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If there is anyone here who lives on a lake, what criteria is most common that would dictate flood insurance? For example, if I'm on a slope to the lake, is that less of an issue with flooding (seems like it would be) than a flat lot more even with a lake? Trying to understand the good, bad and ugly of lakefront living...the watch out points, the hidden things I should consider, etc. I don't want to move there then have surprises in expenses or experiences that I did not consider. For example, one post I've read in another forum was bout cutting back trees from your rook as that is a pathway for ants and rodents. But many trees are the only thing that separates your property from your neighbors. I'd prefer to have a good relationship with my neighbor but also minimize any damage or bug traffic as well. Water line maintenance, mold, wood, metal or brick damage (over time) from moisture, etc. are a few watch out points I've picked up in the last couple of days. Would love some advice and watch out points if you can share.
I am on the shores of a 16,000 acre lake fed by a major 625 mile river. Neither myself nor my neighbors carry flood insurance above and beyond the normal home owners' insurance policies. This lake is actually part of a reservoir system so the powers that be control the flow of water through the series of lakes and rivers to minimize flooding in the greater region.
Of concern is whether your lakefront property is in a cove or on a main channel. The coves are quieter, less traveled, and usually slower traffic (thus no or low wake). Homes on main channels or rivers are subject to significant wake action and thus wear and tear on docks, shorelines, etc.
Most invest in some kind of rip rap (i.e.- erosion control cloth secured by rocks and boulders. See lakeshoreguys dot com for excellent example of this. It can be done cheaper, but not to such perfection as these guys provide).
Also, quieter coves are great for kayaking and floating, but the lack of water motion tends to breed mosquitoes. People on busier main channels tend to have much less issue with this. Also, if your lake/cove is on a reservoir check with the local authority to see if there is a summer and winter pool level. For instance, my lake is lowered approximately 5-6 feet November-May. This helps with mosquito abatement because they breed in the mud banks and then are flooded and killed in the Spring.
The summer and winter pool levels are also a concern because if you do not have sufficient winter depth at the end of your dock, you may not be "dockable" meaning you cannot get a boat in or out in the winter. You may not have water at all but mud outside your house in the winter. Depends on if there is a winter pool and what the average variation is.
Generally, flat lots are much more desirable and therefore more expensive than steep or steeper lots. Still, even on a VERY steep lot there are ways to work around it (See thedockdoctors dot com for various solutions or mitigations). Still, flat is better.
Finally, keep aware of what is across the lake from you. Will it be developed or is it protected wilderness? What will be the change in view if they develop houses, shopping centers, industrial plants, etc.?
Would like feedback on the things I will need to live with and consider with lakefront living. Such as moisture damage, basement considerations, dock maintenance, lake-line maintenance, mold, etc. Really need the “insider’s guide” or “what they don’t tell you” when considering a lakefront home. I want to mitigate any post purchase buyer’s remorse because I didn’t consider something that haunts me later. I would like to trim back the trees away from the house. I see a lot of stained roofs. Is that from leaves (tannin)? There’s a lot of rain there, too. What are the things I’d always have to keep putting money into due to moisture? Things like that.
Appreciate any insights.
Joe
Last edited by Joe_B; 08-24-2020 at 05:05 PM..
Reason: Deleted the questions you already asked about flood insurance.
I am on the shores of a 16,000 acre lake fed by a major 625 mile river. Neither myself nor my neighbors carry flood insurance above and beyond the normal home owners' insurance policies. This lake is actually part of a reservoir system so the powers that be control the flow of water through the series of lakes and rivers to minimize flooding in the greater region.
Of concern is whether your lakefront property is in a cove or on a main channel. The coves are quieter, less traveled, and usually slower traffic (thus no or low wake). Homes on main channels or rivers are subject to significant wake action and thus wear and tear on docks, shorelines, etc.
Most invest in some kind of rip rap (i.e.- erosion control cloth secured by rocks and boulders. See lakeshoreguys dot com for excellent example of this. It can be done cheaper, but not to such perfection as these guys provide).
