The Miss Vandenburg Floating House

3 bedroom floating chalet Located in EDWARDSBURGH Township

(when we switched to our new website provider in June, 2009, this property was listed as being For Sale. It is NOT for sale)

Ideally suited for adults only or families who can closely supervise their children. A minimum depth of 12 feet of water provides excellent mooring for vessels of almost any size.

Please go to: www.vistascanada.com/711/. This is a virtual tour of the floating chalet with interior and exterior panoramic views of the home. This will become a permanent part of this website in the future.

This three-bedroom floating chalet, built in 1995, is a unique vacation experience! Dock your boat virtually at your door-or at least at the end of the huge deck! You can also water ski right from the back deck or dive right in for a swim! We supply a canoe for all spring, summer and fall rentals. A paddleboat is on sight for July and August and can be made available upon request during other months of the year. There is a beach adjacent to the home, as well as a nearby shipwreck within sight of the chalet where you can snorkel or scuba dive. A short paddle away off-shore there is a couple of the 1000 Islands. One island even has a small inland lake, a beautiful habitat for both deer, birds and fish and more fish. In the winter you can cross-country ski, snowshoe or skate from your back deck. The ice fishing is some of the best in eastern Ontario.

The ship, or home, is called the "Miss Vandenburg". This state-of-the-art two-story home is approximately 1200 square feet and was once registered as a vessel under the Canadian Shipping Act. It actually floats on concrete flotation devices. This provides excellent stability. You feel little if any water movement due to the size of the structure and the sheltered location. If you have not yet seen the photos on this website or the virtual tour, now is the time to check it out! The view, especially the sunrises, makes it a fantastic get-away. On the opposite side of the house, facing the water, the driveway is only a short distance away.

Like our four-bedroom rental home, the unique three-bedroom floating chalet is reported to have been custom-built to an R-2000 standard, keeping you warm in winter and cooler in summer. R-2000 refers to a premium insulation standard for custom built homes, that exceeds the insulation in most older homes. To the best of our knowledge the home was NOT registered as an R-2000 home, however, as mentioned, is reported to have been built to this standard. The home was advertised as an R-2000 home in the promotional materials available to the public when it was used as a condominium when they were brand new in 1995. In the winter, the river water acts as a warming device. The same St. Lawrence cools the building in the summer. The river breezes are an added bonus during hot weather. The home is presently permanently moored on the outskirts of the west side of the town of Cardinal, Ontario, in its own private location. Of the two closest homes, one is a retirement home and the other occupied by two workaholics who are rarely home. If you do meet them, they are the best and most considerate neighbors you could ever have.

The spacious downstairs has a gas fireplace with a beautiful oak mantle in the living room, a charming dining room and a fully-equipped kitchen. There are two sets of French doors that lead from the downstairs to the huge deck overlooking the river with its spectacular sunrises and lovely sunsets. The upstairs has an "A-Frame" cathedral ceiling with two large bedrooms. The upstairs master bedroom also has French doors leading to a private covered balcony to observe the starry skies and the occasional northern lights. The master-bedroom has a queen-sized bed.  

The second bedroom upstairs is brightly lit with a large casement window with a solid half-moon window above it. This room has one double-bed and a top-quality pull-out couch that is very comfortable. Most of our guests rarely need more than two or three beds, so the pull-out couch has been very popular. The pull-out couch is available when you need it, however since it is rarely used and usually folded up, the second bedroom a second living room of sorts so you can get away to read a book if everyone else is watching television downstairs. The third bedroom is downstairs and has a double-bed as well. It is in the rear section of the building. This half of the home can be separated from the living room/kitchen area by a thick sliding pocket door, to ensure more privacy. Therefore the home will sleep eight persons comfortably. There are two full bathrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs, opposite the third bedroom.

Please remember this is a beautiful next-to-new home that floats, not a rickety old houseboat: a novel concept, to say the least! Of the two homes, this one is best suited for adult getaways or vacations where there are two families. The latter is ideal, since younger children have to be supervised at all times, two or more adults can take turns supervising the children on the deck/dock area. There is an adjacent beach that can be used by our guests. This home offers beautiful deep water for excellent swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving right from the deck.

The home is fully furnished including comfortable beds, colour television, satellite dish, VCR, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove, microwave, coffee maker, pots, pans, cutlery, dishes and a gas barbecue on the back deck. 

There is access to a swimming area, a beautiful park and a sand volleyball court, a short five-minute walk away.