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When it comes to waterfront rules and regulations, don't take anyones word for it. You need to get a copy of the documents in your town. We have property in Mariaville and, fortunately, the regulations are right in their website.
Things such as "There is a 250' setback on waterfront property" doesn't necessarily mean that you can't build within 250' feet of the water. It may mean that you can clear cut a maximum of 30% (not actual number) of the square footage you own within 250' of the water. In most cases this will give you plenty of room. The next setback is 100' from the water (most towns). No clear cutting allowed here but you can do considerable thinning. The best advise anyone can give you is to get a copy of the regulations in your area and read it front to back. That way there will be no speculating on what you can and can't do.
I am backing out of a lot I was buying on Graham Lake. John Cullen from the ME DEP looked at the land and said it's wetland and I can't fill it in with gravel, dirt or anything. The lot is 5' or so above the current lake level but it doesn't drain well so it's considered wetland. Oh well.
Does anyone have any friends or family that want to sell a lot on Graham Lake? If so, please let me know. Right now there's not much on the public market. I know of 5 lots. One is on the island on the north end, one is a mile and a half down an isolated dirt road so we'd have no neighbors, the third has soil problems and can't be approved for septic so you can't build on it. The last two are considered wetlands by the DEP so they can't be built on.
Hi All, I am new to this forum, and My husband, children and I have been building a log Cabin in Mariaville. We started with the sitework and foundation in Fall of 2005, built most of the structure last summer and over the winter, and even though it is not complete, we hope to start enjoying it on vacation this year in July.
I have enjoyed reading all of your posts, and would like to share some of our experiences with you all.
First of all, here is the link to the town ordinances in Mariaville.
http://mariaville.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={272C2F2C-588F-40F1-BB53-9D96410644ED}
This is where I downloaded my information from when we first decided to build in 2005.
The setback for building on waterfront in 2005 was 100', with restrictions on land clearing within that 100'. Our structure is actually 125' feet back as they needed to get the construction vehicles all around the place. for the foundation work.
Our first step was to contact the Mariaville town hall and have a copy of the tax map page with our lot on it. This gives the dimensions of the lot. After we decided the size of the cabin and where we would like it positioned on the lot, given the requirements in the ordinances, we started asking around our neighbors on the lake for who to call for construction. We were given the name of Fellis Construction, who is nearby (I don't know if am allowed to give companay names on here. I appoligize if I am not) and has worked on a lot of the properties on the lake as well as in surrounding towns. The owner was wonderful. He arranged for the site work, foundation, septic design, surveyor to mark the minimum elevation for building, and even took care of having our building permits signed for us, knowing that we lived so far away. (We live in NH and are 4 hrs away from Graham lake). He also gave us contact information for electrical and well work.
I have spent summer vacations in Eastbrook Maine on Abrahams pond with my parents my entire life. My parents decided a while back that they wanted to build a log cabin and retire in the same area. In 1982 they bought a 2 acre lot w/200' frontage on graham lake, and had the driveway put in (also by Fellis construction). Unfortunately my mom took ill before they could go any further and now they are both gone. I inherited the property. We went to our first Morrison Farm Road Association meeting in July of 2005, and saw the property for the first time. After meeting all of the nice neighbors and how beautiful it is on graham lake, we decided right then and there that we would carry out my parents dream. Within 4 months, we designed the cabin, the site was cleared, septic and foundation were in. Then we capped it off for the winter. In June of 2006, my husband and a small crew of friends, one of which is an experienced log cabin builder, arrived in Mariaville for the entire month to build. We bought the logs linear foot (not a kit) and they were delivered 1 day prior to the scheduled build date along with piles of lumber. Despite the Rain for most of the month, they had the 2 stories on top of the foundation water tight by the end of the month. The kids and I went up on weekends to cook food, clean up the site every day, whatever we could do for them. From then on, it has been just My husband, myself and our 2 teenaged daughters most weekends building the interior.
