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Sound advice about man made lakes done by a housing developer by damming up a creek, etc. If the dam gives out, it can be very costly plus tons of environmental hoops to jump through. Biggest lake in SC is a dammed lake with a river flowing into it and done for a power station so the dam solid as a rock. There is actually a backup dam. Being on a natural water fed lake is just fine.
I live about 3 miles from a 1000 acre lake and I can tell you from 58 years of experience that if you go hang out down there on a summer's evening, they will take ALL your blood, DEET or no DEET.
My parents had a lake front house in NC for 17 years. I was always shocked at the lack of mosquitoes. The wasps were a PITA, though.
I live in a condo by a medium-sized lake. The folks with million-dollar houses use it for waterskiing and wakeboarding, but they let the plebes like me use it for paddleboarding and kayaking, which is enough fun for my taste. There isn't a mosquito problem, but that might be because there is a spider problem. There are huge networks of webs to clear off the patio and the windows every day from spring through fall.
Also, the soil likes to shift. In our building, it shifted by enough that the main drain pipe no longer flowed downhill, which caused all of my neighbors' sewage to end up on my floor.
But, I think it's worth it. I enjoy living by a lake.
I was glad to leave our lake house/ community. Lack of privacy. No fences allowed, meant entire back yard/patio was exposed to lake and neighbors homes/yards on each side of us. Way too exposed. Nowhere in our yard we could sit/relax that was private.
Boaters/water skiers continually stopping by for conversation. Neighbors walking through our yard or using our dock/beach. Neighbor kids playing with our kid's toys or approaching us during our backyard meal times. Neighbors had no boundaries.
Nosy, gossipy. We joked a "Real Housewives" spinoff could be made based on the gossip and affairs among neighbors.
Noisy boats, waterskiing, loud teenagers doing water sports all day. Ski tournaments that lasted all weekend. Boats waking us at 9 am while we attempted to sleep-in. Difficulty swimming in the waves boats created. Unsafe when boats cut in too close to our swimming beach while our kids swam. Boaters looked in our windows at us. Neighbors climbed in our boat, uninvited.
Unless you like a summer camp feel or can set boundaries with neighbors, I don't recommend living full time in a lake community. It was crazy and noisy. Like a vacation that never ended, not peaceful or relaxing at all.
Last edited by Withinpines; 10-25-2020 at 03:46 AM..
Biggest lake in SC is a dammed lake with a river flowing into it and done for a power station so the dam solid as a rock. There is actually a backup dam. Being on a natural water fed lake is just fine.
Lake Murray? I have family in the area- beautiful, and you're right about the dam. It looks solid. One PITA in our HOA once asked at the annual meeting about our troublesome dam, "What can we do to make sure the dam never leaks again?". You got a million dollars, Dude?
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Originally Posted by Withinpines
Noisy boats, waterskiing, loud teenagers doing water sports all day. Ski tournaments that lasted all weekend. Boats waking us at 9 am while we attempted to sleep-in. Difficulty swimming in the waves boats created. Unsafe when boats cut in too close to our swimming beach while our kids swam. Boaters looked in our windows at us. Neighbors climbed in our boat, uninvited.
That's why I appreciate our 3-acre lake. No power craft allowed. I'd asked before we bought the place.
We lived on a man made lake in Arizona. It was noisy. When the small boats went by (only small ones allowed) the dogs outside would go crazy and bark (some). Houses were close together so that's why more of an issue. Small lots. Positives, no mosquitoes, Arizona and relaxing if you sat outside looking at the water.
In our community, the price of a waterfront home is about $900k, minimum, for an older year-round home with a gravel road. We have a brand-new home a quarter mile from Green Bay (the water body, not the city) "as the crow flies", and it about a 30 minute walk to a very nice water view. (Because of the private drives, we need to walk a mile to get to it.) This is what motivates us to take a walk every day that is not rainy or snowy.
But the interesting thing is that on so many days the water is flat and the sky is gray, so the water view is actually boring. Even though we thought we would want a waterfront home, or at least a water view, I find our wooded lot to be MUCH more interesting with so many trees -- especially in the spring, summer and fall (we haven't experienced winter yet); and if we had bought our home on a waterfront lot, we would have paid about twice as much (and also about twice as much in taxes).
Another downside for those having a waterfront on Lake Michigan is that there have been a lot of flood warnings this month, and when we were here in March, there was a major problem with an ice shove on the Bay. I also understand that November is even worse. I guess it is okay if your home is located on some kind of bluff, but otherwise . . .
Its interesting to read the varied responses. It really resonates that it depends on the location, the body of water, the lot and what you are looking for.
Some more advice that I think works for all lake situations
Try to find a house/lot with enough buffer from your neighbors without any deeded access running through your parcel
Try to find a house/lot in a no wake zone on a lake large enough to be full activity. (best of both worlds)
Try to find a house/lot that has no strange restrictions like land leases and HOA's
Try to find a house/lot that has southern or western exposure, mosquitos don't like the sun and the sunsets at the lake are worth paying for
Pay attention to the water quality and the lake association, if the water quality is crap and full of invasive species you wont want to swim in the water and you wont have much of an investment.
Cons: we have to have flood insurance even though it’s a controlled lake. They drop the water level in the winter and it is not as pretty then. Geese. Lily pads. We have to have a service to spray for mosquitos. Snakes.
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