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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2017 04:59pm
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Hey Folks,
Another Ontario member, I have really enjoyed reading and following the members journeys.
We are just closing on a 5 acre property in North Frontenac. I have been looking for awhile now and we often go up to the Parry Sound & Muskoka regions and I kept my eye open for something. However due to the investment necessary for half decent water access property we expanded our search. My brother In law is building about 20 minutes away from where we bought. He happens to be one township over but has found the region to be very flexible. It is a little longer of a drive than we wanted but we found the type of deal that made it an easy choice, plus getting to be close to our families cottage.
The plan for now is the next year is to build a 10 sq meter bunk and build the camp. The municipality by-laws appear to be more friendly vs most of Ontario. However if I do run into issues I will look at starting the main cottage build which in that region is 700 sq ft vs the 1000 in some regions.
We took our boys 6 & 3.5 out for tour this past weekend and it looks like it will be a place they will be very happy with!
For now I will keep doing my research and planning my camp for next year.
Here are a few pics of the site.
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View of the lake
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Land clearing
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bushbunkie
Member
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2017 05:18pm
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Hey,
Congrats on the new adventure! My two boys were just a few years older when we started our adventure on the Bruce Peninsula. Started with a Bunkie and Outhouse - now have the minimum 1000 sq ft cabin.....been a journey but you'll find it is worth it!
Start investing in your local Restore!!!  and best of luck on your adventure.
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skootamattaschmidty
Member
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2017 05:20pm
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Welcome! There are plenty of folk on this site who can the many questions you will most certainly have! We are in the same area and alli can say is it's beautiful!!
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2017 08:47pm
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Yes I have seen your project Bushbunkie!
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 24 Oct 2017 08:54pm
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Yes it is a really pretty area. Our lot has tons of rock formations covered in soft moss with nice mixed pines and birch.
I was up in the area this winter helping my brother build a little shed and it was pretty awesome to see everything in 2 feet of snow and -25 temps.
So its his fault we ended up there as I found the lot on a fishing trip with my boys in September.
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2017 05:56am
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Welcome & Congrats on the find... see what fishing with the kids can result in ? A Whole new adventure to last for years... I looked in Frontenac at several places during my searches but found what I wanted a couple of hundred Km's north of there... Rock Hunters lover the area due to the varied geography and thanks to the glacial dumps, so many things mixed in to find too...
Geez, just noticed the Kaladar Chip Shack had to move over because the old hotel has "finally" been condemned and is to be torn down.... gee, that only took a dozen years or so.... Things happen slowly in some areas 
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skootamattaschmidty
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2017 07:36pm
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Haha I saw that too with the chip truck! They are still open in their trailer but I'm not sure if they are as busy in their new spot! Hopefully they come up with a new use for that place once the building is torn down. Kaladar has some interesting junky places, that's for sure!
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black_raven
Member
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# Posted: 30 Oct 2017 10:21pm
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The area is great. Lake view tavern for wings down in erinsville is also good
I like that the places are still not commercialized
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leonk
Member
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# Posted: 31 Oct 2017 06:31pm
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roughly what are the land prices there? if you don't mind
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skootamattaschmidty
Member
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# Posted: 31 Oct 2017 07:11pm
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A neighbour in the area recently sold a plot of land that was approximately 5 acres. A portion of it backs onto crown land and there is river frontage. I think he sold it for around $30000. There were no buildings on the property and it is all mixed forest.
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 3 Nov 2017 04:04pm
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It is cheaper vs kuwartha, parry sound and some others. From what I have sen it dramatically varies based on the type of property you are looking for.
Lake front I have seen 50-300K based on the location, if you go more north those costs decrease. Most in the range of 2-5 acres.
Water access of some sort - creeks, rivers or such. 30-100k, in the 2-10 acres.
Larger lots - lots of 30-100 acre areas, I have seen these on really low cost per acre.