We like graham lake for the same reasons as a lot of you that have posts in this forum. Seclusion and not a lot of people. We don't have a dock yet, therefore the water levels are not a bother (yet). We have a kayak and will be brining a couple of jet skis on vacation this year. We hope to actually get out and explore the lake.
I am backing out of a lot I was buying on Graham Lake. John Cullen from the ME DEP looked at the land and said it's wetland and I can't fill it in with gravel, dirt or anything. The lot is 5' or so above the current lake level but it doesn't drain well so it's considered wetland. Oh well.
Does anyone have any friends or family that want to sell a lot on Graham Lake? If so, please let me know. Right now there's not much on the public market. I know of 5 lots. One is on the island on the north end, one is a mile and a half down an isolated dirt road so we'd have no neighbors, the third has soil problems and can't be approved for septic so you can't build on it. The last two are considered wetlands by the DEP so they can't be built on.
On Morrison Farm Road in Mariaville, there are a few lots and camps for sale on the water. There is a lot that has an old camper on it, that has electric to the camper and is cleared for a structure, there is a camp approx, 24x24 that has water but the water is not hooked up, (so I am told by some neighbors) and there is a mobile home tucked in a cove. There is also one empty lot for sale that I am aware of. The last time I was at our cabin was in March, and there were no sale pending signs at that time on these places. Assist 2 Sell were the signs on 2 of them I believe.
I hope this helps... Good luck!!
Hi All, I am new to this forum, and My husband, children and I have been building a log Cabin in Mariaville. We started with the sitework and foundation in Fall of 2005, built most of the structure last summer and over the winter, and even though it is not complete, we hope to start enjoying it on vacation this year in July.
I have enjoyed reading all of your posts, and would like to share some of our experiences with you all.
First of all, here is the link to the town ordinances in Mariaville.
http://mariaville.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={272C2F2C-588F-40F1-BB53-9D96410644ED}
This is where I downloaded my information from when we first decided to build in 2005.
The setback for building on waterfront in 2005 was 100', with restrictions on land clearing within that 100'. Our structure is actually 125' feet back as they needed to get the construction vehicles all around the place. for the foundation work.
Our first step was to contact the Mariaville town hall and have a copy of the tax map page with our lot on it. This gives the dimensions of the lot. After we decided the size of the cabin and where we would like it positioned on the lot, given the requirements in the ordinances, we started asking around our neighbors on the lake for who to call for construction. We were given the name of Fellis Construction, who is nearby (I don't know if am allowed to give companay names on here. I appoligize if I am not) and has worked on a lot of the properties on the lake as well as in surrounding towns. The owner was wonderful. He arranged for the site work, foundation, septic design, surveyor to mark the minimum elevation for building, and even took care of having our building permits signed for us, knowing that we lived so far away. (We live in NH and are 4 hrs away from Graham lake). He also gave us contact information for electrical and well work.
I have spent summer vacations in Eastbrook Maine on Abrahams pond with my parents my entire life. My parents decided a while back that they wanted to build a log cabin and retire in the same area. In 1982 they bought a 2 acre lot w/200' frontage on graham lake, and had the driveway put in (also by Fellis construction). Unfortunately my mom took ill before they could go any further and now they are both gone. I inherited the property. We went to our first Morrison Farm Road Association meeting in July of 2005, and saw the property for the first time. After meeting all of the nice neighbors and how beautiful it is on graham lake, we decided right then and there that we would carry out my parents dream. Within 4 months, we designed the cabin, the site was cleared, septic and foundation were in. Then we capped it off for the winter. In June of 2006, my husband and a small crew of friends, one of which is an experienced log cabin builder, arrived in Mariaville for the entire month to build. We bought the logs linear foot (not a kit) and they were delivered 1 day prior to the scheduled build date along with piles of lumber. Despite the Rain for most of the month, they had the 2 stories on top of the foundation water tight by the end of the month. The kids and I went up on weekends to cook food, clean up the site every day, whatever we could do for them. From then on, it has been just My husband, myself and our 2 teenaged daughters most weekends building the interior.
