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woodswoman
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 08:07am
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This is a sticky topic.... to insure or not to insure your cabin? Can you even get insurance and are the rates so high that you might as well just accept the risk yourself? We have decided to abandon an old cabin on our 185 acre woodlot which is completely off the grid and off any roads, and build anew, but as we look into spending several thousand dollars into a new cabin, I am wondering about insurance. I have not yet inquired as to whether this is even a possibility out here (we're in New Brunswick, Canada), but I'm wondering what everyone else did?
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 08:47am
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We have a thread on this. I found most places wont insure unless you are hooked up to power and phone and you have a hydrant or within a mile of a fire station. There is a few places that will insure, but you have to really look, usually out of state. Cost can be from $400-$600 a year.
I do not have insurance on mine.
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neb
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 08:47am
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I don't have it. Look at the cost and what you have into your cabin and see what you will pay in insurance then do the odd's of it happening. What you save in insurance you could replace a lot if something happened.
What I do is pay the insurance to me and put that amount aside if something would happen At least you aren't thrown money away and have it in a savings.
It was very high for me and I'm playing the odds.
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 09:14am
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech We have a thread on this.
Few, here.
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 11:19am
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Don't ignore the issue of liability while you are building. I don't know what Canadian law on this is, but in the states if you hire someone and they don't have workman's comp insurance, you can be liable for injury. Insurance lawyers are relentless, it's their job.
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 11:34am - Edited by: turkeyhunter
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on my Northwoods camp...$20000 coverage and liability is @215 per year
my southern camp is $ 30000 coverage / $15000 contents and liability is $230 per year
I hate to pay insurance as much as the next person....but not having it...and something happens is really sad AND expensive to rebuild or to pay a lawsuit if someone sues you.
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skootamattaschmidty
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 04:48pm - Edited by: skootamattaschmidty
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When I bought my place I asked my agent about insurance. For me to get coverage I'd have to change my woodstove. I have an antique cast iron stove that fits in with the rustic log cabin. When my uncle built the cabin he searched high and low to find the right stove. It's been in there for 38 years now without any issues. I was not willing to change it all around to make the insurance company happy. I then asked about a liability policy for the property. My agent said if they can't insure the building they won't insure the property. Hence no insurance. I am in Ontario. I really don't keep anything too valuable in the cottage.
I have a friend who has a cottage in the Parry Sound area. He had insurance. There was a rash of break ins where persons broke into several cottages and totally vandalized them, smashing cupboards, dishes, everything. When he tried to make a claim he found out he was not covered for vandalism in a seasonal place. So if you do get insurance make sure you read the fine print on your policy.
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VC_fan
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2014 04:52pm
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In Ohio, we have a few different properties. We don't insure any of the structures. Liability insurance (highly recommended!) runs $19/year for each of the properties.
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horaceunit
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2014 08:39am
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My place is in Virginia and I got insurance through the Virginia Farm Bureau. Perhaps there is something similar in Canada- a rural department that helps out with rural properties? Tried to get our current insurance to cover it but one of their things was no heat (well they wouldn't count the wood stove). However they did say baseboard electric, as long as it is on a thermostat, would work. Got a lot of other work to do, but that may be the way to go for me eventually.
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woodswoman
Member
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2014 07:22pm
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Thanks for all of your comments. I will check out other threads.
We will not be wiring the place so no power, no phone. No roads leading up to it either. So it sounds like insurance may not even be an option. I'd just hate to spend several thousand dollars on something only to have it burned down by thugs.
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horaceunit
Member
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2014 07:35pm
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A friend of mine has a place about 10 minutes from mine on the same mountain and his is the same as what yours is: No power, no plumbing, and the Farm Bureau still insures it so it might still be worth looking in to. Possibly there is some government program there? Anyway good luck!
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woodswoman
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2014 07:51am
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Thanks horaceunit - our cabin will be built on our woodlot, which is being actively managed (we are having a new Forest Management Plan put together this summer) so it's possible the woodlot owners' association could help us out. Will look into this! There are a lot of programs for woodlot owners here so that is probably our best option.
Will let you know what I find out...
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Scott G
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2014 10:25pm
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As a fellow NBer Im also looking into this. Id love to hear what you find and will report what I find. Im leaning towards no insurance so far...
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RichInTheUSA
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2014 07:43am
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Horaceunit, I'm also in VA and checked into farm bureau to insure my cabin. They would not insure it unless I moved all my other insurance business to them as well (2 other houses, 5 cars, etc).
While Farm Bureau had an excellent price compared to Allstate for the rural property, they were not close to competing with Allstate overall.
Were you able to get a stand-alone policy for your cabin?
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horaceunit
Member
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:50am
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I originally contacted a State Farm Agent in Virginia (I currently live in Delaware and have all my house/vehicles through SF there) but SF wouldn't insure it without some upgrades being done to it. Those will be done here in the future. Anyway the SF agent actually did it all for me, although I pay the farm bureau directly. Perhaps you can have an Allstate agent look into it for you? Possibly because I actually live out of state? Or because without year-round heat (that has to be on a thermostat) a regular insurance agency won't insure it, so they will? Just what I can come up with off the top of my head.
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2014 12:55pm
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My insurance agent directed me to a local co-op insurance agency. I had no trouble getting a policy with them. I'm in NY.
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Salty Craig
Member
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:19pm
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My Shabin is fully insured through our churches coop. Sorry, y'all can't get it. It's dirt cheap!!
Salty
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