Also, quieter coves are great for kayaking and floating, but the lack of water motion tends to breed mosquitoes. People on busier main channels tend to have much less issue with this. Also, if your lake/cove is on a reservoir check with the local authority to see if there is a summer and winter pool level. For instance, my lake is lowered approximately 5-6 feet November-May. This helps with mosquito abatement because they breed in the mud banks and then are flooded and killed in the Spring.
The summer and winter pool levels are also a concern because if you do not have sufficient winter depth at the end of your dock, you may not be "dockable" meaning you cannot get a boat in or out in the winter. You may not have water at all but mud outside your house in the winter. Depends on if there is a winter pool and what the average variation is.
Generally, flat lots are much more desirable and therefore more expensive than steep or steeper lots. Still, even on a VERY steep lot there are ways to work around it (See thedockdoctors dot com for various solutions or mitigations). Still, flat is better.
Finally, keep aware of what is across the lake from you. Will it be developed or is it protected wilderness? What will be the change in view if they develop houses, shopping centers, industrial plants, etc.?
Would like feedback on the things I will need to live with and consider with lakefront living. Such as moisture damage, basement considerations, dock maintenance, lake-line maintenance, mold, etc. Really need the “insider’s guide” or “what they don’t tell you” when considering a lakefront home. I want to mitigate any post purchase buyer’s remorse because I didn’t consider something that haunts me later. I would like to trim back the trees away from the house. I see a lot of stained roofs. Is that from leaves (tannin)? There’s a lot of rain there, too. What are the things I’d always have to keep putting money into due to moisture? Things like that.
Appreciate any insights.
Joe
Okay, since nobody else seems to be playing at the moment, I'll take another stab at it.
The entire southeast part of the US is more humid than the rest of the country. Generally. NY and DC get their fair share also. So, combine that with the phenomenal eco-diversity of the GSMNP, you will encounter a lot of pollen, etc. Many rooftops (houses and docks) get black streaks on them. Usually this is handled by spraying "Wet N Forget" on the roofs. Being on or near a lake has no additional impact on mildewed roofs.
There are also radon concerns in this part of the country. Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless gas that creeps into homes from the granite infrastructure underground. There are mitigation systems that are commonly installed (mostly basement or crawlspace encapsulation and venting) if this is an issue in a particular homesite. Radon, FWIW, is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US. Being on or near a lake has no bearing on Radon.
Due to humidity, some people put a dehumidifier in the basement. Many of these have drains to remove the water they pull from the air. Some people don't do this. Much depends on the age of the house, the quality of construction, whether it was wrapped in tyvek or not, etc. Dehumidifiers run from $75-$750 depending on quality, features, and especially the amount of cubic footage you are trying to dehumidify.
Dock maintenance is not much different than the rest of your house. Wood occasionally needs to be stained. Less so, or less to do if your decking is trex/timberline vs wood. Powerwashing occasionally and a sturdy deck scrub brush just like you would a house deck, no different. Those telephone-pole like pilings are super-treated and can stay sturdy and intact submerged in water for decades.
Lake line is important as far as erosion control. If you want more lake and less land, then leave it alone. If you want to protect your land (ESPECIALLY if you are subject to high wake/wave open channel water action), then riprap is the common solution. It can be expertly done with pre-washed and carefully sized boulders, or it can be done cheaply with fabric cloth poorly staked (should go well up onto shore and well into water for stabilization) and a dumptruck load of sharp rocks bobcatted or skip loaded into place. Tumbled (but not totally round) rocks are better because their sharp edges have been broken off to prevent tearing the aforementioned fabric yet they aren't round enough to just slide off each other into the water. Anyhow, my earlier response alluded to this with a link to a quality riprap installer. You can learn all you need about rip-rapping by perusing their site and watching their videos.
