Glamping at Georgian Bay Islands National Park

If you do not like the thought of sleeping in a tent, you might like Glamping. Glamping short for “glamorous camping,” is fancied up way of getting your outdoor fix,  Instead of tents and sleeping bags think luxury cabins.

Read a great article on it 

http://bit.ly/24qzONw Explorers Edge

Avoiding capital gains tax with Michelle Kelly

Not sure what the capital gains tax means for cottage owners?
Editor Michelle Kelly will walk you through how it applies to you and how you can save some cash by making one simple change.

http://bit.ly/1TlV4Ok Cottage Life

Social Media for the Cottage Associations Part 3

I have been cottaging pretty much since I was born. I have great memories of events organized by the Clearwater Beach Ratepayers Association when I was growing up. Since about 2000, I have had the pleasure of serving my cottage association. First as a volunteer for a number of years at our Fun Day/BBQ, then joining the board in a number of capacities, Secretary, then Vice President and now President. Part of the job of the board of a Cottage Association is keeping your members informed. Social Media can give you a great tool kit for both getting information and sharing it to your members.

This is the third of several posts on using Social Media for a cottage association. This post is the 2nd one focusing on the kinds of information you may want to pass along to your members.

The idea behind this series is that it is not so much a "this is what and how to do it' manual, but more a here are a bunch of ideas/tools you can pick and chose from. You need to figure out what works for you and your association. I will be using the sources that I use for my association as examples, you should be able to find similar sources in your area.


This will not be a static post, I will update it as errors are found or when someone sends me information that fits in. If I have missed a tool or source that you use, please let me know. I am always looking for ways to better serve our association. 

Information

There are many of kinds of information that you may need to or want to pass on to your members. This is part 2 of a quick list and overview of information you might want to share with them:

Local events

One of the comments I hear from time to time is "there is nothing to do at the cottage". Well there are many local events to enjoy around the cottage area all year long.

For a lot of cottage country there are a large number of festivals within about 1 to 2 hour drive of your cottage. 2 Festivals within a 20 min drive from my cottage are Ontario's Best Butter Tart Festival http://bit.ly/1Tt2jIR and Festival du loup http://bit.ly/1os4lMq . In the spring the are maple syurp festivals like Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival  http://bit.ly/231MyyD There are lots of fall festivals to enjoy too. 

Many villages, towns, and cities have summer concerts, these can be part of a fun evening out. These are usually listed on the community calendar and/or put out on social media. Near by in Midland they have the Midland Cultural Centre http://bit.ly/1Tt4ooj part theater and part miusic venue. They keep a scheduled on their web site and put reminders out on social media, I republish as much as I can, because you never know what someone in your association may like.

Local attractions
Throughout cottage country in Ontario there are lots of great local attractions. 

National Parks are located all across Canada. When at the cottage I get to look at
Georgian Bay Islands National Park every day.
http://bit.ly/1Vg34XC Parks Canada

Provincial Parks are are a great local place to go and have a day hike. 
http://bit.ly/1XplP8i Ontario Parks

Museums, lots of great local museums in my area with lots of fun events all year long.
Huronia Museum http://bit.ly/1Uqs6BW
Penetanguishene Centennial Museum & Archives http://bit.ly/1VGkeNU

Historic Sites are a great place to spend a day. There are many all accross Canada, here are 30 that are in a 30 dirive of my cottage.
Discovery Harbour http://bit.ly/1WALo7X
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons http://bit.ly/1pWk1by
The Huron/Ouendat Village at the Huronia Museum http://bit.ly/1WALD2D
Boat Cruises, being on the southern end of the 30,000 Islands boat cruises are fun afternoon out. Here are 2 close to my cottage
Miss Midland  http://bit.ly/1VGkxZg
Serendipity Princess  http://bit.ly/1X2HXqW

Local Companies
    Any companies that sponsor your association should be kept in your members minds. Boost your sponsors as much as you can, but do not overload your members... 
    
    Great restaurants in the area, because sometime you just want eat out.

    Any good bars in the area? Sometimes you just need a night out. But remember do not drink and drive. 

    Is there a local store close to your association that is great for picking up that one food item you forgot and does not charge an arm and a leg for it?

    Is there a sidewalk sale in town? Is the local mall having an event?
      
