Dewhirst Cottage Care
The Miller Cottage on Newboro Lake at golden hour

The Dewhirst Property Playbook™ · Sample

The Miller Cottage

Newboro Lake · Rideau Lakes, Ontario

📖 This is a sample Playbook, built on a fictional cottage to show the format and depth. Every real Playbook is built from a walkthrough of your place. (Access codes here are fake; real ones are encrypted and shown only to signed-in staff.)

Property
The Miller Cottage
Owners
Bob & Susan Miller (Ottawa, ON)
Location
12 Loon Bay, Newboro Lake
Access
Water access only — ~10 min by boat
Type
3-season · wood stove + electric baseboard
Cared for by
Dewhirst Cottage Care
Exterior of the Miller Cottage — deck, big windows, on the rock
The cottage from the deck side — grey siding, wood stove chimney, water-access only.

1 · Getting there & access

By water, into Loon Bay.

From Newboro village, launch at the public ramp off Drummond St and head north-east across the main basin. Keep the small green marker to starboard into Loon Bay — the cottage is the grey-sided place with the red canoe rack. No road access; everything comes in by water.

Approaching the cottage by boat, green channel marker
The approach into Loon Bay — keep the green marker to starboard.

Keys: lockbox on the propane enclosure, mainland side of the boathouse. Winter access: once the ice is safe, on foot or by snowmobile from the marina side — the island access is a real constraint (see Emergency).

Key lockbox on the propane enclosure
Key lockbox, mounted on the propane enclosure.

2 · Property systems

Every system, documented and photographed.

💧 Water

Source: lake intake, foot valve ~15 ft off the dock. Pump: jet pump in the crawlspace, NE corner. Main shutoff: red-handled valve on the pressure tank. Quirk: the foot valve loses prime in a dry August — re-prime at the plug, never run the pump dry.

Jet water pump and pressure tank in the crawlspace
Jet pump & pressure tank, crawlspace NE corner.
Red-handled main water shutoff valve, labelled MAIN SHUT
Main water shutoff — the red handle, marked.

🔥 Heating

Wood stove in the main room (WETT-inspected 2023) plus electric baseboards. Winter setpoint 10 °C to satisfy the insurance freeze clause. Thermostat by the main door.

Thermostat set to 10 degrees for the winter
Winter setpoint held at 10 °C — the record the insurer wants.

⚡ Electrical

100 A panel in the mudroom closet, main breaker top-left, every circuit labelled — water pump, sump pump, furnace, dock/lift. No on-site generator.

Labelled electrical breaker panel in the mudroom
The panel — every breaker labelled so anyone knows what’s what.

🛢️ Propane

Two 100 lb cylinders in the boathouse enclosure, feeding the cookstove and a wall heater. Supplier: WC Gas Works (Elgin). Shutoff at the tank valves.

Two propane cylinders in a wooden enclosure
Propane cylinders and regulator, boathouse enclosure.

🌊 Waterfront & dock

Aluminum sectional dock and a boat lift, both removed each fall. Dock takes the brunt of a north-west blow — hardware gets checked after every storm.

Dock and covered boat lift below the cottage
Dock, boat lift, and the stairs up to the cottage.
The Miller Cottage at sunset from the water

Every cottage has a story. We write it down.

3 · Opening & closing

The exact routine for this cottage.

Opening (spring)

  1. Confirm the ice is fully out.
  2. Exterior walk for winter/storm damage.
  3. Restore breakers; prime & start the pump.
  4. Open water slowly; check every fixture.
  5. Flush antifreeze; test the water heater.
  6. Open propane; install dock & lift.
  7. Interior check; photo-and-video report.

Closing (fall)

  1. Shut off propane at the tanks.
  2. Water off; drain tank, pump, heater.
  3. Blow out the lines; antifreeze in traps.
  4. Remove dock & lift; pull the boat.
  5. Set baseboards to 10 °C.
  6. Clean fridge; set mouse deterrents.
  7. Lock up, set alarm; report + winter schedule.

4 · Quirks & local knowledge

The part only we know.

  • Foot valve loses prime in a dry August — re-prime, never run dry.
  • The mudroom door swells in humidity; lift-and-pull.
  • Red squirrels have gotten into the north soffit twice — check each fall.
  • Dock takes the brunt of a north-west blow; check hardware after storms.
  • Best cell signal is on the dock, not inside.

5 · Emergency guide

Fast shutoffs, and an honest word on access.

In a fire, medical emergency, or break-in: call 911.

Water: red valve on the pressure tank, crawlspace. Power: main breaker, mudroom closet, top-left. Propane: valves at the boathouse tanks.

Island reality: this is a water-access cottage. In winter, response depends on safe ice — we give honest ETAs and coordinate the fastest safe route. This constraint is exactly why documented regular checks matter here.

This is what your cottage’s Playbook looks like.

Let’s build yours.

Every Playbook starts with a free assessment — we walk your cottage, document what matters, and it’s yours to keep.

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