Another thing that lakefront living brings, is the initial delight but later dread of Canadian geese. Wonderful to look at, they become like stubborn guests who refuse to leave and crap a phenomenal amount of fecal matter all over your yard. This fecal matter is particularly delightful to some dogs who obtain an almost ingrained delight in rubbing their snouts in it and bringing said wonderfully odorous aromas back to you and into the house. Easy solution (assuming you live in an American state where you can still buy them easily) are bottle rockets. We usually shoot them through a small-diameter 2-foot length of PVC pipe about 10-25 feet above the geeses' heads. Usually scares them away for a day or so. Alternatively, you can allow an energetic dog out into the yard at irregular intervals to make the yard less friendly for the geese. Watch out for the already-discussed snout-rubbing issues.
Keep in mind also, there is a difference in rain between the southeast and California. California calls for rain, and you get a misty drizzle most of the day in which no one can slow down and cars slide all about. Southeastern rain comes on fast, drops buckets in big fat juicy drops of rain, and then goes away in an hour or so. Usually.
I've seen 3 inches dropped in an hour. I've seen 5.25 inches dropped in 5 hours, but that is not normal. Next day is sunny as you like. In California, the best way to forecast the weather is that tomorrow will be a lot like today. Gradual changes over a week from sunny to rainy. Last year in East Tennessee I watched it snow in the morning, melt around noon so the lawns looked like an iced-oatmeal cookie, and by 5pm it was 70-degrees and there was not a drop of snow on any tree or in any of the shade patches on the ground.
The long and short of it is that, "Yes," it does rain a lot in eastern TN, but it does not rain all the time. We get more rain than Seattle per year, but we have well over 200 sunny days per year also. It is very unlike CA weather which is more predictable due to the ocean marine air masses and the linear Sierra Nevada mountain range. East TN is a series of mountains and plateaus and you cannot accurately predict what will make it over or be pushed around those plateaus and mountains as far as weather fronts. I know a guy who said he knows a Navy meteorologist. The meteorologist told the guy I know that E TN is one of the top 10 most difficult places in the world to forecast weather due to these geological formations.
Flood insurance is based on the flood hazard area your property is in.
From FEMA: "Flood hazard areas identified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map are identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). SFHA are defined as the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 1-percent annual chance flood is also referred to as the base flood or 100-year flood. SFHAs are labeled as Zone A, Zone AO, Zone AH, Zones A1-A30, Zone AE, Zone A99, Zone AR, Zone AR/AE, Zone AR/AO, Zone AR/A1-A30, Zone AR/A, Zone V, Zone VE, and Zones V1-V30. Moderate flood hazard areas, labeled Zone B or Zone X (shaded) are also shown on the FIRM, and are the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance (or 500-year) flood. The areas of minimal flood hazard, which are the areas outside the SFHA and higher than the elevation of the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood, are labeled Zone C or Zone X (unshaded)." https://www.fema.gov/glossary/flood-zones
Because most lakes in TN are man made and controlled by dams, they generally do not flood as the Corps of Engineers can release more water downstream to prevent flooding. Therefore, most property is in 'Zone X (unshaded)'. Where you really have to watch out for flooding is low lying areas along rivers and creeks.
Okay, since nobody else seems to be playing at the moment, I'll take another stab at it.
The entire southeast part of the US is more humid than the rest of the country. Generally. NY and DC get their fair share also. So, combine that with the phenomenal eco-diversity of the GSMNP, you will encounter a lot of pollen, etc. Many rooftops (houses and docks) get black streaks on them. Usually this is handled by spraying "Wet N Forget" on the roofs. Being on or near a lake has no additional impact on mildewed roofs.
There are also radon concerns in this part of the country. Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless gas that creeps into homes from the granite infrastructure underground. There are mitigation systems that are commonly installed (mostly basement or crawlspace encapsulation and venting) if this is an issue in a particular homesite. Radon, FWIW, is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US. Being on or near a lake has no bearing on Radon.