Elections
    Local elections, who is running for what. Is there a cottager running?
    Provincial elections, which party's platform is cottage friendly?
    Federal elections, which party's platform is cottage friendly?

Association History
     We have a good history of our association and we have a member who is working with a number of members to get the history of their cottage written down.  http://www.clearwaterbeach.ca/?cat=3

2016 Open Water Fishing Seascon

The ices is mostly off the bay, and our thoughts turn to open water fishing. I have been looking at new tackle, and know I need to get some new fishing line to respool my reels. But I have to get the most important item.... My 2016 Fishing License!

Do you have your 2016 Ontario Fishing License? You can order it on line or get in person at a Service Ontario Center. Click on the link for more information or to order.

http://bit.ly/1puRwRP ontario.ca 

Spring Clean Up, what to do with your yard waste

It is spring again.... and as there is a new for 2016 by-law against burning leaves you either need to compost or put them out for collection.

For Clearwater Beach our Spring Yard Waste Weeks are:
Week of May 9th
Week of May 23
Week of June 6th

Leaf and Yard Collections

Bi-weekly yard waste collection in the County of Simcoe is provided during designated weeks in the spring and fall. Yard waste must be at the curb by Monday at 7 a.m. of your collection week; collection will occur at some time during the week and does not necessarily coincide with your garbage collection day.

Yard waste must be placed in:

Kraft paper yard waste bags
Compostable bags
Cardboard boxes
Open-ended rigid containers

Plastic bags are not permitted. Brush must be contained as above or bundled securely with string, be no larger than 2 metres in length and 30 centimetres in diameter.

The County reserves the right to limit quantities. Leaf and yard waste may also be taken to County waste management facilities during regular operating hours at no charge.

Outdoor Burning in Tiny Township 2016

Outdoor Burning in Tiny Township:

Full details on the Tiny website

http://www.tiny.ca/Pages/Fire--Emergency-Services.aspx

But here is a quick summary

Fire Permit Information

New in 2016!! The burning of leaves is strictly prohibited

Fire permits can be purchased through the Township of Tiny Office, at 130 Balm Beach Road West, Perkinsfield (9:00 am to 4:30 pm) Monday to Friday.

They can also be purchased for $20.00 cash only at the 6 (six) following locations:

1) Lafontaine SuperMarket, 345 rue Lafontaine Road West, Lafontaine

2) Wyevale Jug City, 870 County Road 6 South, Wyevale

3) Mailloux Jug City, 594 Champlain Road, North West Basin

4) LA Hill Esso Station, 2 Lafontaine Road East, Lafontaine

5) R&P Gas, 2236 County Road 92, Elmvale

6) Country Corner Variety, 1 County Road 6 South, Perkinsfield

You can also download a copy of the Fire Permit application and rules, by clicking on the link located on the left side of this page entitled "Fire Permit Application".

It is the applicant's responsibility to know if a Fire Ban is in effect.

For FIRE BAN INFORMATION contact the Township of Tiny office at (705) 526-4204 ext 226 or check the Fire Rating Symbol on the Home Page

REMEMBER IT'S ILLEGAL TO BURN WITHOUT A VALID FIRE PERMIT

Did you know?

That IF you wish to burn a pile that's larger than 1 meter in diameter or height that you require a special permit?

Burning in a 45 gallon drum or barrel also requires a Fire Permit, NO EXCEPTIONS

Boating Safety Guide

Boating Season is just around the corner, read Transport Canada's Boating Safety Guide to keep you afloat this summer. 

http://bit.ly/1oI57ov Trasport Canada

Clearwater Beach Ontario Fishing Contest

We have just created a new Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/clearwaterontariofishing/ it is a public Facebook page for our fishing contest. This will allow members who are not on Facebook to see what is going on.

Social Media for the Cottage Associations Part 2

I have been cottaging pretty much since I was born. I have great memories of events organized by the Clearwater Beach Ratepayers Association when I was growing up. Since about 2000, I have had the pleasure of serving my cottage association. First as a volunteer for a number of years at our Fun Day/BBQ, then joining the board in a number of capacities, Secretary, then Vice President and now President. Part of the job of the board of a Cottage Association is keeping your members informed. Social Media can give you a great tool kit for both getting information and sharing it to your members.

