With Canada’s fragile recovery, and with a lacklustre GDP down 3.8 percent to 2 percent in second quarter 2010, financial pundits are predicting the central bank will not raise rates at this time.

Read what Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had to say when he  weighed in on this topic.

There are just 105 chalets on the property offering a unique oportunity for members to establish a second home in what must surely be one of the most beautiful areas of the Province.  I recently have had the pleasure of listing a lovely and spacious townhome for sale in Devil’s Glen.  This chalet is owned by the original builder who continues to enjoy membership today with his children and grandchildren as well. 

20 ski trails, racing and snow programs, terrain parks and an active social life are all available to members of the Club which has recently undergone many improvements with further expansions planned.  Owning at the club is so much more than hitting the slopes – it’s about lifestyle and about creating family memories.  These are well detailed in an online brochure for those interested.

Single Family Residential
New Listings: 34 (50, 53, 44)
Average List Price: $454,432
Range of List Prices: $155,000 – $1,395,000
Number of Sales: 26 (43, 17, 15)
Range of Sale Prices: $133,500 – $1,400,000

Condominiums
New Listings: 13 (16, 12, 13)
Average List Price: $257,630
Range of List Prices: $119,000 – $459,000
Number of Sales: 5 (5, 7, 6)
Range of Sale Prices: $118,000 – $342,500

Vacant Land
New Listings: 5 (14, 11, 10)
Number of Sales: 0 (2, 5, 1, 1)
Range of sale prices: $0

Price Changes (up or down): 45

Notables this week
This week, there were 4 sales reported over $700,000, of which 1 was in $900,000s, and 2 sales were over $1,000,000 !

After a great deal of panic and hand-wringing, we contacted a company called Pipe Vision who came over and ran cameras through the weepers to see what was going on.  Sure enough, the weepers were so plugged with silt in several areas that the camera could not even penetrate.  While this answered the question of why the basement was wet (weepers not working), it still did not answer why these relatively new weepers could be so clogged.

I know from 21 years in the real estate business that the very best contractor around for this type of problem is a fellow named Frank Fisher – a third generation excavator who has seen just about everything in this area.  Between him and his side-kick John Bettencourt, they know soil conditions and construction issues the way they know how to breathe.
 
Although we had to wait a full 3 months for them to be available, they finally came and the fun began.  With incredible finesse and skill, Frank excavated our entire foundation.  All we saw were 20 foot high mounds of dirt.  The grass was pretty well gone.  Our stone patio and entry stairs were gone, our two decks were taken apart and it felt a bit like a noisy war zone most days.  As it turns out, it was a great learning adventure.

We learned three important things:
1.  There was a very old (likely from the 1800’s) clay drain tile emptying about 3 feet away from the foundation providing a continuous source of water underground.
2. The weepers that were put in before were installed incorrectly!  As pointed out in part 1, the weepers must be installed BELOW the footings whereas these ones were resting right on top.
3. The aggregate (stone) covering the weepers was dirty stone as opposed to clean stone meaning that silt filtered through directly into the slits of the weeping drainage pipes and, there was no proper filter cloth creating a screen.

Over a period of 8 days, all the weeping tiles were replaced with new ones, new clean stone was wrapped and put in, the walls were re-tarred for damp-proofing and a rubber dimple wrap was added for water-proofing.  The soil was filled back in, the land graded and the first stage of construction completed.

As John says, you could float the house in Georgian Bay now and we’d stay dry.  I think he’s right!  Here’s a 90 second clip showing some of our adventure.

At the heart of the issue are the proposed further regulations, in the Blue Mountains, which restrict short-term rentals.  According to the Issues List section of the OMB Decision (p. 13), the hearing will deal with such questions as:   if the proposed regulation is outside of the Town’s authority to regulate land use;  whether there is adequate analysis and information to prohibit short term rental accommodation;  did the “Land Use Study” demonstrate that this control was necessary; are there any adverse planning impacts due to short term rental accommodation restriction;  is the proposed regulation consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2005);  does the proposed regulation conform with the official plan and strategic plan;  and, are the provisions prohibiting short term accommodation contrary to the Canadian Charter of Right and Freedoms (S.15)  by discriminating on the basis of income?

The Town of the Blue Mountains is going to request that the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) make some changes to the related planning documents that have  been appealed.  For example, here is an excerpt from one of the proposed zoning by-law amendments:

SECTION 5: GENERAL PROVISIONS of By-law 83-40, as amended, is hereby amended by adding the following new Section: Section 5.24 Short Term Accommodation Use.

Section 5.24 Short Term Accommodation Use   Section 5.24.1 (a) No person shall use any land or erect, alter or use any building or structure for the purpose of a Short Term Accommodation Use within any Residential First Density (R1), Residential Second Density (R2), Residential Third Density (R3) or Residential Fourth Density (R4) Zone or exceptions thereto.
Section 5.24.1 (b) No person shall use any land or erect, alter or use any building or structure that secures nine (9) or more occupants, in five (5) or more guest rooms, for the purpose of Short Term Accommodation Use.
Section 5.24.1 (c) No Short Term Accommodation Use shall be located closer that within 120 metres in a continuous path over the shortest distance from another Short Term Accommodation Use.
Section 5.24.1 (d) Short Term Accommodation Uses shall be subject to site plan control.To gain a better understanding of the issues and definitions, please read the related decisions and modified by-laws by clicking below:
Ontario Municipal Board Decision
Ontario Municipal Board Decision PL080455.pdf (348 KB)
Proposed Modified Zoning By-Law Amendment 2009-03
ZBLA-No-2009-03.pdf (889 KB)
Proposed Modified Zoning By-law Amendment 2009-04
ZBLA-No-2009-04.pdf (22 KB)
Proposed Modified Zoning By-law Amendment 2009-05
ZBLA-No-2009-05.pdf (106 KB)
Proposed Modified OPA 11 – Part B
July 14, 2010.pdf (626 KB)