Due to humidity, some people put a dehumidifier in the basement. Many of these have drains to remove the water they pull from the air. Some people don't do this. Much depends on the age of the house, the quality of construction, whether it was wrapped in tyvek or not, etc. Dehumidifiers run from $75-$750 depending on quality, features, and especially the amount of cubic footage you are trying to dehumidify.
Dock maintenance is not much different than the rest of your house. Wood occasionally needs to be stained. Less so, or less to do if your decking is trex/timberline vs wood. Powerwashing occasionally and a sturdy deck scrub brush just like you would a house deck, no different. Those telephone-pole like pilings are super-treated and can stay sturdy and intact submerged in water for decades.
Lake line is important as far as erosion control. If you want more lake and less land, then leave it alone. If you want to protect your land (ESPECIALLY if you are subject to high wake/wave open channel water action), then riprap is the common solution. It can be expertly done with pre-washed and carefully sized boulders, or it can be done cheaply with fabric cloth poorly staked (should go well up onto shore and well into water for stabilization) and a dumptruck load of sharp rocks bobcatted or skip loaded into place. Tumbled (but not totally round) rocks are better because their sharp edges have been broken off to prevent tearing the aforementioned fabric yet they aren't round enough to just slide off each other into the water. Anyhow, my earlier response alluded to this with a link to a quality riprap installer. You can learn all you need about rip-rapping by perusing their site and watching their videos.
Another thing that lakefront living brings, is the initial delight but later dread of Canadian geese. Wonderful to look at, they become like stubborn guests who refuse to leave and crap a phenomenal amount of fecal matter all over your yard. This fecal matter is particularly delightful to some dogs who obtain an almost ingrained delight in rubbing their snouts in it and bringing said wonderfully odorous aromas back to you and into the house. Easy solution (assuming you live in an American state where you can still buy them easily) are bottle rockets. We usually shoot them through a small-diameter 2-foot length of PVC pipe about 10-25 feet above the geeses' heads. Usually scares them away for a day or so. Alternatively, you can allow an energetic dog out into the yard at irregular intervals to make the yard less friendly for the geese. Watch out for the already-discussed snout-rubbing issues.
Keep in mind also, there is a difference in rain between the southeast and California. California calls for rain, and you get a misty drizzle most of the day in which no one can slow down and cars slide all about. Southeastern rain comes on fast, drops buckets in big fat juicy drops of rain, and then goes away in an hour or so. Usually.
I've seen 3 inches dropped in an hour. I've seen 5.25 inches dropped in 5 hours, but that is not normal. Next day is sunny as you like. In California, the best way to forecast the weather is that tomorrow will be a lot like today. Gradual changes over a week from sunny to rainy. Last year in East Tennessee I watched it snow in the morning, melt around noon so the lawns looked like an iced-oatmeal cookie, and by 5pm it was 70-degrees and there was not a drop of snow on any tree or in any of the shade patches on the ground.
The long and short of it is that, "Yes," it does rain a lot in eastern TN, but it does not rain all the time. We get more rain than Seattle per year, but we have well over 200 sunny days per year also. It is very unlike CA weather which is more predictable due to the ocean marine air masses and the linear Sierra Nevada mountain range. East TN is a series of mountains and plateaus and you cannot accurately predict what will make it over or be pushed around those plateaus and mountains as far as weather fronts. I know a guy who said he knows a Navy meteorologist. The meteorologist told the guy I know that E TN is one of the top 10 most difficult places in the world to forecast weather due to these geological formations.
Anyhow, hope that helps with your questions.
Extremely helpful post, thanks for all that insight that only a local would know. Very surprising that E. Tennessee gets more rain that Seattle!
Okay, since nobody else seems to be playing at the moment, I'll take another stab at it.
The entire southeast part of the US is more humid than the rest of the country. Generally. NY and DC get their fair share also. So, combine that with the phenomenal eco-diversity of the GSMNP, you will encounter a lot of pollen, etc. Many rooftops (houses and docks) get black streaks on them. Usually this is handled by spraying "Wet N Forget" on the roofs. Being on or near a lake has no additional impact on mildewed roofs.
