What makes your home a Green or Healthy Home?
Hybrid power: We’re hooked up to the grid, but we also have solar panels powering 5 heavy-load outlets, so greatly reduced hydro bills and a solar backup if the power fails. Earth-sheltering on three sides (and carefully-calculated front overhangs) means cooler summers (no A/C needed) and reduced winter heating bills. Passive solar design: three 6’ x 10’ south windows bring in winter heat that would normally overwhelm the house, but porcelain tiles on a concrete slab foundation soak up that daytime heat and release it slowly overnight, further reducing heating costs. High insulation values (R40 walls and R80 attic), mostly thanks to recycled wood fibers. Three of the four outside walls are made from unique Durasol blocks, 80% recycled wood chips held together by Portland cement. The fourth wall is mostly windows, triple pane, low-E coated on two panes, Krypton-filled. Custom multi-celled blinds provide 8 layers of trapped air to insulate the windows at night. These combined efficiencies mean you can heat the house with just C$350 of wood (4 face cords) every year. Solar hot water: a solar hot water panel heats the house’s hot water all year around, and is automatically backed up by a propane on-demand water heater on cloudy days. Gravel driveway to avoid oil-based pavement - never a puddle. Built with local contractors using locally-purchased materials to support the local economy. Central vertical radon vent to avoid radon buildup below foundation (although this is not a radon-risk region). Zero-VOC paints and recycled drywall. Featured in the annual Ontario Natural Buildings Tour five times.Property Description
Perfect for a homesteader, located on the edge of Barry's Bay. Built into the side of a hill: picture a walk-out basement with a roof on the basement. Sun tunnels bring light into the back rooms, as do huge windows on the south side of this 3 bedroom 2 bathroom bungalow. Retirement Features: Absolutely no stairs; a single step outside the front door. Extra-wide 36” and 34” doors for wheelchairs and easy furniture-moving. Bathrooms with space to turn around in wheelchair. Barry’s Bay has a regional hospital with helipad and 24-hr Emergency Rm. A yard full of vegetable gardens and fruit trees complete this property. Gardening Features: Forty four vegetable garden beds, mostly 4’ x 12’, all directly in front of the house. Twelve of the beds are raised beds, 18” high, local cedar. Eleven rain barrels are automatically filled with rain water off the roof, six on one side of the garden and five on the other. Perennials ready for eating: three apple trees, two pair trees, three cherry tree/bushes, ten haskap (honeyberry bushes, 50’ of raspberry bushes, one red currant bush, one new goji berry bush, seven asparagus clusters, two rhubarb plants. Three 4’x12’ perennial flower beds in front of the south windows. Winner of Community Blooms ‘Best Vegetable Garden in Madawaska Valley’ award for three of the last four years. (The owner was a judge the 4th year.) See a video walk-through of the house and property at https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/22554147/188-paugh-lake-road-barrys-bay-barrys-bay.Neighborhood Description
3.5 acres of mixed-wood trees, sloping down to tiny Drohan Lake for beautiful paddling. A stairway (local cedar)r eads halfway down, with a path wandering the rest of the way. Deer, fox, beaver, great blue herons and loons have been seen from within 100’ of the house. 0.9 km to the main street of Barry’s Bay (Opeongo Line, aka Hwy 60), The Beer Store, Valu-Mart (President’s Choice products) and of course Pizza Pizza. A further 0.3 km to the post office, bank, drug store, Metro.Market Area
Barry's Bay is a quiet village of about 1500 people, a former logging town now focusing on cottage tourism and retirement living. It is part of the Township of Madawaska Valley, which also includes the nearby villages of Wilno and Combermere. Our hospital, St Francis Memorial Hospital, is the central hospital for the region and has a 24-hour emergency ward. We have two banks, two grocery chains, a department store, an electronics and furniture store, many gift shops, and several restaurants.School District
Walking distance to a Catholic elementary school. The public elementary and secondary schools are on the other side of the village.Community
A mixture of European settler descendants and city people who have moved here to work remotely from the countryside or to retire. We have a large community centre and a very active Seniors Centre.Location of Home or Land
Rural
Elevation of Home
Sea Level
Air Quality
| Agriculture in Area | yes |
| Industry in Area | yes |
| Air Pollution in Area | no |
| Pesticide Free | yes |
| Fragrance Free | yes |
| Cleaned with Green Products | yes |
Interior Environment
| Heating System | Forced Air - Gas |
| Cooling System | Other |
| Ventilation System | Heat Exchanger |
| Whole House Filtration | None |
| Whole House Vacuum | no |
Energy & Water
| Energy System | Photovoltaic (PV) |
| Water System | Rain Water Collection |
| Wastewater System | Septic System |
Construction Information
| Exterior Finish | Other |
| Interior Finish | Earthen Plaster |
| Interior Paint | Low VOC |
| Floor Material | Cork |
| Roof Material | Metal |
| Window Material | Other |
| Insulation Material | Other |
Garage / Car Port
| Garage / Carport | yes |
| Garage Type | attached |
| Number of Cars | 1 |
| Garage Area | 260 sqft |
