Need Recommendations for Lake/Area of Ontario to buy a Cottage

[manjo39]

take the money it would cost you to move and put in a pool !!

 

Yes, I thought the same thing. I'll have to look into maintaining a pool (work effort and ongoing cost). Anyone have any experience with pool maintenance they would like to share?

[manjo39]

Have you priced cottages going north from where you live? I was just up at a beautiful lake, east of Parry Sound. There were a couple of cottages for sale and both were over $700,000. Yikes!

I live on Pigeon with your same predicament and have considered moving, but the prices are just crazy. I chose the pool route. Water levels have also been mentioned here, which you should be aware of in the Haliburton area. The larger lakes in the Bancroft area are beautiful, but the walleye fishing lacks. Great bass fishing though and some decent pike fishing. There are other smaller bodies of water that offer some walleye action though.

Never an easy decision!

 

Would you mind sharing your experience with the pool. How much effort is it to maintain (I have to consider I am only up there on weekends and vacations). Ongoing costs?

[jimmer]

Would you mind sharing your experience with the pool. How much effort is it to maintain (I have to consider I am only up there on weekends and vacations). Ongoing costs?

We have a 12' x 24' above ground pool. We have the pump/filter on a timer that will run about 4 hours a day on the off peak hydro times.

We don't bother with a heater, but there are a variety of options.

Add Chlorine once a week, along with pucks and that's it. Once in a while we have to add some pool clear if it starts getting cloudy. It can be vacuumed once a week, which takes about 15 minutes.

Drain pool down in the fall leaving 18" of water and put winter cover on it. Fill in spring with lake water and shock it to clear it up, add chlorine and it's ready to go in a day or two.

Of course there might be the odd issue or repair over the years, but that goes with anything including a new cottage (to you) that is worth over $700,000.

Pools are like anything else, once you get to know it, it is fairly easy to maintain.

You can always have a neighbour help out with exchange for use when you're not there.

Edited August 15, 2012 by jimmer

[Pikeslayer]

We have a 12' x 24' above ground pool. We have the pump/filter on a timer that will run about 4 hours a day on the off peak hydro times.

We don't bother with a heater, but there are a variety of options.

Add Chlorine once a week, along with pucks and that's it. Once in a while we have to add some pool clear if it starts getting cloudy. It can be vacuumed once a week, which takes about 15 minutes.

Drain pool down in the fall leaving 18" of water and put winter cover on it. Fill in spring with lake water and shock it to clear it up, add chlorine and it's ready to go in a day or two.

Of course there might be the odd issue or repair over the years, but that goes with anything including a new cottage (to you) that is worth over $700,000.

Pools are like anything else, once you get to know it, it is fairly easy to maintain.

You can always have a neighbour help out with exchange for use when you're not there.

 

Not being an here, but where do you drain the water from the pool?? My friend on Sturgeon is strictly septic so a pool is not ideal for his family.

Edited August 15, 2012 by pikeslayer

[davew3]

For another 1/2 hour to hour, north-northeast of where you are there is Jack Lake by Apsly, Paudash Lake by Bancroft, Chandos Lake, Wollaston Lake. Try to find a lake in a zone that allows ice fishing so you can get year round use out if it.

Or east of Peterborough is Oak Lake, Belmont Lake, or Cordova Lake.

 

All of these lakes have great fishing and lots to do in the areas.

 

Good luck.

[bigbuck]

To the fellow that mentioned Lake Rosseau, do you have any idea what cottages cost on that lake?? You need close to a million dollars to be on it in a halfway decent cottage. Teardowns are well over a half mill. It's gorgeous BUT that comes with a price. We just bought on a smaller Muskoka lake that has bucketmouths and hammerhandles but the launch into the big 3 lakes is only a few minutes away for when I want to do some serious fishing. Do your homework on the various lakes and understand you may have to compromise. What about putting down some landscaping fabric and then dumping sand on your waterfront to create a beach?? After a couple of years the sand will wash out giving you a relatively weed free swimming area. Food for thought.

[dave524]

My dad bought a place in Haliburton back in 68 and had it for almost 30 years, we had a nice sandy shallow bottom but a lot of places get deep real fast with rock, never a prob with weeds. Great mix of fish Our place was on Loon, which started with bass and pickeral, but later musky and lakers were introduced. Always something different to fish for depending on the season, a canoe will get you into smaller lakes with excellent Specs, Splake and Rainbows if you do your homework. Lastly pike are absent

If I could afford the asking prices they want now I'd have a place there in a heartbeat. If I recall he got the place with 200 frontage in 68 for $8800

[Broker]

If you would like a heater for your pool so you can get a bit more use out of it is to pump water out of the pool, through a black hose that is wrapped up in a circle placed in sunlight then it is pumped back in the pool, then you have your own solar heater! A simple solution that wont break the bank!

[Live2fish85]

Yes, I thought the same thing. I'll have to look into maintaining a pool (work effort and ongoing cost). Anyone have any experience with pool maintenance they would like to share?

 

 

I can help with pools. It really depends on what you want for a pool. Aboveground are cheaper and cheaper to fix. They don't last nearly as long and they don't hold value to much towards a house.

 

Inground pools are not cheap at all. They cost more to fix. They are nicer looking and more fun to swim in. They can help with house sales and add some extra money to the price.

 

As for maintaining they are fairly similar. Same chemicals for both just different amounts and that is it.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Live2fish85

[Broker]

Also adding to live2fish post, you can get a in/above ground pool , where they dig about 2 -3 feet down and have 2-3 feet above, this way your not having the expense of an inground and will last longer, thats what I own and its 20 years old and still running good.

[manjo39]

Also adding to live2fish post, you can get a in/above ground pool , where they dig about 2 -3 feet down and have 2-3 feet above, this way your not having the expense of an inground and will last longer, thats what I own and its 20 years old and still running good.

 

Interesting. I will look into this as well as above ground options. Don't think I want to go the in ground route.

 

Also, I'm on septic. Where do people on septic drain the water to?

[jimmer]

I usually wait until all the chlorine has evaporated and put it on the lawn. Why can't you put it into a septic system? It's just water that would filter through your weeping tiles. Now if you only have a holding tank, I can see a problem. Some places on Sturgeon are in that situation.

[manjo39]

I usually wait until all the chlorine has evaporated and put it on the lawn. Why can't you put it into a septic system? It's just water that would filter through your weeping tiles. Now if you only have a holding tank, I can see a problem. Some places on Sturgeon are in that situation.

 

Wouldn't the chlorine kill the bacteria (which is needed) in the septic system?

[bigbuck]

The chlorine in the pool water will reek havoc with the septic, not only is it a lot of water that will flood in over a short time, the chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria in the field. You may have a wet smelly backyard for a couple of days until the water is absorbed by the ground.

[davey buoy]

The chlorine in the pool water will reek havoc with the septic, not only is it a lot of water that will flood in over a short time, the chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria in the field. You may have a wet smelly backyard for a couple of days until the water is absorbed by the ground.

 

As earlier said,wait for the chlorine level to drop and water your grass.Remember with a above ground pool you only drain the water to below the skimmer. The amount of water drained is not overly huge.Best lawn in the area!!.

[jimmer]

As earlier said,wait for the chlorine level to drop and water your grass.Remember with a above ground pool you only drain the water to below the skimmer. The amount of water drained is not overly huge.Best lawn in the area!!.

yup