This is the second of several posts on using Social Media for a cottage association. This post is the first of 2 focusing on the kinds of information you may want to pass along to your members.

The idea behind this series is that it is not so much a "this is what and how to do it' manual, but more a here are a bunch of ideas/tools you can pick and chose from. You need to figure out what works for you and your association. I will be using the sources that I use for my association as examples, you should be able to find similar sources in your area.


This will not be a static post, I will update it as errors are found or when someone sends me information that fits in. If I have missed a tool or source that you use, please let me know. I am always looking for ways to better serve our association. 


Information

There are many of kinds of information that you may need to or want to pass on to your members. This is part 1 of a quick list and an overview of some of them:

Taxes
This is a topic that comes up every year. We are locate in Tiny Township which is in Simcoe County which is in province of Ontario located in Canada. Our property taxes are determined by both Tiny and Simcoe. So starting in January, I try to keep an eye on budgeting process for both Tiny and Simcoe. The both have good websites and the local paper do a good job on reporting budget debates. The other item that determines our property taxes is the valuation of your property which is determined by Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). The MPAC website is a great one, lots of good information there on how the system work and what to do if you think your assessment is wrong. FOCA has had them speak at seminars. just before the start of the last two assessment cycles.


By-law's
Generally local by-laws can have a big impact on the cottage. 

Zoning changes can have an impact on the value of your members property.

Tiny Township enacted a new by-law banning the burning of leaves starting in 2016. This was in response to a number of incidences where the township fire department had to respond to leaf burning fires that got out of control. We posted about it as soon as we found out about it and we will repost about it sometime in April just to remind everyone before cottage opening time. 

If you find out about proposed changes you can fight them if your association feels they are detrimental to your cottage values. We found out about a plan to put in a number of street lights on our road. We did not think it was a good plan. We talked to another association that would be affected too and to several individual property owners that would be impacted as well. We started a email/letter writing program and several members went to and presented to council, and we were able to defeat the proposal. If we had not found out about it in the early stages who know how it would have played out.

Provincial & Federal Government
These levels of government have an impact too. 

If you have a lot members who fish in your association changes to the fishing rules and regulations for your area may be of importance. Those who only fish once or twice a year a less likely to keep up on the any changes..

If you are on or near the Trent-Severn or the Rideau waterways the Federal Government will have a huge impact on your boating enjoyment. I know a lot of boaters were not happy when they cut the number of lock crews and changed the hours of operation. 

The Provincial government's cover:

• Air and water quality
• Climate change
• Fish and wildlife 
• Maps 
• Environmental assessments 
• The electricity system 
• Health care services and locations
• Crown Land
• Northern development
• Ontario parks
• Fishing and hunting
• Tourism
• And much more

The Federal Government covers:

• Natural resources
• National Conservation Plan
• Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
• Culture
• History
• Sports
• Canada's Coast Guard
• And much more

There is some overlap in their rolls.

Road construction
Road work affects all of us... 

If your municipality is going to be working on the road behind your cottage this summer maybe you do not want to schedule your 2 weeks at the cottage during the planned time of that work.

Is the main street in your local town going to have major work this summer? If so let your member know.

Is the province planning major work for the main highway to your area? Let your members know early and often...  

     Here is a link to an post I did about work that is being planed for Hwy 400 in the 
Bradford area over the next few years.  http://bit.ly/1VoHK0t  It will have an impact on the Friday night drive to the cottage. By letting your members know early they can start thinking about options. If they are to the west of the 400 there are a number of options to explore and see what works best for them. If you are to the east, not a lot of options unless you want to drive around Lake Simcoe, or take Yonge Street north, or drive west past the 400 then go north. 

Safety
Your local fire department can keep you up to date on current fire hazard level. In Tiny they have a link on the front page of the township side to the current fire hazard level. If the level is extreme there may even be a fire ban. They also post fire safety tips. Even if the tips seem to be old news to you, there may be new people in your association that do not know about them.

Your local police department is a source of information. They can let you know if there are a rash of break-ins or any scams going on in the area. In Tiny the OPP are the local police force, I also follow the Midland, Barrie, and South Simcoe forces. 

If you are on the Great Lakes or the St. Lawrence river, following the Canadian Coast Guard is a very good idea. In the winter you can find out about ice breaking operations in your area. Lots of good information for new boaters is on their site.

