Organization Inc (SCOI) – www.scoi.ca. This is the umbrella organization that is the primary contact between cottagers and the Saugeen First Nation.

Understanding Shoreline Road Allowances

Lakefront cottage, South Bruce Peninsula Real Estate

Are you thinking about buying a property with a shoreline road allowance? Here’s a brief survey of the topic to help you make your decision.

What is a shoreline road allowance?

A shoreline road allowance is a 66-foot strip of land between a cottage and the banks of a lake or river. When surveyors of Crown land first created these road allowances in Ontario in the late 19th century, they were originally designated for commercial activities like transportation of goods and logging.

The commercial purposes are gone now, but often the municipality still owns the road allowances. Currently, the Municipal Act says you have exclusive use of the road allowance on your shores. However, if you don’t own it, you can’t control any rules that may change in the future, and members of the public may consider it public property that they can use.

Today, most municipalities require land developers to purchase road allowances as a condition of approval of severance or subdivision. If you are buying a waterfront cottage, ask your realtor to confirm which properties include the shoreline road allowance.

What if there are structures built on the road allowance?

Your boathouse, dock, or even your cottage itself may be built on a shore road allowance. If you do not buy the roadway or sign a licence agreement to pay an annual rental, those structures are effectively illegal. If you are planning to buy a waterfront cottage, obtain a land survey to ensure all the structures are on owned land.

How can I buy the shoreline road allowance?

Contact your local municipality to find out if the shoreline road allowance is for sale. If it’s not, it will be called an area of retention.

If the road allowance can be purchased, the process is governed by a road closing bylaw. Your application to purchase will be circulated to neighbouring property owners and advertised locally. Once approval is given, there are municipal fees, legal fees to transfer title, and a land survey.

4 Easy Ways to Add Character to Your Cottage

Whether you want to make your cottage feel more like home or renting out a vacation property, there are a few easy ways to add some unique charm. Being creative with your own personal touches, adding some cozy comforts, and using fun accents will help create a home-away-from-home that you’ll be tempted to live in year-round!

What theme do you like?

There are probably some specific activities your family enjoys doing while at the cottage. Use these as inspiration for a decorating theme. If fishing is a favourite pastime, you can feature used fishing rods and nets, hang pictures of fish, or display lovely coffee table books about angling. If boating is your passion, you can decorate with old paddles or put up beautiful photos of the lake.

What inspires you in nature?

Because a cottage is a place to escape modern life for the great outdoors, use natural elements to remind you why you’re there! Showcase the connection to the trees and woods with rustic wood feature walls, natural ceiling beams, and a pile of firewood for the fireplace. Enjoy the natural beauty of rocks with stone fireplaces and accents.

Can you showcase something local?

Your cottage is located in a very specific place, and you can use your location for inspiration to make your home even more unique. Create a callout in an outdoor sign or indoor piece of wall art, display handiwork by local craftspeople, hang maps of the local geography or lake, or feature something unique to the area. Show your local pride by paying homage to the people and places that make the area special to you.

Can you make everyone feel at home?

A few small touches can make a big difference in making people feel comfortable and at home at the cottage. At one cottage where pets were an important part of the family, the homeowners built a replica dog house to match the cottage! Another cottage owner transformed a small gazebo into a zen yoga retreat to create a quiet space for relaxation. What’s important to your family or friends? Use their interests to create something that makes them feel special and reminds them of home.

How to Maintain Your Vacation Property

Owning a vacation property comes with some of the same responsibilities as a primary residence, but because it is a seasonal dwelling in a different location, there are some unique considerations.

The same maintenance and safety tasks apply, but you should know your vacation house well so you can deal with problems. If your vacation home is a remote area you may need to deal with critical issues personally if emergency services can’t get to your property quickly.

Here are some quick tips to maintain your vacation property.

What emergency equipment do I need at my vacation property?

It’s very important to have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed on every level in your property and placed just outside of sleeping areas. Test the batteries once a month and replace them once or twice a year. If you use smoke and monoxide detectors that plug into wall outlets, be sure that they have a battery-powered backup.

A fire extinguisher is another necessary piece of equipment you should have on every floor. If your property is particularly large, you can have two on each level. The best locations to store them are in or near the kitchen, by a wood-burning fireplace or stove, near other sources of heat, and near bedrooms.

What routine maintenance should I perform at my vacation property?

If you live far away from your vacation property or can’t be on-site very much, consider hiring someone local to check on the property. This person could be a handyman or groundskeeper or simply someone you can trust to make sure everything is in order. Besides inspecting the property for any problems, this person could also cut the grass, remove snow, bring in mail, or do anything else so the property looks its best.

Maintain a list of local repair companies for when pipes burst or electrical issues arise and keep it in an easy-to-find spot.

If you have a septic tank, arrange for a licenced contractor to inspect the system every two years and pump out the solids whenever necessary.

If you have a well, take a water sample from a tap and send it to a qualified testing lab. Check with your local health unit regarding the type and frequency of testing specific to your area.

Every spring and fall, these are some general maintenance tasks that will keep your property in good shape:

Trim tree branches to keep them at least two feet away from the house
Inspect the condition of the roof
Remove leaves and debris from eavestroughs and downspouts
Pressure-wash siding (if recommended) to prevent mould, etc.
Check window and door sills for leaks and caulk where necessary
Check the foundation for cracks
Clean furnace ducts and replace filters
Check the attic and basement for signs of moisture
Inspect the entire house for any signs of pests

What are some smart investments for my vacation property?

Secure windows and doors are a good choice to keep the elements out and safeguard your belongings. At the same time, keep your valuables out of sight and when the property is empty, close the blinds and curtains so people can’t see inside.

A remote access home monitoring system is another great asset. A keyless entry system will make access easier in the case of an emergency or for anyone using the property. Many of these “smart” locks allow you to create multiple pin codes, emergency overrides, and use other options.