Thoughts to float before designing your boathouse.

No question-Atlantic Canada's history is steeped in maritime tradition, though people today are more likely to be making a living on dry land and taking to the water for recreation. With its secluded coastal coves and sparkling lakes, the region is an idyllic setting for pleasure crafts. While docks, whether permanent or floating, provide boaters with a place to board and tie up, some dedicated boating enthusiasts dare to dream a little bigger. The boathouse is the next step in making life a little easier by the water. And the options are limited only by the imagination.

"A boathouse can be pretty much anything," says Scott Brogan, former owner and current estimator for Docks Unlimited Inc., located in East Hants, Nova Scotia. "It can be simply a storage facility for lifejackets and things. It can be a storage facility for your boat. It can be a living quarters."

The act of physically building a boathouse isn't much different than any other type of construction. The most obvious difference is its location, being near or on the water. But there are definitely unique issues that come into play before construction.

"The very first thing you want to consider is the permit side of things," says Brogan.  "Anything constructed near and around the water these days requires special consideration.  You'd want to investigate the various permit implications."

When building a boathouse, any possible environmental concerns, such as fish habitat, must be addressed. This will involve agencies like the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. If you are building a structure entirely above the high water mark, these agencies are less likely to get involved, but it would be prudent to consult them before building anything encroaching on the water. Your municipality will then require a standard building permit. Land use bylaws will dictate whether you can have amenities like plumbing or electricity, or whether the structure can only be an accessory building, like a storage shed.

Once you have negotiated your way through the permit process, the construction phase becomes more conventional.  "It's no different than if you were building a garage," says Brogan. The main concerns are having proper ground support for the structure. The climate in Atlantic Canada adds maintenance issues to the traditional carport-style boathouse built over the water. The biggest problem being ice.

"Over a three year or 30 year time horizon, there are going to be ice implications," says Brogan. But not all ice is the same-ice considerations on a lake are different than in the sea. Ice in the ocean does not tend to freeze solidly and will move around support structures, whereas ice in a lake freezes solid. "That ice will thicken and expand," says Brogan, "and a support leg or wharf that you've constructed may not withstand that pressure." In the ocean, the main concern is tidal pressure, and the general consensus is that tide marks are on the rise.

The nature of the water is a major factor in whether you have a permanent dock or a floating dock. "Typically where you'll find your boathouse is on dry land," says Brogan.  However, "if that water drops off quickly, you're not likely to have a structure for your dock that's supported on the lake bed, a rail system, or a dock that stands on legs. You're more likely to have a floating dock." Building a boathouse on a floating dock is common in southern climes, but most floating docks in Canada are brought back on land in the winter. This would mean dragging an entire boathouse ashore each year-not an option for most people.

If the water is shallow going out, Brogan says a dock standing on legs is more reasonable. Another interesting option, he says, is a marine rail system, which lies on the lakebed and leads into the boathouse, allowing boaters to store their boat inside year-round.  "A marine rail system would allow a boat to come up into the boathouse," he says. "You could maybe have a little veranda and some living space as well.  There are so many variables and you could accommodate them all depending on how far your budget goes."

When building a boathouse in a freshwater situation, Brogan highly recommends designing a structure to be built on dry land.  "It's very difficult to get a permit to do the work below the high water line that will provide the necessary support needed for a boathouse over the water," he says. "I would say considering the cost, not to mention the hoops you'd have to jump through to get it done, it would be cheaper to do the rail system."

Whatever style you choose for your boathouse, make sure to get the necessary permits and carefully consider the climate and environment before getting started. Then be sure to follow the national building code.

After that, it is up to you how you share your stories and store your memories of time spent on the water.