Weather alerts are very important. Tornados and Ice Storms are just two examples very bad weather events. I try to repost weather alerts for our area as soon as I see them. 

Weather forecasts
     Weather is a major driver for what you are going to do that the cottage. 

     I usually take a screenshot from my one of my weather apps and post it on our Facebook page showing the 7 day forecast on wednesday before a long weekend. it can start a conversation of "saturday night is not looking great, let's move the party to sunday night". On the long weekends you tend to have more days and nights to plan and a little more flexibility on going to and coming home from the cottage. How many of us add a day on to the long weekend?

The FOCA March Elert is out

The FOCA March Elert is out

Some of the highlights

If you are planning to go to the Spring Cottage Life Show, click through and get the code to save on you pre order tickets

This week was World Water Day (on March 22nd), an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others, and take action to make a difference. The sustainability of our precious lakes and rivers is our collective responsibility, and water features prominently in the new UN

New Electricity Pricing for 2016 and beyond:

Within the next month, Hydro One customers will be receiving 2016 electricity bills that reflect the change to "all-fixed" distribution rates. Find out more about new electricity pricing

FOCA was pleased to have senior representatives from MPAC (the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) at our Spring Seminar on March 5th. MPAC spoke about the new property assessments which are rolling out over the next few months, regional trends in waterfront assessments, and changes coming to the "Request for Reconsideration" (RfR) process for property owners wishing to challenge their assessments.

http://bit.ly/1pCHUFh FOCA

Social Media for the Cottage Associations Part 1

I have been cottaging pretty much since I was born, at our family cottage on Georgian Bay. I have great memories of events organized by the Clearwater Beach Ratepayers Association when I was growing up. Since about 2000, I have had the pleasure of serving my cottage association. First as a volunteer for a number of years at our Fun Day/BBQ, then joining the board in a number of capacities, first as Secretary, then Vice President, and now President. Part of the job of the board of a Cottage Association is keeping your members informed. Social Media can give you a great tool kit for both getting information and sharing it to your members.

This is the first of several posts on using Social Media for a cottage association. This post is just an overview. I will be going in to more detail in future posts.

The idea behind this series is that it is not so much a "this is what and how to do it' manual, but more a "here are a bunch of ideas/tools you can pick and chose from". You need to figure out what works for you and your association. I will be using the sources that I use for my association as examples, you should be able to find similar sources in your area.

This will not be a static post, I will update it as errors are found or when someone sends me information that fits in. If I have missed a tool or source that you use, please let me know. I am always looking for ways to better serve our association.

Information

There are a many of kinds of information that you need to pass on to your members:

Taxes
     Are they going up, by how much, and why. Where is the tax money being spent.

By-law's
     Proposed by-laws, new by-laws and changes to by-laws that affect your members. 

Road construction
     Road work affects all of us... 

Safety
     Police, Fire, Coast Guard, weather alerts, weather forecasts

Local events
    Festivals
    Concerts

Local attractions
     Museums
     Historic Sites
     Boat Cruises 

Local Companies
    Any companies that sponsor your association
    Great restaurants in the area, because sometime you just want eat out
    Is there a local store close to your association that is great for picking up that one item you forgot?
    Is there a sidewalk sale in town?
      
Elections
    Local elections, who is running for what. Is there a cottager running?
    Provincial elections, which parties platform is cottage friendly?
    Federal elections, which parties platform is cottage friendly?


Sources

There are a number of great sources for information. Plug in to as many sources as you can, but watch out for information overload,

Your members are a great source of information.

Government at the  Local, Regional, Provincial, and Federal levels
     Web Sites
     Twitter Accounts
     FaceBook Pages

Shows/Expositions 
     There are a number of cottage shows/expositions, 2 of ones that I love to go to are the Cottage Life shows (they have a Spring and a Fall show) and Ottawa Cottage and Backyard show

Associations
     Cottage related associations like FOCA
     Local business associations

Police
     Many local police forces have a web site, Facebook page, twitter stream. The OPP is a great source of info in Ontario.

Magazines
     Magazines have great information, in the magazine, on their web site, Facebook page, Twiter stream

Newspaper
    Local newspapers have great information, in the paper, on their web site, Facebook page, Twitter stream...

