Guest info

Welcome to Deep Bay Cottage!

Here is some general information about the cottage, and some instructions for TV, barbecue and laundry - just click on the question, or the instructions you need.   There is a hard copy of all this info in the purple folder on the desk in the cottage. 

What do we do in an emergency?

If you need to call 911, the cottage address is 294 Everett Drive, Nipissing. 

The nearest hospital is in North Bay - 705 474 8600 - it's on Hwy 17 (TransCanada) as you leave North Bay in the direction of Sturgeon Falls - address College Drive, North Bay.

There is a basic first-aid kit on top of the fridge. 

Problem with the cottage?

If you have an urgent concern with the cottage, please call cottage manager Brenda on 705 729 1928, or email  roger@commandalake.ca.  

What we provide (and what we don't)

- LINENS:  see below

- BATHROOM/UTILITY ROOM SUPPLIES:  we provide toilet rolls;  clothes washing liquid;  tumble dry sheets

- KITCHEN SUPPLIES:  We provide kitchen bin liners and garbage bags; cleaning materials;  paper coffee filters; cutlery plus plates, cups, bowls, pans etc; washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets;  plus starter supply only of kitchen towels and tissues

- KITCHEN EQUIPMENT:  this includes mixer;  blender;  hand blender.

Linens:  info

Linens are provided:  bed sheets, pillows and pillow cases, bed cover, bath and beach towel for each guest, plus tea towels, and hand towels in the bathrooms.  Extra blankets are available in the cupboard on the landing, and in the bunkie.   If you need extra pillows, there are some in the cupboard in bedroom 4 (the bedroom above the kitchen).  At the end of your stay, please strip the bed linen from your bed and leave your used towels and bed linen on the floor of your room - but if there are any beds you haven't used, please leave those intact!  

How the TV works

Instructions are here - TV instructions - 2  - and on the laminated card with the remotes.   Sorry, we haven't got round to doing instructions yet for the basement TV, but you can probably work it out.

Barbecue instructions

There are extra propane cylinders in the woodshed, in case one runs out.  Barbecue tools are in the bottom utensil drawer in the kitchen.  How to light the barbecue:  see instructions on barbecue - we usually light the barbecue with the lid closed. Note - make sure you turn off the gas at the cylinder when you've finished.  

Where are the nearest shops?

In Restoule we have an excellent general store, Gerry's, as well as a butchers and market store, Mill Bay Market.  To reach Restoule, travel out on Everett Drive into Lambs Road, and at the end, turn left onto Commanda Lake Road.  At the end of this, turn left onto Hwy 524 - cross the bridge, and keep going to the end of the road, where you will see the Corner Gospel Church.  Turn left onto Hwy 534, and you'll find Restoule after a couple of miles.   There is also a good supermarket in Powassan (35 mins from cottage - at Hwy 534, turn right);  or, there is just about everything in North Bay (50 minutes from cottage up Highway 11).  Huntsville is also excellent for shopping but a bit further (a little over an hour from cottage, south down Hwy 11).   

Can we drink the water?

The water is from a deep-drilled well, and we drink it with no problems.  Samples are sent for checking regularly.  However, the agency advise all renters to use bottled water for drinking.  Best to use boiled or bottled water for young children.

How the Internet works

This is available on the computer on the desk, and on wifi - the network is DeepBayCottage, and the password is Cottagenet (starting with capital C).   There is a separate network for the bunkie - it's DeepBayCottage2, same password.   

Using the canoes and kayaks

Lifejackets are in the alcove going down to the basement - there are orange safety boxes in the shed.  It's the law that you need to carry life-jackets and a safety box with you in the boats.  Paddles are in the shed near the lake.   You might like to take your cellphone in case of need - there is good cellphone coverage here now via Bell, and slightly flaky on Rogers.

What do we do with the garbage?

Please use the recycling bins in the tall kitchen cupboard, and use the clear kitchen bags for the  kitchen garbage can.  When the can is full, you can put the bag in the cans in the laundry room.   The Restoule dump is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon to 5 pm - please dispose of as much as you can then (you can put the recycling into clear bags) - John at the dump will be very happy to deal with your empty beer and wine bottles.  Black garbage bags are not allowed at the dump.  Brenda is happy to deal with your remaining garbage and recycling (hopefully no more than two bags) at the end of your stay,  To get to the dump, go to Restoule and carry on over the bridge into Hawthorn Drive.  The dump is a couple of miles down this road, on the left.   NB please bring the dump permit attached to the fridge, and don't forget to put it back!     

Who is this guy with the ride-on mower?

This is our neighbour Bryon, arriving to cut the grass.  He doesn't follow a regular schedule, so please allow him to get on with it!  

What do we do in a power outage?

There are flashlights on top of the cupboard beside fireplace.  If the outage goes on for a while, there is fresh 'emergency drinking water' in a sealed 5-litre container in the laundry room.   If necessary you can always get water for flushing the toilets from the lake (however, avoid using the basement toilet as that needs power to flush).  You can report the outage, and/or find out when power will be restored, by calling Hydro 1 helpline on 1 800 434 1235. 

There are also candles in the bottom cupboard of the vegetable store in the kitchen but please be very careful with them as they are a common fire hazard.

If a fuse blows...  

The breaker board is in the basement, so if a breaker goes, just switch it all the way off and switch it on again.    

Heating info

There is electric heat in all the rooms - the thermostats are left at zero, so turn these up if necessary.  If you feel it really is cold enough for a fire, you can use the Family Room wood stove.  There is newspaper in the chest in the living room area next to the kitchen, logs in the log shed and kindling there too.  There are matches on the book shelf next to the stove.  For safety, please keep the black tile base of the stove clear of all flammable materials. 

