Readying Your Recreational Property for Winter

Fall is upon us and with it comes the promise of rain and wind and storms. Just like you should clean your gutters, unhook your hoses and put away the patio furniture at your residence, you should prepare your recreational and remote properties for the fall and winter seasons.

Water - if you are not going to be using your property over the winter your water supply should be properly shut down. There is nothing worse than burst pipes in the spring!

General tidy up - make sure all the loose items from summer, such as chairs, tables, planters, tools, outdoor toys, etc are put away in a secure place. Winter weather can wreck these items, and winter storms can send them flying.

Clean up - make sure that food stuffs are either well packaged, stored somewhere else or thrown out. Mice love a winter meal, and there is nothing worse than coming back months later to a super smelly fridge from the milk that was left behind. Putting linens, towels, dishcloths, etc somewhere extra dry will help keep mould from growing on damp fabrics.

Lock up - make sure the property is closed up properly. Windows and doors should be latched so wind doesn't blow them open and so that critters can't get in.

Docks - make sure the surface is "gripped" or cleaned so that if someone needs to use the docks they won't slip on the slick surface from all the winter moisture.

Trees, shrubs, etc - now is a good time to prune any dead branches or long branches that are getting too close to buildings. These can come down during winter storms doing a lot of damage with no one around to clean up. Better to deal with it now.

Roof and Gutters - check they are clear of debris and are running clear. This should be done later in the fall even if the weather permits, so that falling leaves can be cleared out.

A small amount of time spent shutting down, cleaning up and locking up will save time and possibly money come spring. Time to get it done before the big storms come!

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

BCO New Team Photos

It seems every couple of years we have reason to update our office team photos. New team members, new looks, things changing - all of these have been reasons to prompt a photo shoot. This August was our most recent photo session, and we are thrilled with the results.

 Our photographer was Karen McKinnon, out of Courtenay. Karen's corporate gallery caught our eye, and we have been very impressed with her professionalism and service. Karen and her colleague John ventured up to Campbell River at 6:30am to catch the beautiful morning light at Tyee Spit. We were battling smoke from the wildfires in the interior as well as a windy morning, but we feel this set of photos does a great job of capturing the coastal lifestyle we all live and strive to introduce to our clients. Our thanks to Karen and her team for a wonderful job.

Photo shoots are always a challenge as we try to get in the various settings that portray the BCO work spaces, and as a photographer works with four personalities. Karen was a delight to work with and did a great job a directing and also accommodating our wishes.

Photos are a necessary part of a business and good photos let prospective clients get to know a little more about us. Many of the clients we work with we may not meet in person when we first start working with them (or in some cases at all) due to the nature of our remote properties and so these photos give them a chance to put faces to names and voices.

Watch for more photos to appear in our various marketing materials and on social media over the next couple of weeks!

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Archeological Findings on Properties

Archeological sites are a common topic with coastal properties these days (the majority of these are sites with cultural and/or historical significance), and even make the news every once in a while. They can be controversial, but they are an essential part of developing property these days on the coast of BC so it is important to know what needs to be done.

Some properties have already had investigations done and have marked archeological sites on them. Understanding the implications of these sites is important, as an owner, or potential owner, needs to know what can and can't be done with the property. A small site can simply mean making sure you do not disturb it when creating development plans, while a large site can mean further action is required.

 You can first determine if there are any known sites on the property by contacting the provincial government through their Archaeology Branch. This is something that we at BC Oceanfront, a part of the Royal LePage Advance Realty team, do on most of our listings. We have found the Arch. Branch to be very easy to deal with, and the forms required are straight forward to fill out. We submit directly from online.

If you wish to build on a property or make major alterations to a property, then an archeological assessment is generally required. Most municipalities and regional districts will require an assessment during the permitting process. These are done by private companies, and there are often many steps involved in the process, which the company should be able to facilitate.

From the Archaeology Branch's FAQ document, these are two things they see as important to property owners: "The current use of the property is seldom affected unless the use involves significant land alteration. A house on a fully developed lot is not affected by overlapping with an archaeological site. An active gravel pit is a concern, because this current use will damage or destroy a site.
New development, such as changing the building footprint, major landscaping, or installation of an in ground swimming pool, will be a concern, because the new activity may damage the archaeological site. When planning for land use change, ensure that a professional consulting archaeologist is part of the planning process. They can determine if the new development will have an effect on the archaeological site.
In many cases, the archaeological site is not within the development zone. As an example, sites on waterfront properties are usually close to the water and are often contained within zoning setbacks set up to protect other environmental values."

Owning property on the BC Coast is a dream for many, and it is important to have all the information on hand when making those dreams reality.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Summer Sign Trips

Summer is very busy in the BCO office, although often that office space is outside.

  

The dry months are perfect for getting out and viewing properties, sometimes with clients and sometimes just Ed and/or Shelley. It's especially a good time for fresh photos and to put signs up.

Because Ed pilots the boat, Shelley is often the sign hanger. This requires scrambling onto rocks and finding the right tree for the sign, all while not dropping your tools and carrying a 4ft x 4ft sign on plywood!