TV
    Local TV stations have great information, in the news cast, on their web site, Facebook page, Twitter steam.... 

Web Sites
     There are a lot of great websites on cottaging. 

Blogs    
     There are number of great blogs focusing on cottaging and cottage related things.

Books
     There are a lot of great books out there on cottaging. 

Facebook
     There are a number of Facebook pages that are cottage related or cover the area your association is in.

Twitter
     There are a number of Twitter feeds  that are cottage related or cover the area your association is in.

Google Plus
     There are a number of Google Plurs feeds  that are cottage related or cover the area your association is in.


Tools

There are a lot of tools for getting information to your members. This is a quick list of 


AGM
     Great for face to face communication but they happen once a year.

Newsletter
     Great for putting out a lot of information but they are a lot of work to write and there may be a cost to produce and/or distribute a physical copy.

Email
     Lots use, from single focus emails to long rambling updates. Downside we all suffer from email overload....

Web Site
     Great for putting out lots of information, but your members have to want to check up on the site. Depending on how your site was set up, posting quick updates may not be that easy. 

Blogs
     Great for putting out lots of information. Blogs are designed for quick rapid postings, but your members will have to want to check up on the blog. 

Facebook
    Great for putting out lots of information. You can share posts from other Facebook pages/accounts to your groups page very easily. Depending on how your members have set up their Facebook accounts, they may get notifications of new posts.

Twitter
     Great for putting out lots of information. You can easily share tweets from other Twitter accounts to your groups account very easily, but your members have to want to check their twitter stream.

Google Plus
     Great for putting out lots of information. You can share posts from other accounts to your groups account very easily. Great tool for photos. Every one who has a gmail account can every easily have a  Google Plus account. Your members have to want to check up on their Google Plus stream.

Instagram
     Great for putting out lots of photos live from an event. Great tools for photos from a smart phone. You can set your account up to cross post to a number of other social media sites. Your members have to want to check up on their Instagram stream.

Pintrest
     Great for putting out lots of photos. Great tool for photos you can set up your account to cross post to Facebook and/or Twitter. Your members have to want to check up on their Pintrest stream.

Planning To Have A Outdoor Fire This Year?

Just a reminder

===========

New in 2016!! The burning of leaves is strictly prohibited in Tiny

Fire permits can be purchased through the Township of Tiny Office, at 130 Balm Beach Road West, Perkinsfield (9:00 am to 4:30 pm) Monday to Friday.

They can also be purchased for $20.00 cash only at the 5 (five) following locations:

1) Lafontaine SuperMarket, 345 rue Lafontaine Road West, Lafontaine

2) Wyevale Jug City, 870 County Road 6 South, Wyevale

3) Mailloux Jug City, 594 Champlain Road, North West Basin

4) LA Hill Esso Station, 2 Lafontaine Road East, Lafontaine

5) R&P Gas, 2236 County Road 92, Elmvale

You can also download a copy of the Fire Permit application and rules, by clicking on the link located on the left side of this page entitled "Fire Permit Application".

It is the applicant's responsibility to know if a Fire Ban is in effect.

For FIRE BAN INFORMATION contact the Township of Tiny office at (705) 526-4204 ext 226 or check the Fire Rating Symbol on the Home Page

REMEMBER IT'S ILLEGAL TO BURN WITHOUT A VALID FIRE PERMIT

============

I ordered mine in January and received it in about a week or so.

Highway 400 bridge replacement planned

Highway 400 bridge replacement planned
The province is widening Highway 400, from Highway 9 north to the Holland Marsh – widening and replacing the bridges over the North and South Canals.

The South Canal Bridge replacement will take place first, with completion slated for 2018. Once that project, and the construction of the new interchange at the 400 & Line 5 BWG are completed, work will begin on the North Canal Bridge replacement, Bradford West Gwillimbury Council was told by Mike Trader, Senior Association and Professional Engineer with Stantec.

http://bit.ly/1XDzTux Bradford Times


Looks like a bad news good news thing.. looks like a few years of traffic headaches for those who take the 400 north from south of Bradford

Disasters that can happen at the cottage over the winter

Disasters that can happen at the cottage over the winter

There’s no heart-sinking moment worse than going up to the cottage and discovering … disaster. Just like that, the anticipation of enjoying a little peace and quiet turns into a whirlwind of repairs, insurance claims, or worse. Winter can be nasty to your cottage, but proper preparation and maintenance can help you avoid some of the more common cold-weather disasters.

