Protection Island Oceanfront for sale: 3 + 2 bedroom Suite (Listed 2010-01-21)

10026

$789,000

Lot: 11; Pl: 21569; LD: Nanaimo (32); Narrative: DOUGLAS ISLAND KNOWN AS PROTECTION ISLAND.

$4,575.34 (2009)

RS-4 (SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ISLAND ZONE)

Protection Island Beach House is located on the southern tip of Protection Island, a stones throw or a ten minute ferry ride from downtown Nanaimo. From the moment you walk into the house the ever changing view instantly relaxes. The wood stove keeps you warm and cozy in the winter, or warm up in the out door hot tub while watching the eagles soar overhead. In the summer the sandy beach is great for warm afternoon swims. Take the canoe out and paddle around the island, about an hour if you're in full swing and on island time.

The funky, flat roofed home is fronted by a red and black sand beach and looks south towards the Nanaimo River estuary and Gabriola Island. The all-glass living room and master bedroom are the perfect perch for watching ferries, fishing boats and pleasure crafts cruising past.

Protection Island Beach House was barged to Protection Island from Sidney. It was then fully renovated with a construction mandate to use recycled and repurposed materials. Sourced reclaimed wood, salvaged logs and wood milled right on the property were utilized along with a collection of funky antiques. Combined with modern design elements, like a mix of galvanized sheeting and cedar shakes on the exterior, the house has a strikingly unique look. The interior layout is open and inviting, perfect for groups of family or friends.

As explained by a writer for a green getaway article for Protection Island Beach House “Almost everything in the home – indeed the house itself – was reincarnated from other uses and tastefully pieced together into a modern design that could have come from the pages of Architectural Digest or Dwell Magazine.”

“It’s a pretty neat spot – most people drive golf carts here,” says Melanie Banas, the current owner of the beach house along with her partner Pepi Krajc. “It’s like being on one of the remote Gulf Islands, but it’s only a couple minute boat ride from Nanaimo. It’s an easy escape.”

Protection Island Beach House has 1500 square feet of living space on the main floor with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There is a 2 bedroom 858 square foot suite below that is currently rented out to a long term tenant. The home will be sold mostly furnished.

From the deck on the main floor there is a hot tub where you can look at stunning views across the strait to the spectacular cliffs of Gabriola Island. Looking out the kitchen and third bedroom windows you can watch the sunset over the city of Nanaimo and drop down behind Mt. Benson.

Master Bedroom
The large master bedroom includes a custom built ensuite bathroom with a large jetted tub for two and a vanity with two sinks. There is a king size bed and french doors that walk out to a private patio area. There is also a large closet and stacking washer and dryer in the closet

Second Bedroom
The second bedroom has a double bed and french doors that open out to a walk way patio which joins the main deck and hot tub area

Third Bedroom
The third bedroom has a queen size bed, a closet and views out toward the west and Mt. Benson

Bathroom
The main 4 piece bathroom is located directly between the bedrooms and the kitchen/living room.

Living Room
The large living room has a wood stove and opens out onto the deck.

Deck & Hot Tub
The large ocean facing deck includes a six person hot tub, stairs down to the ocean side yard and beach.

The entrance to the house is also a nice place to sit in the late afternoon and early evening to watch the sunset over Mt. Benson. It's custom built benches allow comfortable lounging which overlooks the garden.

Suite
The 2 bedroom 858 square foot suite is tastefully finished and self contained. It is currently rented out to a long term tenant for $775 a month.

Protection Island
Protection Island is a rare and beautiful kind of place; it's rare because it's a little island right in the city's harbour, without a bridge going to it. Imagine the result: a typical Georgia Strait island with tall forests and sandstone tidepools, but only a five minute boat ride from downtown.

The culture on Protection Island is part of the draw for visitors. This is a community where people know their neighbors, and if you don't say hello to the guy pushing a wheelbarrow down the street (most residents don't have a car on this side), you might as well be wearing a "tourist" sign on your shirt. There is an interesting blend of types of people here, too, characteristic of the gulf islands in general; there are hippies and rednecks and yuppies, all living in reasonable harmony.

