Lake House Do's/Don'ts

[bozeman]

Got an opportunity to buy a lot on a VERY nice lake about 1.25 hours from us that we like to visit. approx 1.5 acre lot and deep/year round water (its a man made lake for hydro power, so levels rise/lower based on time of year). My wife and I are considering heavily to purchase and build an approx 1,600 sq ft house for us and 2 teens to enjoy on weekends/holidays. For those that currently have or have had a lake house in the past, what are some Do' & Dont's to be aware of?

I realize we are VERY blessed to be in this position, so want to make the best decisions we can.

Thanks!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Will you actually own the parcel in fee simple, or is it a 99 year lease? (as an example, many Georgia power lakes (Oconee, Jackson, Sinclair, Rabun, Burton to name a few) are technically leases so you don't actually own the land, which brings some complexities with it)

 

[Roofer1]

Not necessarily specifics about a do or don't for design/building but a lesson I learned the hard way. If you move forward have very clear expectations of use of your place with family and friends. And be on the same page as your wife with those expectations.

 

[timberland]

to Roofers point, a quote from a neighbor "when you own a lake home, it becomes everyone else's vacation home"

 

[low2497]

This is not the post I needed to see as I sit here at work after spending all weekend at a friend's lake house. Some of my best times have come from weekends spent at the lake and not having to mess with loading/unloading the boats and driving home.

Which does lead me to a recommendation, make sure to research dock regulations for the lot. Would hate to buy a lake property and then find out that it's not permittable for a dock.

 

[Roofer1]

This is not the post I needed to see as I sit here at work after spending all weekend at a friend's lake house. Some of my best times have come from weekends spent at the lake and not having to mess with loading/unloading the boats and driving home.

Which does lead me to a recommendation, make sure to research dock regulations for the lot. Would hate to buy a lake property and then find out that it's not permittable for a dock.

FREE LOADER!!! Kidding. We definitely had some great times with friends and family, so I don't want my first comment to be taken out of context. There were even some we invited every weekend we were there or we said could use it on their own as long as we knew ahead of time. The issue came with just a few that took advantage of the situation and showed up unannounced/uninvited that would drink my beer, eat my food, and then ghost when the time came to clean up for the weekend. Never regretted having the lake place, just regret not setting expectations. Don't want to get his thread going the wrong direction so I'll stop while I'm ahead, sorry Bozeman.

 

[Schism]

My wife and I have a lake home as do my parents (different lakes/states).

The first thing that my wife and I decided was that we weren't going to put super fancy, high end furnishings in the lake home. We have young kids and run a pretty tight ship at home but didn't want to be harping on them about getting sand, leaves, wet towels, etc inside the house at the lake. Having more modest furnishings help all of us with this and provide more of a "cabin" type of feel. My parents ran their lake house the same way and I have nothing but fond memories with them at the lake while growing up.

Once the kids are out of the house we can upgrade and remodel if we desire.

Another thing that was important to me was having as little maintenance to do as possible. We have a large yard at home and I don't want to spend time doing yard work or maintenance at the lake while I could be fishing or boating. This seems to be a bit less important to my parents likely due to them having more time to spend at the lake since they are retired. My dad always seems to be "working on something" in the yard or garage and it doesn't seem to bother him but it would if it were me.

We get some strong winds and thunderstorms so a home on a permanent foundation was a minimum requirement for us but a basement was preferred. This may not be as important in your location.

Access to a private dock or having a boat ramp nearby is convenient.

Is gas/electric available to the property? How about water?

Any HOA requirements?

Who owns the lake and it's shoreline? As stated above by @Doc Holliday, that could add some complexities.

 

[low2497]

FREE LOADER!!! Kidding. We definitely had some great times with friends and family, so I don't want my first comment to be taken out of context. There were even some we invited every weekend we were there or we said could use it on their own as long as we knew ahead of time. The issue came with just a few that took advantage of the situation and showed up unannounced/uninvited that would drink my beer, eat my food, and then ghost when the time came to clean up for the weekend. Never regretted having the lake place, just regret not setting expectations. Don't want to get his thread going the wrong direction so I'll stop while I'm ahead, sorry Bozeman.

I came with plenty of beer/food for everyone and took way too many rides to the marina on the Sea Doo's to fill up the tanks lol. Your comment is definitely one of the more important things to consider though. Finding out who your true friends are is a perk with owning something like a lake house

 

[h2so4]

Get the biggest Deck / Patio outdoor space possible! that is where most of the fun is had.

 

[bozeman]

Own the lot outright.....some areas have HOA and restrictions, some are unrestricted. We are looking at lots on Saturday. Private dock permits are attainable on all lots we are looking at.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Not necessarily specifics about a do or don't for design/building but a lesson I learned the hard way. If you move forward have very clear expectations of use of your place with family and friends. And be on the same page as your wife with those expectations.