Read all about it on the Cottage Life site
http://bit.ly/1KyThaA Cottage Life


If you are up at the cottage, have a quick check of cottages on either side of you if they are not up.

FOCA Elert - January 2016

The January FOCA Elert is out

Some of the topics/items covered

After concerns last year about municipal plans for septage management, FOCA wrote an article on the topic in the recent edition of the OOWA Onsite Newsletter.

April 1-3, 2016 - Spring Cottage Life Show, Toronto. Come visit the FOCA booth at this season-starting event!

The OPP and Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs issued a joint release last week, on the topic of safe snowmobiling.

Parks Canada has announced that avid boaters can take advantage of their "Early Bird Offer" until March 31st: receive 10% off mooring with the purchase of a seasonal lockage & mooring package ($1 off per foot), or one free night of mooring with the purchase of a 6-day permit.

Click on the link below to see the Elert.

http://bit.ly/200bTSM FOCA

You can sign up to get the FOCA Elert delivered to you email in box.

Wye Marsh to share plans, gather input

Wye Marsh to share plans, gather input 

http://bit.ly/1nuDzCJ Midland Mirror
The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre will host a summit Feb. 9 to share its plans for the future and hear input from supporters.

If you love or just like the Wye Marsh, think about going if you want input on their plans.

De-Ice Your Cottage

Found this on Lifehacker.

How to Properly De-Ice Your Home
http://bit.ly/1JvocEA Lifehacker

Written for your house but it works for the cottage as well. Picking the right de-icing material and how to use them.

Welcome to the 2015/2016 Clearwater Beach Fishing Contest

Welcome to the 2015/2016 Fishing Contest

Sam Sapiano will again coordinate the Clearwater Beach Fishing Contest for 2016

Prizes will be awarded for the largest fish by weight, in each of the following classes: Bass, Pike, Trout, Pickerel, and Odd Fish.

The Contest runs until to midnight August 28th 2016. The contest is open to all Association members and their guests. Each fish entered must be weighed with in 8 hours of being caught, and the weight, measurements and all other details must be confirmed by a Director of the Association. Pass the details to Sam Sapiano 1549 Champlain Road by August 29th. In the event of a tie by weight, the largest fish dimensionally will be declared the class winner.

All decisions of the Fishing Contest Committee will be final. Sam is in charge.

You can post a photo of your entry in to 2016 Fishing Contest album on our Facebook page. Please make sure you put your name and the length of the fish. If you are not on Facebook you can email it to clearwaterbeachratepayers@gmail.com and we will post it for you.

For those not on Facebook you can see the photo's here http://clearwaterbeachontario.blogspot.ca/p/clearwater-beach.html it may be a day or two behind.

Sam, Anthony, and I are working on adding Catch and Release to the contest. We should have the new rules ready to be added to summer newsletter so we are all ready for next years contest.

Latest updates from Hydro One

Latest updates from Hydro One


Before you fly away, unplug to save energy and protect your home
http://bit.ly/1RKZsev Hydro One
If you are planning on being away from home for an extended period of time this winter, Hydro One has some helpful tips for you to consider.


Keeping you informed – the Debt Retirement Charge coming off bills in 2016
http://bit.ly/1ZpDcWk Hydro One
Most customers currently pay $0.07 per kWh for the Debt Retirement Charge. A typical customer using 800 kWh a month will see a savings of $5.60 per month. This is a decrease on your bill of 3.4%.


Customer Initiatives – My Account
http://bit.ly/1Pg5wok Hydro One
My Account is a secure, password-protected, self-service web portal for Hydro One customers. There, customers are able to manage their account preferences, view their bill in PDF format, submit various service requests online and customers on Time-of-Use can view their electricity usage.

Time for a wood stove upgrade?

On my long list of cottage projects, is to put in a new wood stove. A lot has changed since we last installed one back in the early 70's. I want to start using the cottage more in the early spring, late fall and winter, that can take a lot of heat and wood stove fits the bill nicely for our cottage layout. Cottage Life put a nice list of current wood stoves.

http://bit.ly/1O4N2Yd   Cottage Life