We like graham lake for the same reasons as a lot of you that have posts in this forum. Seclusion and not a lot of people. We don't have a dock yet, therefore the water levels are not a bother (yet). We have a kayak and will be brining a couple of jet skis on vacation this year. We hope to actually get out and explore the lake.
Hermis,
Thanks for the info. I think I know you're log cabin/house. I looked at a lot next to a log house down Morrison's Farm Road. The foundation had been poured and the owner stopped building and put it on the market. I was going to put an offer on it as it's good, solid land. I went back at night and decided against it as we will be retiring there year round. There's no other residents around there. There would be on weekends during the summer. I also couldn't leave my wife there alone for days at a time if I leave. I'm going to keep looking and maybe get something closer to town and that has year round residents.
Thanks for the info. I think I know you're log cabin/house. I looked at a lot next to a log house down Morrison's Farm Road. The foundation had been poured and the owner stopped building and put it on the market. I was going to put an offer on it as it's good, solid land. I went back at night and decided against it as we will be retiring there year round. There's no other residents around there. There would be on weekends during the summer. I also couldn't leave my wife there alone for days at a time if I leave. I'm going to keep looking and maybe get something closer to town and that has year round residents.
Hi Fewta Mayna,
Good Luck with finding a place. There are a few year round residents, 4 or 5, on Morrison Farm Road, but in the winter it is very desolate!! We are lucky that the last person on the road is a year round resident, therefore every weekend when we went up, the road was plowed. We were just responsible for our driveway. The most we saw our neighbors was when the ice was solid enough, we saw them out ice fishing or on atv's and sleds.
Good luck again!! it is a very nice area!
Out on the lake for three hours yesterday afternoon and saw just one other motor boat and one sail boat. No kayaks or canoes, probably because it was pretty windy. The water level is still high and the lake is beautiful....and warm! Great for swimming. The color of the water is the result of the lake being shallow and when it's windy a lot of sediment is churned up which actually means the water is very clean, it's like running it through a filter. Besides as your grandmother always told you - you'll eat a peck a dirt before you die, don't worry about it. The heat wave south of us might encourage PPL to start generating electricity for sale and that will be bad news for us because they may draw down the lake - a lot. But until then, it's a great summer on Graham Lake.
Does anyone know if they lower the water level every year? I was under the impression that the electric co. lowers the water level in mid - August and it takes a few months to come back to normal. This didn't seem like a big deal and I was still considering buying a lot.
Yesterday I talked with a selectman for the town of Waltham and he said they drop the water level every summer towards the end of the summer. He said it stays low until the ice and snow cover the extensive mud flats which is 4 months or so from when they lower it.
Does this sound right? I was planning on being a year round resident on the lake but am having second thoughts.
Graham Lake really isn't a lake. Rather it is a non federal hydroelectric generation project owned by PPL Maine LLC. While I'm no expert I'd say it would be impossible to "drain" Graham Lake. The water level is regulated by FEMA and may not drop below or rise above certain levels.
Historically PPL begins lowering the level of the lake around Labor Day. The lake must be lowered throughout the winter or when snow melts in the spring there would be flooding. Two years ago PPL generated electricity in early August to meet demand during a heat wave in lower New England States. The Lake dropped so low that I had to take my boat out of the water. Kayaking was still great though. Last summer PPL was working on its dam and the lake was high all summer, which was great. So far this summer water levels have remained fairly high.
Rarely is this explained to buyers.
It is up to the individual how much of a detrement this is. I live on the Lake year round. It's beautiful and quiet. The other so called "premium" lakes and ponds are jammed with people and boats all summer long. With the exception of two years ago I've kept my boat in the water til past Labor Day. When the lake levels drop in the fall the exposed lake bed quickly dries and then one can walk for miles around the lake. If you are looking for a peaceful, waterfront experience with very little company Graham Lake is perfect. If you have a large boat with a big motor and want a deep water experience you'll be disappointed in Graham Lake. You won't be disappointed with the prices, though. Real estate is very affordable on Graham Lake.
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Waterfront lots on Graham Lake
property for sale