Laundry: hints and tips

There is some detergent sacs, and tumble dry sheets, in the cupboards in the utility room.    

Washing machine:  simply put one or two sacs in the drum, select a programme and press start. 

Tumble drier:  press power on - then we just use it on 'normal; medium;  sensor dry/normal; then press start.  Do check the filter.

There is a drying rack, if you need it, on the other side of the freezer.

The hot tub

The water is changed before each rental, so it won't be fully heated until the Monday morning.  The brown vinyl cover is not attached to the cover lifter:  if the cover is on straight, as you step into the hot tub, you can easily fold the cover over the lifting bar (the bar should be positioned just behind the centre line of the cover), then lift it so it sits behind the tub.   The water temperature is set at 100 degrees - best to leave it at that.  The Pump 1 button has slow and fast positions - when the tub is heating, the jets run at slow on their own.   Please do keep the cover on when the tub isn't being used (again, pull it towards you, then fold the second section down from outside the tub).  Annoyingly, 24 hours after it's restarted, the display shows what appears to be an error message, such as 'check filters' - these are reminders, not errors, so please just touch the temperature up/down buttons to cancel it, and don't worry about it! 

The hot tub is designed to it switches itself off after 20 minutes - time to get out then!  If you switch it back on, the pumps may get hot and cut out.  

We like to keep chemicals to a minimum - we just add a small amount of chlorine.  If you know what you are doing with hot tub chemicals, do help yourself to the supply in the laundry room.

PLEASE DON'T STAND OR SIT ON THE FILTER COVER - or the hub tub could crack.   

Pillows and blankets

Spare pillows, if you need them, are in the wardrobe in Bedroom 4 (the one above the kitchen).    Spare pillow cases are in the trunk at the foot of the bed in bedroom 1 (main bedroom).  Blankets are in the cupboard on the landing, between bedrooms 1 and 4.  

Kitchen:  hints and tips

The Stove:    To switch off, press 'clear/off'.  Pans etc are mostly in the bottom part of the glass hutch.  The hotplates are quite powerful - try to avoid using them on full power.

The Microwave: simply press 'time cook', put in the time you need, and press start.    

The Dishwasher:  tabs are in the cupboard next to the dishwasher, also rinse aid if the dishwasher says it needs it.  To start, just press 'start' when the door is OPEN, the close it.  A red light on the floor shows it's working - if it's flashing, it means it's paused, you have to press start again.  

Coffee maker:  This is a Keurig combined Carafe and Pod system.  For the Carafe, use a paper filter (there should be some in the kitchen cupboard), and add desired amount of coffee;  fill the water container (it's at the back, and lifts off easily);  press the power button, then the Carafe button, then select number of cups, then press central 'brew' button.  For a pod, just put in a pod and close the lid, select pod, select how large a brew you want (12 for a full large mug) then press central Brew button.  

Cleaning:  hints and tips

End of stay cleaning is included, but of course you will want to leave it as you found it and keep the place clean during the week!

Cleaning materials:  are in the tall cupboard in the kitchen (vacuum cleaner, mop, swiffer);  under the kitchen sink (Vim etc);   and in the cupboards in the laundry room.   The battery Dyson is brilliant for hoovering up sand on the floor - to empty it, lift up the red handle, and the bottom will pop open - then you need to push down the red handle first, then click the bottom back into place.   

Oven:  by all means use the oven's self-steam-cleaning cycle - spray water in the oven (spray bottle in bottom drawer) and turn on cleaning cycle.

Hob: In a box under the sink is some 'Ceramabryte' with a non-scratching scourer.  Please don't use steel wool - for stubborn marks carefully use the razor in the same box

Fridge:  Please make sure all food is removed from the fridge and freezer upstairs and the fridge downstairs.  Please make sure you give them a good wipe down before you leave

Septic system

All the waste water goes into a septic tank, so please go easy on the system.  Try to avoid long showers.  Above all, please be careful about what you put in the system - natural waste only, no nappies, toilet wipes etc. Please use only the toilet paper provided, and avoid using any bleach/Javex.  Problems are rare - but if you do get a strong and lingering smell of sewage in the garden, please call cottage manager Brenda immediately as there may be a blockage of some sort.

Pests

Mice: Please ensure that you keep floors and counters crumb free at the end of each day so that they do not become a problem.   

Chipmunks: we have some who would LOVE to be best friends with you - however, as they show their affection by urinating on you, and gain access to the house, this is to be discouraged.  

Bugs

Bugs vary hugely from year to year, month to month and day to day.  Just a few tips:

Mosquitoes:  Keep screen doors closed, and also the bedroom doors.  If some may have got into the bedrooms, then an hour before you go to bed, spray each room for about 7 seconds with the Raid Home Insect killer (in the cupboards in the utility room), and leave the door shut.  You could do the same for the main floor when you go to bed.    You are welcome to use our mosquito lanterns for the gazebo - but you'll need to buy your own pads and candles.     

Ants:  we have had the occasional visiting ants every year.   So at night, please make sure the kitchen is clean, and no food left exposed anywhere.   

Young Children

There is a 'play yard' cots in bedroom 4, in the cedar closet.  Instructions in a plastic pouch attached to it.  In the kitchen, on top of the recycling cupboard, is a craft box and some safety tools for cupboards etc.    

What about smoking on the property? 

Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the cottage or the bunkie.  Smoking outside is ok, but of course please make sure you do not leave any smouldering butts, and do tidy up the butts.

What about pets?

Please prevent them going on our neighbours' properties, and do clean up their mess after them.  There are poo bags in the kitchen cupboard.  In the cottage, please don't allow them on the beds or the chairs and sofas.