The beauty of recreational and remote real estate is the opportunity to visit not only the specific properties but to be in the regions where those properties are, to experience firsthand the spectacular views and surroundings, and to spend time on the water. Having seen it and experienced it ourselves, it makes it that much sweeter to share with clients and prospective buyers.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Homesteading History on the BC Coast

The BC Coast is not just rich in First Nations history, it is also rich in homesteading history. Throughout the last two centuries as resource workers and other groups made their way to the coast small groups, individuals and families took up residence throughout the coast, including on the many islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island.

It is not uncommon to come across relics from homesteading in the middle of what looks like untouched forest or grassland. From broken fencelines to house foundations and even old tools, evidence is abundant when you start to look. In particular on the north end of Vancouver Island, it is easy to stumble across pieces of machinery and household items from the early 1900s. Apparently at one time 1000 people lived in an area where only a handful of people now live at the Cape Scott area of Vancouver Island.

Another visual reminder of this past history is the abundance of fruit trees scattered throughout the region, from old orchards that have been reclaimed by the surrounding wild. Going for walks in parks and along beach fronts it is not uncommon to find a gnarled old plum or apple tree, still producing fruit. Along with the fruit trees it is possible to also find overgrown domestic plants that survived long after the homestead itself has disappeared. Rhododendrons and holly bushes are common ones to come across.

People have come and gone for various reasons. A number of Scandinavian groups came in the early 1900s to places such as Cape Scott and Sointula on Malcolm Island, looking to establish a new type of community. Many of the homesteaders in the Discovery Islands were families of the local resource workers whose livelihoods depending on the fishing, mining and forestry industries. Then in the 60s there was another wave of homesteading as the hippy generation found the mild weather of the coast perfect for their communes and back-to-the-earth ideals.

As larger communities grew on the coast and on Vancouver Island especially, many of the homesteader families moved away from the more remote areas to the convenience and steady jobs that towns could offer. Now it seems the homesteading movement is gathering interest and attention, and so more people are coming to the coast to once again connect with those more remote areas.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Summer on the Beach

Vancouver Island (and the surrounding small islands) is well known for rugged coastline and windswept vistas. While Pacific Rim National Park is world-famous for its sweeping sandy shores, not as many of the other sandy beaches are as well known. But in the summer, locals and tourists alike find them!

Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park

Rathtrevor Beach, in Parksville, is perhaps the next most well-known sandy beach. This one stretches for miles, and at low tide there is more than enough room for everyone to explore and enjoy a piece of sand.

Further up the island in the Comox Valley are Miracle Beach and Saratoga Beach. Along that same stretch is Storries Beach. Miracle Beach and Storries beach offer the benefit of rocky sections of the shoreline that provide for hours of entertainment as well as expanses of sand at lower tides.

Miracle Beach

On the islands in the waters of Vancouver Island there are also many beautiful sand beaches. Tribune Bay on Hornby Island is perhaps one of the best known, while Smelt Bay on Cortes Island is a true gem.

Smelt Bay

Pacific Rim isn't the only place for sandy beaches on the west coast either. For the intrepid traveler willing to go further afield, Raft Cove and San Josef Bay offer beautiful open beaches with views across the open Pacific.

San Josef Bay

The south island also has its share of beaches, with Victoria and Sooke having numerous sandy shorelines to find (Willows beach, Esquimalt Lagoon, Witty's Lagoon, China beach, to name a handful).

So while we may all enjoy exploring our rugged coast, we also have the opportunity on a summer's day to bask on a sandy beach and soak up all that summer has to offer.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Marine Traffic off Vancouver Island East Coast

The waterways off Vancouver Island are a highway for all manner of boats. While most people associate fishing - both commercial and recreational - with the area, the marine traffic is made up of much more than just fishing boats of all sizes.

 commercial fishing vessel off Malcolm Island

Ferry boats are a way of life for many islanders. These rugged vessels carry passengers and vehicles year-round on the east side of Vancouver Island, although serious weather can postpone a trip or two!

on the deck of the Malcolm Island ferry from Port McNeill

Quadra Island ferry running to Campbell River

Barges are a common sight as well. These ocean trucks carry goods to the islands and central BC coast, with the help of the rugged tugboats. 

Barge on its way through Discovery Passage

Frequently navy boats are seen in the waters off the island, both on the east and west coasts.

Navy vessel off Nanaimo

The biggest boats that use the marine highway around the central and northern end of the island (the southern end around Victoria does see a fair bit of large freighter traffic as they head out to open waters from Vancouver and Washington State) are cruise ships. These are a regular sight in the spring and summer months, and if you see them from close in they are amazingly big!

Norwegian Sun cruise ship in Discovery Passage

The waterways of Vancouver Island are vibrant and busy, keeping goods and people moving to and from the island. Add in the pleasure boats, sail boats, kayaks and so on - and at the height of summer the marine traffic can outnumber the road traffic around many island communities!

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!