Cottage Opening & Closing in Tiny Township, ON

We open your cottage in the spring and close it in the fall so the place is ready when you arrive and safe when you leave. This service is for the owners of the 4,000-plus seasonal dwellings along Tiny's beaches who live two hours away and would rather spend the May long weekend on the deck than under the sink. You get water running and tested before you arrive, lines drained and it's protected before the first hard freeze, and a photo report both times.


What an Opening Covers

We turn the water on at the main and walk every line while it pressurizes and check the water heater, run every tap and the outdoor hose bib, and look under each sink with a flashlight. Outside: we check deck boards, railings pushed, eavestroughs, and the roofline checked for anything that the winter might have moved or damaged. Inside, we look for mouse evidence, open the windows if the weather allows it, and set the fridge running. We'll provide you with a set of photos and a short list of anything that needs attention, with a price beside each item.

What a Closing Covers

We shut the main, open the low drains, and blow or drain the supply lines so nothing holds water through a Midland winter, where the January mean is minus 8.5 degrees. We pour plumbing antifreeze into every trap and toilet, shut off and drain the water heater, and leave the taps open. We pull screens, stow the deck furniture, plug the gaps where mice get in with steel wool, empty and prop the fridge, set the heat if you keep it on, and lock up. The last photo in the set is the thermostat and the main shutoff, so you can see both from the city.

The Plumbing Line We Do Not Cross

Draining lines and adding antifreeze is maintenance, and we do it every spring and fall. Cutting, re-piping, or replacing a fitting that failed over the winter is plumbing, and Plumber is a compulsory trade in Ontario. When an opening turns up a split line, we shut the water, photograph the break, and give you the number of a licensed plumber who works the beaches. If you want us to coordinate, we book them and meet them at the door. HomeStars' own cottage guides say the same thing about older plumbing and wiring, and we would rather lose an hour than hand you a problem next spring.


What Affects the Price

Openings and closings are flat-priced, $350 to $450 per visit, by the size of the cottage and the number of fixtures. A two-bedroom beach cottage with one bathroom sits at the low end. Repairs we find get their own price and wait for your go-ahead.


Cottage Opening & Closing FAQs

  • When should we book the opening?

    Openings cluster in the three weeks before the May long weekend, so book by mid-April for a date you like. If you arrive earlier, so do we. We open cottages from the first week of April on, weather and water table permitting.

  • Do we need to be there?

    No. Most owners leave us a key or a lockbox code and get the photo report by text. If you would rather be present the first time, we will time the visit to your arrival and walk the place with you.

  • What if you find a problem?

    We stop, photograph it, and call or text before we touch it, with a price if it is something we do and a referral if it is plumbing, electrical, or gas. Nothing gets fixed without your yes. If the problem makes the cottage unsafe to use, you hear about it the same day.

  • Can you close the place after Thanksgiving if we stay late?

    Yes. We close cottages from late September through November. The only rule is that the lines are drained before the first hard freeze, and in Tiny that can come in early November, so a late-October booking is the safe choice if you are still using the place on fall weekends.

Arrive to your cottage without a surprise.

Spring openings and fall closings.Book by mid-April for May.