Ours was a unique situation as we bought it from an estate sale so we paid about 7K per acre. In looking at the documents of the comparisons it ranged anywhere from 10-20K per acre but its really hard as land can be so unique. We have more of a river channel with views of the lake but not open lake front.
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2018 02:17pm
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We didn't close on our property until Nov 1st, so pretty late in the season in north eastern Ontario. I still managed to get my wife to do a camping trip to have a better look. So we went up around Nov 11th which was a nice -5 degrees below freezing at night. The wife was not so impressed with the cold and didn't love the trip so much...ha However the sun came out a little despite it being around freezing the next day and we got to have a deeper look at our property.
Went up one other time with my brother-in law to help him bring a few things to his place and close for the season as he is cottage he is building is about 15 minutes away.
I have managed to put it in the back of my mind the last few months with renovation projects around the house. However now my brain has turned to my lake projects for this year.
I will be building the outhouse in my garage shortly and bring that up near the end of March, assuming the weather turns a little warmer in March and its not buried in 2 feet of snow.
Closer to the end of April the Bunkie will get going and that will be the majority of the 2018 projects. Outhouse, sleep bunkie for the family and likely an outdoor shower. The dock is something my wife wants done, but have to see how the other projects go first.
I am still thinking over the dock. There is a cleared entry to the water which is great. The water on my property is a channel that connects two big lakes, you can see one of them very well, as in the picture. So there is good room for a dock and a swimming area as the channel is a few hundred feet.
Mainly I have to see the water areas more as in the few times I was there the water levels had changed a decent amount. With the higher level it made the area larger, as there is a good amount of weeds.
Like many of you just trying to hang in a few more moths!
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2018 02:52pm
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Geez, I wish "outside" would look like that... standing by for Spring ! I so hate snow blowing !!! even with a good machine to do the work.
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2018 02:58pm
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No kidding! All I see is white outside as we watch the next dump of snow! Crossing my fingers it warms up in March.
Was up that way in early March last year and there was over 2 feet of snow and it hit - 25 while we were there. The bunkie my b-law built did pretty good considering the weather.
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2018 09:11am
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This will let one dial in 7.5 volts dc from 12 or 24 volts dc. LED display shows output voltage for accurate setting. I was able to install mine in a double electrical outlet box.
https://m.ebay.com/itm/Buck-Step-down-LM2596-Power-Converter-Module-DC-4-0-40-to-1-3- 37V-LED-Voltmeter/322579111935?epid=1779769772&hash=item4b1b369fff:g:pskAAOSwVJhZXCHX
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bushbunkie
Member
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2018 01:30pm
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Yes...the winter seems to drag for the "cabineer gang"....so we keep planning and prepping for projects to get us through. So next project (apparently my wife's project overruled mine!) is an outdoor hot water shower / bathing shed. She found a claw foot tub on kijiji for 50.00 in great shape and we bought the Ecotemp 5 outdoor on demand hot water system (inc. 12 volt pump) that a lot of guys in this forum are using. Have a total $400. invested, so not bad.
Meloj...this is the fun part of the dream...everything you now do takes it up a notch and makes it that much more comfortable when you get to your property...enjoy the ride and embrace any mistakes you make along the way...we've all been there...and enjoy the learning! Cheers....now out to do some more !!%$&*&^#@ snowblowing!!!!
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KelVarnsen
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2018 09:58am
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Quoting: meloj I have managed to put it in the back of my mind the last few months with renovation projects around the house. However now my brain has turned to my lake projects for this year.
If you are anything like me pretty soon planning all of your "lake projects" will turn into a full time obsession. I pretty much ignore all the home renovations that I should be doing now and focus on my cabin instead. Thankfully my wife is somehow okay with it!
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2018 10:26am
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Don't know how I managed to put my DC-DC converter link post here, t'was meant for "radio" thread. Looks like spam without the context! Sorry...
SE Ohio
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2018 03:30pm
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Quoting: KelVarnsen I pretty much ignore all the home renovations that I should be doing now and focus on my cabin instead. Thankfully my wife is somehow okay with it!
