Why empty cottages fail in DeTour
There is no tourist main street to hide an empty house in winter. DeTour is small, windy, and exposed. Ice in the passage is not scenery. It shoves shore cribs, racks docks at the state marina and on private frontage, and delays the ferry you were counting on if the "cottage" is actually on Drummond. A mainland DeTour place still takes that wind. Pipes freeze the ordinary way: heat set too low, a blink of power, a propane tank that ran out on a Sunday.
Goetzville, Stalwart, and the Raber stretch are the inland and along-the-road versions of the same problem. Fewer eyes. Longer response. A camp off M-48 can sit a week with a door open and no one driving past. Mice, snow load, and freeze are the list. Break-ins are less movie and more "someone knew it was empty."
Contractor access is thin. If a pipe lets go, you are not choosing from five plumbers who can be there at noon. You are waiting. A watch visit that catches a cold house on Monday is worth more here than in a city, because Tuesday's repair options are already limited.
What we do in DeTour
Routine home watch. Heat, leaks, power, doors and glass, pests, roof line, and a safe-from-the-yard look at shore ice damage.
Storm and freeze checks. Extra visits after passage ice, wind, and deep cold. We route DeTour with Drummond ferry days when both jobs exist, and with Cedarville / Goetzville when they do not.
Opening and closing. Seasonal water and shut-down. Many places east of Cedarville are still blown-out seasonal systems. We coordinate. A plumber does the blow-out if that is what the house needs.
Key-holding and contractor meets. This is often the whole point on the east end: someone local to let a tradesperson in so you do not drive five-plus hours to unlock a door. We do not paint. We can meet the painter you hired.
Starting points pending a walkthrough: Essential $59/mo monthly, Seasonal Guardian $99/mo bi-weekly, Full Care $149/mo weekly. Remote drives and unplowed two-tracks change the quote.
How it works in DeTour
- 1Walkthrough when you are up, or a video walk if you are not. Tell us mainland DeTour vs Goetzville vs "we actually mean Drummond."
- 2Checks on your cadence. Ferry-side timing if we are also holding a Drummond key.
- 3Photo report after every visit.
Reviews coming as we complete the first season.
Nearby
Drummond Island is the ferry ride. West: Goetzville, then Cedarville and Hessel. Sault Ste. Marie is the county hub. St. Ignace is the Straits.
DeTour Village FAQ
Is this the same as Drummond watch?
No. DeTour is mainland. Drummond is the island. We run both, and we often run them on the same ferry day, but access and pricing are not identical. Use the right town on the form.
Do you cover Goetzville?
Yes, as a mention town on this route. No separate page.
How do I start?
Quote form. Town: DeTour Village (or Goetzville). Start with the quote form.