Cowichan Valley Acreages for Sale
Land, Water and Zoning Before You Fall for the ViewCowichan Valley acreages for sale range from a hobby two acres on the edge of Duncan to working parcels out toward Cowichan Lake and Glenora. The valley has more small acreage than anywhere else on the south island, and the differences between two similar looking properties are usually underground.
Water comes first. Most of these properties are on a drilled well, and the number that matters is the tested flow rate, not the depth. I ask for the well log and a recent flow test. Some parcels near the river sit on a shallow dug well that drops off in August, which is fine for a garden and not fine for a family of five.
Septic is the second item. An older field that was sized for a two bedroom house will not carry an addition or a suite, and a replacement on a small or sloped parcel gets expensive fast. Ask for the filing, the last pump out and any maintenance contract, and find out whether the field is even on the part of the lot you were planning to build on.
Zoning and the Agricultural Land Reserve decide what you can actually do. A lot of valley acreage is in the ALR, which limits second dwellings, subdivision and non farm use no matter what the listing suggests. I check the zoning bylaw and the ALR status before we write, because plans for a shop, a carriage house or a home business often stop right there.