There are also radon concerns in this part of the country. Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless gas that creeps into homes from the granite infrastructure underground. There are mitigation systems that are commonly installed (mostly basement or crawlspace encapsulation and venting) if this is an issue in a particular homesite. Radon, FWIW, is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US. Being on or near a lake has no bearing on Radon.
Due to humidity, some people put a dehumidifier in the basement. Many of these have drains to remove the water they pull from the air. Some people don't do this. Much depends on the age of the house, the quality of construction, whether it was wrapped in tyvek or not, etc. Dehumidifiers run from $75-$750 depending on quality, features, and especially the amount of cubic footage you are trying to dehumidify.
Dock maintenance is not much different than the rest of your house. Wood occasionally needs to be stained. Less so, or less to do if your decking is trex/timberline vs wood. Powerwashing occasionally and a sturdy deck scrub brush just like you would a house deck, no different. Those telephone-pole like pilings are super-treated and can stay sturdy and intact submerged in water for decades.
Lake line is important as far as erosion control. If you want more lake and less land, then leave it alone. If you want to protect your land (ESPECIALLY if you are subject to high wake/wave open channel water action), then riprap is the common solution. It can be expertly done with pre-washed and carefully sized boulders, or it can be done cheaply with fabric cloth poorly staked (should go well up onto shore and well into water for stabilization) and a dumptruck load of sharp rocks bobcatted or skip loaded into place. Tumbled (but not totally round) rocks are better because their sharp edges have been broken off to prevent tearing the aforementioned fabric yet they aren't round enough to just slide off each other into the water. Anyhow, my earlier response alluded to this with a link to a quality riprap installer. You can learn all you need about rip-rapping by perusing their site and watching their videos.
Another thing that lakefront living brings, is the initial delight but later dread of Canadian geese. Wonderful to look at, they become like stubborn guests who refuse to leave and crap a phenomenal amount of fecal matter all over your yard. This fecal matter is particularly delightful to some dogs who obtain an almost ingrained delight in rubbing their snouts in it and bringing said wonderfully odorous aromas back to you and into the house. Easy solution (assuming you live in an American state where you can still buy them easily) are bottle rockets. We usually shoot them through a small-diameter 2-foot length of PVC pipe about 10-25 feet above the geeses' heads. Usually scares them away for a day or so. Alternatively, you can allow an energetic dog out into the yard at irregular intervals to make the yard less friendly for the geese. Watch out for the already-discussed snout-rubbing issues.
Keep in mind also, there is a difference in rain between the southeast and California. California calls for rain, and you get a misty drizzle most of the day in which no one can slow down and cars slide all about. Southeastern rain comes on fast, drops buckets in big fat juicy drops of rain, and then goes away in an hour or so. Usually.
I've seen 3 inches dropped in an hour. I've seen 5.25 inches dropped in 5 hours, but that is not normal. Next day is sunny as you like. In California, the best way to forecast the weather is that tomorrow will be a lot like today. Gradual changes over a week from sunny to rainy. Last year in East Tennessee I watched it snow in the morning, melt around noon so the lawns looked like an iced-oatmeal cookie, and by 5pm it was 70-degrees and there was not a drop of snow on any tree or in any of the shade patches on the ground.
The long and short of it is that, "Yes," it does rain a lot in eastern TN, but it does not rain all the time. We get more rain than Seattle per year, but we have well over 200 sunny days per year also. It is very unlike CA weather which is more predictable due to the ocean marine air masses and the linear Sierra Nevada mountain range. East TN is a series of mountains and plateaus and you cannot accurately predict what will make it over or be pushed around those plateaus and mountains as far as weather fronts. I know a guy who said he knows a Navy meteorologist. The meteorologist told the guy I know that E TN is one of the top 10 most difficult places in the world to forecast weather due to these geological formations.
Anyhow, hope that helps with your questions.
Wow, that was super informative. Thank you for taking the time to write that level of detail.
Joe
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