According to their website, full documentation including the Parties’ Witness Statements and Participants Statements can be viewed at the Town of The Blue Mountains Municipal Office, Clerks Department, 26 Bridge Street, Thornbury during their regular office hours.

The Ontario Municipal Board hearing will be held  August 23rd, 2010 and 10 days has been set aside to hear the case. The hearing is open to the public, and will be held at Marsh Street Community Centre, 187 Marsh Street, Clarksburg, Ontario (in The Blue Mountains).

Single Family Residential
New Listings:  50 (53, 44,34)
Average List Price:  $426,095
Range of List Prices:  $134,900 – $2,075,000
Number of Sales:  43 (17, 15, 18 )
Range of Sale Prices:  $157,500 – $1,150,000

Condominiums
New Listings:  16 (12, 13, 9)
Average List Price:  $286,312
Range of List Prices:  $127,900 – $499,900
Number of Sales:  5 (7, 6, 3)
Range of Sale Prices:  $160,000 – $767,500

Vacant Land
New Listings:  14 (11, 10, 10)
Number of Sales:  2 (5, 1, 1)
Range of sale prices:  $74,000 – $199,000

Price Changes (up or down): 54

Notables this week
*1 Single Family residence sold over it’s list price.

A little history:  the house was custom built and then changed hands a few times. From what I’ve heard from neighbours, a wet basement had been an issue for a long time. Then, the owner before us decided to rectify the situation once and for all.  She had the foundation dug up, new weeping tile installed, the foundation walls wet-proofed with a blue skin membrane and put in the beginnings of a back yard drainage system.

This is a weeping tile

When we bought the house about 6 years ago, we were given copies of the invoices showing the work that had been done.  We then completed the drainage system in the rear yard which works like a charm.  We had confidence that any problem was surely rectified so we went ahead and finished the basement.  So, you can imagine our heartache when we opened a wall running along the back of our home only to find water running along the base where the floor and wall meet.  Everything above was dry which ruled out things like burst pipes, snow, rain or grading issues.  I knew right away that it was the weepers.  The 8 year old weepers!  I turned into one myself.  We wondered, how is this possible?

It’s worth taking a moment to explain weeping tiles.  According to a reference in Wikipedia a weeping tile is “used for underground drainage. The pipe is usually made of  plastic with small slits cut lengthwise into it. It is buried and surrounded by aggregate larger than the slits. The aggregate rocks prevent excessive soil from falling through the slits into the weeping tile. With this arrangement, water in the surrounding soil above the weeping tile flows into the weeping tile. The weeping tile then drains into a storm sewer or a sump pump.”  “It is used for water drainage near basement foundations to prevent flooding. It can be used in farmer’s fields to drain waterlogged fields. Such fields are called “tiled”. Weeping tiles can be used anywhere soil needs to be drained.”

“The weeping tile is to be installed so that the top of the product is lower than the bottom of the interior concrete floor. The weeping tile should be connected to a sump pit, located on the interior of the home. The ground water collected in the sump pit can then be removed by a sump pump. The exhausted water can be pumped a safe distance from the home by means of a flexible line or in some areas, into the city storm drains. Care should be taken not to create flooding conditions for adjoining properties.”

Next week- what we found and what we did

The $4.3 million facility will be a 20,000 square foot facility housing nine classrooms, an e-lab, two computer labs, a multi-functional health sciences lab, a student lounge and a community room.

I also hear that small business incubation activities will be provided as well which makes great sense for the future economic growth of Collingwood and region.

It is expected that the new building will accommodate 250 full-time students and more than 3,000 part-time students annually and is scheduled to open for classes in the fall of 2011.

The building is being constructed on a 10-acre site donated by developer John Di Poce whose company is behind the new planned industrial park at the corner of Poplar Sideroad and Raglan Street.  It is also made possible by a $4-million contribution from the Community Adjustment Fund of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Single Family Residential
New Listings:  53 (44,34, 39)
Average List Price:  $446,272
Range of List Prices:  $158,900 – $2,900,000
Number of Sales:  17 (15, 18, 27)
Range of Sale Prices:  $176,500 – $1,150,000

Condominiums
New Listings:  12 (13, 9, 20)
Average List Price:  $258,050
Range of List Prices:  $133,900 – $659,900
Number of Sales:  7 (6, 3, 2)
Range of Sale Prices:  $173,750 – $365,000

Vacant Land
New Listings:  11 (10, 10,13)
Number of Sales:  5 (1, 1, 2)
Range of sale prices:  $55,500 – $99,000

Price Changes (up or down):  42

Notables this week
*1 Single Family residence sold at it’s list price.
*1 Vacant Land listing sold over it’s list price.
*1 Condo listing sold at it’s list price.