Protection Island is so gorgeous, with its dense woods and beaches that turn exotically sandy when the tide is out. There are heron rookeries in the arbutus groves, where the herons protect their young from predatory eagles by croaking in unison, an intimidating prehistoric chant. Seals and otters also circle the island, which is great for the hundreds of kayakers that come exploring, or paddle joyfully back and forth from the city to their island getaways.

Picture this: Protection Island is the smaller of the two islands in Nanaimo Harbour. The other is Newcastle Island, a massive and densely forested Provincial historic island park. You can walk to Newcastle Island from Protection Island at low tide!

The Dinghy Dock is a floating pub on the city-side of Protection Island. You can take the Protection Connection ferry, a converted BC Ferries lifeboat, from downtown (near Port Place Mall on the waterfront). The crossing takes less than ten minutes in the little boat, which carries about 30 people comfortably. The pub serves seafood dishes as well as standard pub fare, and has a family section.

Protection Island Facts.

OPPORTUNITY

Protection Island Beach House has been run as a going concern cashing in on the healthy lower mainland tourism market. Last summer the upstairs was fully booked weekly at $1500/week from June-September. This winter it is being rented for $2000/month until the summer season starts again in May.

The downstairs two bedroom suite is currently being rented long term and brings in $775/month. Great insurance to have the house occupied while you or guests are not there.

Visit the Protection Island Beach House Website.

Protection Island is nestled in the harbour of Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Nanaimo is 1.5 hours drive from Victoria or a 20 minute flight from Vancouver on Harbour Air Seaplanes.

From Nanaimo’s inner city harbour catch the Protection Connection Ferry running every 10 minutes past the hour. (7am - 10 or 11pm daily) The Protection Connection is a passenger and bicycle ferry only.

Once on Protection Island there is a van included in the sale to get you and your belongings to Protection Island Beach House.

Protection Island has electricity and the convenience of full sewer and water provided by the City of Nanaimo.

It is worth leaving the couch. During the day the home’s location is perfect for sea kayak day trips to Gabriola, Newcastle, Mudge and Decorsi islands, all within paddling distance, as is downtown Nanaimo. History buffs will marvel in the remains of a coal mine based on the island with tunnels under the harbour. While those looking for a place to wind down will find solitude, quiet and a friendly community, easily accessed by ferries. And a big hot tub, nestled in the sprawling deck overlooking the water. At night take a stroll along the quiet roads to the Dingy Dock Pub or settle in for home cooked meal in the fully equipped kitchen.

The first Europeans to find Nanaimo Bay were those of the 1791 Spanish voyage of Juan Carrasco, under the command of Francisco de Eliza. They gave it the name Bocas de Winthuysen.

Nanaimo began as a trading post in the early 1800s; in 1849 the Snuneymuxw chief Ki-et-sa-kun ("Coal Tyee") informed the Hudson's Bay Company of the presence of coal in the area, and in 1853 the company built a fort known as the Nanaimo Bastion (still preserved). Subsequently the town was chiefly known for the export of coal.

Robert Dunsmuir helped establish coal mines in the Nanaimo harbour area as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, and later mined in Nanaimo as one of the first independent miners. In 1869 Dunmuir discovered coal several miles North of Nanaimo at Wellington, and subsequently created the company Dunsmuir and Diggle Ltd so he could acquire crown land and finance the startup of what became the Wellington Colliery. With the success of Dunsmuir and Diggle and the Wellington Colliery, Dunsmuir expanded his operations to include steam railways. Dunsmuir sold Wellington Coal through its Departure Bay docks, while competing Nanaimo coal was sold by the Vancouver Coal Company through the Nanaimo docks.

The 1887 Nanaimo Mine Explosion killed 150 miners and was the largest man-made explosion until the Halifax Explosion. In the 1940s, lumber supplanted coal as the main business although Minetown Days are still celebrated in the neighbouring community of Lantzville.