Yes! I had to do our bathroom and couldn't get around that renovation. But I have managed to get my wife to agree to hold off on other major projects at home, luckily most of our house isn't in too bad of shape.
Most of our money will now go to the lake property!
Fully planning on turning it into an obsession like most people in this forum.
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old243
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2018 04:47pm
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meloj, since you are early in your plans for your property. Something you might consider, is the placement of your cottage , and out buildings . You state that you have areas of rock outcrops and shallow soil.The solid rock might provide a good base for your footings , foundation etc. Other things to consider are, drainage, septic., water supply. road access. If there are areas of deeper soil these could be valuable when it comes , to install these services, down the road. We have a hunt camp built on a rock outcrop, digging for services is complicated, and sometimes not possible. Have fun with your project and keep us posted. old243
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 12 Feb 2018 10:24am
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Quoting: old243 meloj, since you are early in your plans for your property. Something you might consider, is the placement of your cottage , and out buildings
My property luckily has the driveway from the road right into a cleared area at the front of the property. The back portion runs 800-1000 feet along the private lake roads with a max depth a bit over 600 feet. My driveway runs along the bottom portion of my land which is shared with a neighbours property (on the legal road allowance)(my lawyer made sure its all good). So I have excellent access to a nice cleared area but it still has some nice bush coverings between the neighbours with a good 200 feet of bush between us, with his better area being another 500-600 feet past that line.
There is essentially two parts, the upper and the lower. Down at the clearing they are separated by a 50 foot rock wall (which can be climbed in some sections)(down the road I will build a stair access) My intention is to build on the lower part which is connected with access and has a few more flat areas with much less grade. There is a nice natural entry to the water with some portions with 20 foot cliffs down the the water in other parts. I would assume that at some point in the past it was used for camping or maybe many years ago a small cabin was there. The only thing I have seen so far is there are a few spots on rocks that some black from fires. Some of the clearing as a little bit of gravel which I will thin out.
The upper section which runs off the main road could also have access if I built a new drive. Its really beautiful but also the rock formations are abundant and there is not a lot of flat areas, as its mostly rock hills covered in moss. Most likely I will make several walking paths and maybe a few lookouts. Or way down the road build another guest camp up there. If I run into any permit issues for the main cabin I could build at the top of the rock cliffs but that would be a much greater challenge.
For foundations you are right that drilling into the rock is likely the way to go. My intention all along as to be as off grid as possible. There is hydro at the main road but the cost to send it another 500 feet will likely outweigh the cost of a solar system for our needs. Not to mention our Ontario hydro rates, monthly min fees and the distribution fees for said hydro.
My intention will to be on composting toilets with a grey water system. There is enough forested areas which has more soil layers where I should be able to put in the grey water system.
Water is probably my biggest question. In the short term we will bring water for drinking but I will be using rain water collection for my shower and cleaning. I will be close enough to access lake water, however my water pump would be on a channel. Boats do use the channel as it connects two large lakes, I will have to determine if that water will be usable. For non-drinking water it would be fine. I will have to ask around to see if others have been able to drill a well.
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meloj
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2018 07:23pm - Edited by: meloj
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To keep myself busy I started a few projects.
#1 - The Privy - Fairly simple 4x5 build. I am building it at home and will take it down into wall and floor sections when I drive it up. I have to store it in sections in my garage also as I don't have great height.
#2 - Sawdust toilet. Based on my land and preference I am going for a sawdust style composting toilet. You can see it on its own and in the outhouse.
#3 - Portable solar system. I wanted a small source of power for the basic needs we will have at this point. As well I built it to be portable and later be connected to our bunkie for our main power source. Pretty simple, 100w panel, inverter for a few tools and charging, 12v outlets off a bus/fuse box and a single 12v 70ah battery.
Now I have to focus on finishing up the privy. Got to do the roof, rest of siding and build the door, plus a few little things on the inside but that likely can be done once its on the land.
Its been really warm the last few days which is a great sign that there is likely almost no snow up north!null[/img]
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