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Home Sweet Home in the Okanagan...

...what to look for in a house that will be comfy in our ‘rain shadow’ climate

When Deborah’s husband was offered a transfer to the Kelowna area, the family was living in one of the mildest and prettiest locations in Canada - the city of Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island. Two out of five family members were interested in a new adventure (we’re sure you can guess which three didn’t want to leave their home town!) so they contacted the Economic Development Commission (EDC) offices of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan, and were sent a valuable information package about the Okanagan.

Meanwhile, a friend who’d lived in the BC Central Interior for many years had plenty of advice for the family with regard to EXACTLY what kind of house they should be looking for. Since this friend runs a thriving plumbing and heating business, the family paid attention to his advice, and has never regretted it.

Another bonus when the Greaves bought a home was the informative package of notes left for them by one of the most considerate home vendors ever. The notes contained the names of tradespeople she’d liked, receipts for appliances sold with the house, and vital advice regarding in-home climate management. (Thanks again, Barb!)

So What Information Was So Valuable?

1. Climate

The EDC package revealed that the family would encounter a very different climate than what they were used to on “The Wet Coast” and on Vancouver Island. The Okanagan would be much drier, with a scanty rainfall, and there would be four distinct seasons, with hotter summers and cooler winters.

The Okanagan climate would be at times unpredictable- some winters within the last ten years have seen very little snow, yet the first winter featured the area’s heaviest snowfall in 22 years, with snow on the ground from the third week of November to the first week of March. This may not be news to anyone from the prairies or northern Ontario, but it was quite impressive to former Vancouver Islanders, most of whom erroneously believe that “all weather” tires are fine in snow.

The summer of 2003 broke one heat record after another, week after week throughout most of the summer and into the fall. Not surprisingly, there were several huge forest fires in several BC interior areas. Kelowna’s Okanagan Mountain park fire blew right out of the park and into several residential areas, as did fires in other populated parts of the province. The following summer, after a nice moist spring, was pleasantly free of extremes, and post-fire regrowth created green fuzz on the mountainsides and a feast for many species of woodpeckers.

The bottom line? You need to prepare for occasional extremes.

2. What To Look For On The Lot And Exterior Of Your New Okanagan Home

• Does it have a level driveway?

• If the driveway is steep, is there street parking for you in the event of a big snow?

• Does it have landscaping that offers some shade for the house or on the decks in summer?

• If there’s no shade provided by trees, are there overhangs on the roof, or awnings? Is the house shaded at any time of the day by neighbouring buildings or trees?

• Shade can save you money. If you don’t have any living shade, arbours can offer human-built shade. A covered deck can give you an extra three-season living room.

• Does the home have septic tanks or is it on “city sewer”?

• Does it have a well, or is it on “city water”?

• Does it have alternative energy options - a woodstove or electric heat to supplement gas?

• Is your property adjacent to agricultural land?
  
  If so, be prepared for some excitement and some intriguing activities at times as farmers, orchardists and vineyard managers fertilize, till, spray, irrigate and scare wildlife away from their crops. Ever heard of a Bear Banger?

• Is your property adjacent to natural forest or park?
  
  You’ve heard that it can get hot in the Okanagan, and sometimes lightning or a person happens to set a fire. There is abundant information available about managing the risks of fire when you live in what’s called an interface area.
  
  Your area may already have been the beneficiary of some city or Regional District-sponsored ‘fuel reduction.” This is work done by crews under the guidance of forestry experts to clear out shrubby and overgrown areas to achieve a spacing effect similar to a naturally-occurring brush fire.
  
  Much of the fuel, such as a two-foot-thick layer of pine needles, baby trees that are crowding and dead wood and debris lying around, is removed from the forest floor. Small dry branches that are low to the ground are also clipped from the trees. The result of all this hard work is quite pleasing to the eye, as the Ponderosa Pine-grassland ecosystem is supposed to receive ‘a good clear-out’ once every few years.
  
  You can check with the Regional District to find out if your neighbourhood has had this reduction work done or if it’s on the schedule.

3. Wells and Septic Tanks

Many areas of Westbank and the Okanagan are rural, or ‘semi-rural”. Homes may be located on acreages, which often have wells or septic tanks. If a well or septic tank requires maintenance or repair, the bills can be hefty. Unless you have the financial resources to handle an emergency, you’ll want to look for water and sewer provided by the Irrigation Districts and the Regional District, or the City of Kelowna.

4. Keeping Cool During the Hot Summers

What Must You Have In Your Okanagan Home?

• You guessed it - air conditioning. Don’t even think of buying a home in the Okanagan Valley without it, unless you’re used to living in the Sahara Desert or Costa Rica.
  
  
• You will also require a way of getting good cross-drafts and air circulation going in your home, to assist the air conditioning - and to eliminate the need for it as often as possible.
  
  To avoid stressing your air conditioning system, do not turn it down to Arctic Circle temperatures when it’s very hot outside. Make sure the windows and doors are closed once the outdoor temperatures start to crank up, and remember to adjust the thermostat just to the point where the family is comfortable – not refrigerated. Your home should not be a meat locker. It is healthier – and less expensive - to have as little contrast between outside and inside temps as possible.
  
  
• AND – you should have backup strategies/ equipment in place in the event that your air conditioning system goes down sick right in the middle of a heat wave. Ceiling and other electric fans can be a huge help.
  
  
• If you’re working in a home office, try using a small, quiet electric fan near your desk to keep you comfortable, rather than cranking up the air conditioning in the entire house.
  
  
• Screened windows for bugs, and screened doors. Though there aren’t many mosquitos and other bugs compared to other parts of the country, screens can keep your pets inside while keeping bugs outside, and will allow you to get nice cross-drafts going when it’s warm but not quite in need of electric or other money-draining cooling systems. (If you have a dynamic dog, make sure the screen door on your front entrance way can resist its weight! )
  
  
• Good window coverings make a HUGE different to your family’s comfort and to your budget, too. There’s an easy trick to this. Find out where the sun pours in during the different times of the day, and block its rays right in the beginning of that time. For example, if the sun pours into the front windows first thing in the morning, make sure you pull the awnings outside or pull your drapes inside to take advantage of the overnight cool-down for as long as possible. Later, when the sun moves over your house and pours into a different window, pull the drapes or drop the bamboo blind right away. It makes a huge difference.
  
  The good news? The air is cool and refreshing by about 10 PM almost every night, even in August, as well as in early morning.
  
  Your Windows In The Winter - you can use that same light to your advantage. Just reverse the window draping plan – open the drapes to let the sunshine in while it’s on that side of the house, close later to keep in the warmth.
  
  

5. Enjoying Your Home During the Okanagan Winter

Winter in the Okanagan is such fun, you’ll want to be out there enjoying it. Can your house live with the results of winter activities?

• Look for a home with a cover over the entrance way, or a porch or veranda, so that your guests can shake off snow in the winter as they come in.

  Is there enough room near the welcome area for coats and boots?

• Look for a mud room or basement area that is easy to enter and can take punishment from wet hiking boots, snow shoes, toboggans and ski gear, with room to store all this fun stuff.

• Look for a doggy wash or a downstairs walk-in shower with a tile floor that you can escort the dog-who-just-jumped-into-the-mud directly into.

• It is very nice to have a covered garage for your car, especially in ice-scraping season.

by Deborah Greaves

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