The Water's Edge: Exploring the Benefits of Waterfront Properties, Pools and Ponds

 Leonardo Da Vinci said that Water is the driving force of all nature and he is not wrong. It is also one of the driving forces of real estate prices as water front property typically sells for a premium both here on the shores of georgian bay as well as almost any other place in the world.  The economic laws of supply and demand are on full display when it comes to water front properties because there are a limited number of them. In the first Superman motion picture Lex Luther’s devious plan which would have resulted in the deaths of millions of people was simply a real estate scam to the desert, which he owned, into beach front property by sinking most of california into the ocean.  

Given the limited number of waterfront properties its not always possible to live on one everyday while still being able to go to work, send your kids to school and see your friends whenever you want. As most people in southern ontario know cottaging is heavily geared towards getting on a lake.  The Muskokas, Northern Georgian Bay, The Kawarthas, Frontenac and beyond having been driving population, between May and October,  from the GTA and Ottawa for many generations.  Many can attest to the summer Friday Traffic on almost all major highways exiting the cities.  The aforementioned areas are certainly beautify and quite accessible in the warmer months, however, many loose the benefit of their waterfront property in the early spring, late fall and definitely through the winter.  However not all communities change so dramatically in the non summer months.

Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, Thornbury and Meaford all boast a large collection of properties that can be lived in year round on beautiful shores of southern georgian bay.  With easy access to amenities and schools these locations are ideal for a 4 season paradise on the water.  But, as noted earlier, these sensational locations come at a premium because there are still a limited number of them.  For many the best option is to invest in a property that allows you to create access to water either through a pool or a pond.  Pools and ponds both provide a key need to homeowners and that is a place to swim but they are very different from each other both to create and maintain.

Pools come in all shapes and sizes but the seemingly most common trend today is to go with a standard vinyl pool or fiberglass.  A reasonable average sized pool will cost between $85,000 - $150,000 to install. The key difference in pricing has a lot less to do with the pool and more to do with how you finish the pool deck (patio stones, concrete et al) and the landscaping around the pool.  Most communities in the area require you to get a permit which again is less about the pool and more about the fencing that goes around the pool.  This is required almost everywhere and is about safety.  Pools require weekly cleaning, chemical balancing and in most warm seasons require water.  Most are heated with propane and or natural gas but there are solar heaters that do reduce the heating cost and your carbon footprint.

Whether you manage your own pool maintenance or outsource to one of the many pool management companies its a job that needs to be done to prevent bacteria from taking over the the water in the pool.  The pool will also need to be “closed” before the winter and “opened” in the spring which is a process of lowering the water to avoid the mechanical equipment from freezing, covering the pool, and shutting down the pumps and filters. 

In 2015 we sold our cottage on Lake Simcoe and bought a 50 acre property in Meaford Ontario that had a pool.  We knew we were trading a lake for a pool and we were ok with that because we were also trading a ¼ of an acre for 50 acres.  We wanted more space, more privacy and we were quite excited about the prospect of a pool.  We cranked the heat on in early april to open our swim season and kept it going right past thanksgiving.  We love the pool, the easy access to it, the way it looked by the house and that our kids, and their friends, would swim in it constantly.  

On our property we also had what can only be described as a bog on our property which at one time in the past was a pond.  It was smelly, muddy and gross.  While at a friends place down the road one hot afternoon I was invited to go for a swim in his pond.  It was clear, clean and cool and I immediately changed my perspective on ponds and started to consider a change to our Meaford property.

I brought in a marine biologist and someone who has dug ponds before to look at the property and figure out how to turn our bog into a pond.  Turns out, its rather simply but not necessarily easy.  There are a few different kinds of ponds.  Most people hear the term spring fed meaning there is water bubbling to the surface from the water table below. Truth of the matter is most ponds are NOT spring fed and are often filled by run off from the winter, seasonal creeks and rain fall.  Our pond has seasonal water ways that feed it so we decided to get our pond work done in the fall so by spring the large empty hole will be filled with water.

It took about 30 days of work and good weather to turn our bog into a 1 acre pond.  You don’t need to live on 50 acres to build a pond.  You can do it on far less but in building a pond you end up with a lot of material that needs to go somewhere.  On a larger property it may be easier to pile, hide or spread all the dirt you are taking out of the pond but on a smaller property that dirt may need to be dumped elsewhere so its possible the costs could be higher but not significantly.

Pond maintenance is a different kind of animal compared to a pool.  Depending on the size and depth of the pond you may be required to consider different options but similar to a pool we want to prevent too much organic growth in the pond or algae.  Algae tends to bloom in warmer weather when we get plenty of sunlight hours. While ponds can stay quite cool in the hot summer the top 2 feet can actually warm up quite a bit.  If your pond is very “clear” and you can see to the bottom, which looks really cool, is actually one of the key contributing factors to pond algae as the uv rays from the sun penetrate to the bottom of the pond where bacteria lays in wait for sunlight to start blooming.  An easy fix for this is pond dye.  Not can pond dye add stunning blues and greens to your landscape but it also helps prevent sunlight from reaching the bottom. 

Even with pond dye algae blooms can happen but there are solutions to keep them under control.  Adding copper sulfate to your pond (provided you do not have fish in it) will actually eat algae.  There are other products that work for ponds supporting fish habitats.

While on the subject of fish, ponds are great places to introduce local fish populations.  Fish, provided the numbers are controlled, can help keep a ponds habitat in balance and keep it “clean”.  Certain fish require certain water temperatures so its important to know how deep your pond is. For example, trout require a depth of at least 12 feet to survive the hot summers.

Its important to build a dock for your pond if you want to swim in it.  You want to get away from the shoreline as that is where 95% of all your pond aquatic life exists.  

Water aeration is something every pond owner must consider if they want to keep fish in their pond.  Depending on the water source for the pond, the water depth and local environment a pond may require water aeration which is the process of pumping oxygen into the water.  This can be accomplished by an electric aerator or a windmill.  Both are effective and for smaller ponds required in the winter to prevent part of the pond from freezing over.

In looking at all three water options for a property: Waterfront, Pool and Pond there are pros and cons to each.  We know true waterfront property, on a per foot basis, will cost more than a non-waterfront property in almost every situation.  The cost to build a pool or dig a pond can vary but for the most party ponds cost less than pools.  Again, size matters in all situations but on average ponds are about 65% of the cost of a pool.

Our family has done all of it and here is what we know. We love living on a large property and finding that on an actual lake would be cost prohibitive.  We loved our pool, but, the day we “opened” our pond for swimming was the last day any of my kids ever swam in the pool.  I asked why and their answer was simple and to the point, its too small.  Objectively I feel the same way and haven’t swam in our pool in 5 years as a result.  We still have the pool but no longer heat it. 

I intend to increase the size of our pond one day in the future when the budget allows for it.  I would not only increase its size but make parts of it quite a bit deeper.  I am a big fan of the wildlife that uses the pond including the large amount of frogs in the spring which bring they many sounds of ontario to life.  The ducks, geese and swans that come and go through the spring and fall and the many other animals that simple stop by for a drink. 

Contact the Sue Creed Team today to explore the best options for buying or selling your waterfront property, pool paradise, or pond oasis in the beautiful Southern Georgian Bay area!

Call us at 416-903-2293. Let us help you make a splash in the real estate market!