This is a great point, and the same thing can be said for any second home in a desirable area. One thing I have seen work is to find a local cleaning company, have them come out and really clean the place to your liking. Whatever that bill is, tell anyone who wants to use it they have to pay a $XXX cleaning fee in addition to a $100 surcharge for utilities. Folks who really want to use it will pay you, and freeloaders will expose themselves by declining or trying to make you out to be a scrooge.....in either case they will know the deal and you can cross them off the list of people who have to get "the talk".

Be sure to have a solid insurance policy in place as well if you are letting people use it, especially if money is changing hands.

 

[ez_willie]

Check out the neighbors. Location on lake good with the prevailing wind during the time you will use it.

 

[Customweld]

Schism brought up a very important point about maintenance. A friend has a nice family cabin on a lake. Sounds like a fairly similar lot size. He spends a great deal of time mowing the yard, winterizing, bringing the cabin out of "storage" every spring and just maintenance that goes along with a place not being in constant use. Much to the point that over the years, he has grown to dislike even going to it.

 

[h2so4]

@Doc Holliday has a very good
Point. Even charging a low dollar amount cuts out a lot of hassle. I even charge my family the cleaning fee that we pay to our cleaner. I trust her to make it perfect more than family.
Additionally, it weeds out tire kickers. After
The first time friends / family stay, I usually give it to them for free + cleaners cost.

 

[manitou1]

Make it as bug proof and mouse proof as possible! They like lake homes too! Strong doors and locks. Don't place windows too low as to allow easy entry.
A lot of lake homes get burglarized if there are not close neighbors to keep an eye on them.
Build for easy maintenance, easy cleaning. Folks spend their weekends cleaning and maintaining lake homes way too much. Others use it, you clean and maintain it!

Crunch the numbers as to the cost of the home/property vs renting a cabin or using an rv those same # of weekends per year. It may surprise you.
Heck, we even sold our camper and rent VRBO or cabins. We have fun, the owners clean, mow, and maintain. No repairs, no winterizing, no mowing!

Not to be a downer. We enjoyed a place to go on weekends, but it wore off. Kinda got boring going the same place every time. I do enjoy exploring new places and experiences though.

Make a list of pros and cons, then alternatives and discuss it. Decide what fits your style the best.

 

[wyosteve]

I'll add my .02. I owned a lake property years ago and have one now the we are in the process of selling. 2 downsides from my perspective. One is the maintenance. Seems like whenever we get there, we spend 1/2 day or more just having to mow lawn, pull weeds, etc. Secondly, owning the property makes us feel like we're obligated use it every time we want to go somewhere. I prefer having the opportunity to check out other areas/lakes, etc. rather than the same place all the time.

 

[5MilesBack]

to Roofers point, a quote from a neighbor "when you own a lake home, it becomes everyone else's vacation home"

Who is everyone else? Are you saying that they rent it out all the time? That's one of those decisions to be made up front.......whether to rent it out or not.

 

[TSAMP]

Just a thought. But some friends did this in MN and built a primitive cabin. Small 1 bedroom on a lot. They used it for years. Loved the area, the lake, the access. So they then decided to build an actual cabin about twice the size about 100 yards away. Finished it and ran some simple amenities to the now "guest cabin". It worked out great for everyone. You could host folks and also get away.

This provides a little insurance if you end up not liking the area or not using it a ton.

 

[Kilboars]

Make sure it’s something for you and your wife first. Kids may move on or find other interest.

I owed a lot on a lake to build but after renting a home on the lake a few years we decided we like traveling different places more than coming back to the same one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[2ski]

The advice here is spot on. We have a family cabin on a lake. You could call it a lake house but I think that sounds snobby. If you look at it as your weekend home in the summer, you'll be okay with the maintenance. If it's just for fun, the maintenance will suck.

I am super picky on who comes up. My brother is less so. I have a friend that was always told he has a permanent invitation up there by my mom. He still wouldn't come up without being invited each time. I have friends that have shown up unannounced or fished for an invite. It used to piss my mom off when her neices and nephews would fish for invites but never indicate a desire to visit her and my dad at home the rest of the year. We've had people help themselves to expensive equipment to use without asking. Or be careless with stuff. The guy next door spent more time fixing his wave runners than they were used. And he didn't ride them. Set ground rules for everything. Everything. That includes when your kids are older, if bedrooms are communal or only ever for one person and one person only. So like does each kid get a room noone else sleeps in, or can the other one's inlaws use it if they come up with the other one. It came up with a cousin. I know in the future but think about it.

I love the thing but there are challenges too.

Put it into a trust. It's valuable. Or consult an attorney to see what they think.

PM me if you want to talk more. Also in MT with a cabin. I'd be curious to know where this is.