All this discussion in the comments about my ‘land dispute’ made me pull up my land records. Well, I got quite a shock from doing so. The area was surveyed in 2011 and here’s the result, with my lot highlighted:

See how it says 30.48 metres by 15.25 metres?

30.48 metres is 100′. But 15.25 metres is 50′, not 40′! I have 10′ more frontage/1,000 square feet more than I thought I did!!!!!!!!

The chain of title is clear. Vacant lot to ownership by RM to ownership by C&C to ownership by yours truly.

I went out this afternoon and started raking leaves. Here is one of about five piles of the same size:

I’m nowhere near done yet.

I then did an informal survey to get a better idea of the property boundaries. The ones on the east side are nebulous and in under brush. But even giving or taking as much as 10′ puts me way further west than I would have expected. In fact, my rough measuring took me to almost exactly the line where the neighbours on the west stop their lawn maintenance. Once I looked for that line, it because really obvious.

I thought my property line ended just where the truck is parked, with those trees ahead of it being of ambiguous ownership. Nope, my property line extends a little further west to just about the other trees. In fact, I am now convinced that the shed above is right or just a few feet from, the property line. Colour me gobsmacked.

Next time I see Caroline, I will ask her to confirm how much she mowed last summer as that will confirm my informal little survey.

I am SO glad the guy stopped by yesterday or I would have started work with a severely underestimated idea of my actual lot boundaries.

I took a break from all the raking midafternoon and went down the street to Laura’s to see if she wanted company. We ended up gabbing over coffee for about an hour. She has a beautiful house and property that she has lived in for 25+ years and just recently completely remodeled and redecorated.

She has all sorts of fruit trees as well as a vegetable garden. If I do spend all of next summer here, I am going to get started on a garden as I would be here for the full growing season. I definitely have the space for it!

So that’s the kind of day it’s been, never mind that I am behind on my transcription work. Sometimes, a gal’s just got to spend some time outside. 🙂

Yesterday, I headed over to Laura’s place to join her and Caroline for a game or two of ‘hand and foot canasta’, a weekly event.

I asked Caroline if the unpleasant man had come to talk to her about my lot. Yes. He was very rude to her and couldn’t conceive that he had essentially been taken by the guy he bought the house from. That will teach him to buy a lot without checking the survey map.

There is NO doubt of my lot’s boundaries and that it was the RM’s to sell to Caroline and Charles to sell to me. I am not in a land/property line dispute, and I doubt I’ll hear anything more about this.

Canasta was heaps of fun and even though the rules were overwhelming, I picked it up fairly quickly. I whooped my friends’ butts on the first round and then Caroline cleaned up on the second. Caroline left around 11:00 and then Laura and I chatted for a good while longer. The saying is true, “there are no strangers, just friends you haven’t met yet.”

I’ve got tons of work to do again this weekend, but I still want to get my yard cleaned up a little of all the leaves. I’ll head over to Laura’s in a little bit to borrow a lawn rake. Scratch that, Charles just brought me one. Ooh, and I’m invited to dinner tomorrow!

Here’s what I’ve come up with as to the eventual layout of my property:

It is drawn to scale. The driveway area is 40’x20′. The RV pad area is 12’x80′. I’ve realised now that that’s too narrow as I have the plan drawn right to the property, so it’ll likely become 20’x80′ and everything else will shift over 8′. I then have a strip of grass and a 4′-wide path running down the property (I’m thinking of pavers to connect the strip to the RV pad area).

The brown square is a 10’x10′ structure, the biggest I can have without increasing my property taxes.

This sketch really helps me see the proportions and potential of this narrow strip of land. Miranda would be backed up into the corner and then another RV could back in ahead of her. There would be plenty of driveway to make it easy to come into the entrance and swing into the RV pad strip.

I have trees encroaching on the green lawned area, so leaving it as would be the least amount of work. This sketch also shows that I have more than enough space for a larger structure should I ever decide to add one.

I found a gravel calculator that puts my gravel costs at about $350, which seems very low to me, so I need to double check the math. I want to put down 6″ of material over about 2,500 square feet, and gravel is currently $7/yard. If that’s accurate, then that’s awesome! Of course, I’d also have to hire someone with a tractor to move the stuff around and pack it down to make a level surface.

The RM got back to me about my questions and the gist of it was, “You’re on your own. Ask around for someone who knows where to tap into the water lines and don’t bother asking for permits.”

I am looking at $116.25 to get water and garbage collection for three months, which is about how long I’ll be here when I get back in July. So that’s less than $250 for a whole summer.

Tomorrow, I’ll ask Caroline and Charles the name of the local handy guy who knows where all the water lines are so I can call and get an idea of how much it would cost to get a tap here. This is such a small lot that it doesn’t matter where the tap ends up at this point as I have more than enough hose to get from Miranda to any point. My thinking is to have the tap put on right at the property line so I have to run less pipe and spend less money.

Miranda being parked in the corner is not negotiable for a number of reasons. First of all, I only care about the view out of my passenger side, so it makes sense to park with the driver’s side against the treeline so I can look out over the property. I also get more of a rear view from that corner than from any other spot on the lot. Finally, the power pole is right there so I could get a metre and outlets installed right there.

This plan is going to be done in stages as money frees up. I think the order of stages will be water, shed, gravel, power.

*glances at the clock* Eep, 11:00 a.m. and I haven’t done any work today! Time to get cracking!

Moments ago, a guy knocked on my door and the following conversation ensued:

Me: Yes?
Man: Who owns this lot?
Me: I do.
Man: Is that so? The guy who sold me the place next door told me my land extends right to those trees, so it includes this lot.
Me: That is incorrect. I have a deed duly registered with the government of Saskatchewan.
Man: Is that so? Who sold it to you?
Me: Caroline and Charles. Caroline told me this week that there were some assumptions about the ownership of this lot, but it clearly belonged to no one. They bought it, and several other vacant lots, from the RM and sold it to me.
Man: Is that so? I’m going to talk to Charles about this.

Now, I know I am the rightful owner of this land and that Caroline and Charles will set this guy straight, but that was rather unnerving!

This morning, I walked across the village to the ‘post office’, which is a lean-to attached to someone’s house. You walk into the lean-to and there are some PO boxes, clutter, and a door with a bell. The sign outside said the counter hours were about 8:30 to 1:15, so being within those hours, I rang the bell.

A gentleman quickly answered, opening the top of the door, and apologized, saying the post master had stepped out. I wanted to get a PO box, mail two letters, and advise the post master that I had an Amazon package sent general delivery. He handed me a notepad on which to write my name and ‘address’ (legal land description plus descriptive description). I added a note about the incoming package and handed back the notepad and my two letters. My business was essentially done. I’ll try back Monday and see if there is a box ready for me.

It was a lovely stroll even though the sky was spitting. We’re in a grey stretch and power is becoming a concern. But once May is done, it’ll be endless sunshine into the fall, so I just need to hang in there.