If you were to build a house on a lake... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Kuan · #1 09-04-2002, 06:47 PM

Which direction would it face, and what kind of house would you build?

Kuan

DALE DORIA · #2 09-04-2002, 07:10 PM

Need more information. I live on Barnegat Bay at the Jersey Shore and had my house custom built. However, this is a very old town and many of the original Victorians still stand. So our home had to "fit" in with the flavor of the town. Is this lake small?, located in a valley?, in a deeply wooded area?,have boating?, fishing?, a summer resort?, private?, easily accessible?, a year round residence?, summer use only?, property bulkheaded? These are questions that need to be answered to provide some parameters for the "type" of home you are considering!

Kuan · #3 09-04-2002, 07:15 PM

Well, I plan on getting a lot on a small lake, 400 acres or so, but I don't know what direction would be better. The lake I'm considering is good for fishing, you know, regular minnesota stuff. Walleye and Pike, but I don't fish that much anyway. I wanna do something like a modified A-frame, about 1500 sq.ft. With dock of course

This would be a year round primary residence of course. Are you kidding, have a house on a lake and not want to live there?

Kuan

JCE · #4 09-04-2002, 07:21 PM

I would want to find a good compromise between:

The best view;
Having the house shield the deck and/or porch from prevailing winds;
Best natural lighting from the windows;
Most sun into the living and dining areas;
Convenience of entry and use.

suginami · #5 09-04-2002, 07:27 PM

Is this a question about feng shui, or what the Japanese call fuu sui? (they use the same Chinese characters for wind and water).

Kuan · #6 09-04-2002, 07:31 PM

No no, not about feng shui, although I guess concepts could be incorporated into choosing a lot and house design. People here seem to have them on all sides of the lake, facing every direction. Somehow I seem to like facing west with big windows, which would make it easier to keep warm in the winter. But yeah, it would fade my furniture... hmm.

Kuan

DALE DORIA · #7 09-04-2002, 07:34 PM

Hmmmmmmmm........This REALLY sounds great! Well, if you want to use the dock in the winter to get to your ice hut for some fishing, the it should be exposed to the morning sun to melt as much snow off as possible. I really like log cabins and have been in some exquisite homes that would give you the look you want. I would consider a home that has a large open loft that faces front and can overlook the lake from the second floor. A stone fireplace is a must, perhaps a double that would be in both the living room and the kitchen area. As far as the way the house should face....are there any prevailing winds in the winter that you would want to avoid? I know from living on the bay......in the summer the southeasterly winds are welcome..but the winter northeasterly winds are deadly and drive up the heating bill as the house is exposed to this across the entire bay! This may be a consideration as I know your winters can be quite harsh.

Also, you could consider building the house with all the living areas on the second floor! This would allow you to enjoy your lake view much more from a higher perspective. This really sounds like a great project! Keep us posted and good luck!

Kuan · #8 09-04-2002, 07:58 PM

Wife likes this one... or something similiar.

Kuan

engatwork · #9 09-04-2002, 08:25 PM

The lake is only 30 acres and the "picture" window in the house is on the other side and faces the lake. This place was built in the 20's and is located in the middle of the worlds first pine tree "farm".

engatwork · #10 09-04-2002, 08:32 PM

Oh yea, don't forget the den with the stone fireplace. That baby can go through some wood now. That is Blake (9) in the picture.

MikeTangas · #11 09-04-2002, 09:33 PM

I'd have to say put the house on the east shore of the lake with front door/porch facing west. The afternoon sun for warmth and a buetiful sunset everynight the sky is clear. My G-ma's cabin faced east and was situated on the west shore, made for fairly cool afternoons and blinding AM sun (read; rude awakening at 5am in the summer).

My's Dad's cabin is a log cabin built in 1910, situated on the east side of an island with western facing veranda. Very nice, plus the water's edge is less than 10 feet off the porch steps.

#12 09-05-2002, 12:32 PM

Can't pass up a chance to chime in as I build things a lot.

Definately take the view into consideration. You just have to in a lake setting.

If you have some flex on site arrangement, get morning sun in the kitchen and afternoon sun on the "active"side of the house where you will hopefully have a deck and porch.

Save guest bedrooms/garages/mud rooms for the north side where little will grow and its cold.

Some people like to wake up with the sun and others hate that idea. Decide which you are and place bedrooms accordingly.

Of course, you can never get a formula/plan that meets all criteria but its great that you are thinking hard on it.

Be sure to be at the site on a sunrise and sunset to check the light. The sun travels (or I guess we do) so be aware of where it will go at different seasons.

Nic
Columbia, SC

Jason Beal · #13 09-05-2002, 02:14 PM

Wow, so exciting. Sometime in the next year or so we are going to buy some property in SW Montana or Idaho to build an A frame on. I can't wait. We will probably do solar panels instead of hooking up to electricity though. But I need to read more on the subject first. Anyway, whatever you decide to do good luck. Sounds fun.

Kuan · #14 09-05-2002, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lebenz
Oh, one last comment, while there is definitely a great beauty to a stone fireplace, modern research has shown that it is in effect little other than a massive heat sink, and will spend most of its time conducting cold into the cabin.

Makes sense, but stone fireplaces are so cool!

An old friend and former Professor has a place up in the mountains with a stone fireplace. He has this system of heat exchangers which he uses to distribute warm air all through the cabin just like in aircooled Porsches.

Kuan

#15 09-05-2002, 03:18 PM

ok, stone fireplaces look good but remember, you can buy a quality insert and put as much stone on its "face" as you want. All the way to the ceiling is thats your desire. You end up with the appearance of stone without the cost and drawback. A good insert works just fine and usually has built in heat exchanger/blower capability.

plus its been my experience that most of us just aren't going to cut and tote those logs forever. A large fireplace eats wood bigtime. Eventually, we opt for a nice set of gas logs, which are easily installed in an insert.

If you want heat, go the wood stove route. They are very efficient and some are quite attractive.

Nic