Lake Life

[mchalkley18]

Recently I bought a lake house thinking I might do some renovations and move to the lake full time. I worry some about not being close to help with grandkids. Any advice about small town/lake living rather than big city suburbs?

 

[haha]

Recently I bought a lake house thinking I might do some renovations and move to the lake full time. I worry some about not being close to help with grandkids. Any advice about small town/lake living rather than big city suburbs?

Sure, if you are currently engaged in a helping role with your grandchildren, and you move farther away you will obviously have to become less engaged with them day to day. Also you will be sending a message. Also, your children will have a harder time being intimately involved in your lives as you age.

To some this is considered a good thing. To me, it would be a loss.

Ha

 

[mchalkley18]

A loss for me too, but the Lake house is only 45 min. away. They like going there more than my house.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Another discussion point is health care. The DW and I will most likely relocate to "flyover country" when my Dad passes on. We would *like* to have a decent spread of land and usually that means being a bit out in the country. This also means that healthcare (especially emergency/hospital) could be much farther away. So...this is something you might also want to consider.

As far as the grandkids are concerned, that's a question you will probably have to figure out on your own. Do you mind traveling? How far out will it be? How often would your kids come out to visit? Perhaps you might discuss this with your family.

 

[Philliefan33]

We have two houses-- the main house, where we have lived for 24 years, and a lake house 60 miles away.

We go back and forth. Our home base in the winter is the main house with visits to the lake every week or two. In the summer we live at the lake house and pop down to the other house to cut the grass, get the mail, and run errands as necessary.

We plan to keep both until it makes sense or becomes necessary to choose one. These are the factors keeping us from moving to the lake house full time:

- lake house is a little too small to fully accommodate our hobbies (workshop/sewing room) and "stuff"

- any shopping (including essentials like groceries) is farther away than at the main house. We could adapt, so this is a minor consideration

- healthcare. Right now we have no chronic issues (knock on wood) but what will the situation be in ten years? The closest hospital is twenty minutes away and scary; the nearest hospital that I trust is an hour drive. If you need a trauma center, you are getting a ride in a helicopter.

- drawbacks of a small community. Everyone knows you/your business. This can be limiting.

- we are barely two years into our retirement and happy with the status quo. No need to make life changes.

 

[mchalkley18]

Lots of thoughtful replies

Thanks! My soon to be hubbie has a small home located near downtown big city that is paid off, so we will keep that and probably do the "keep both houses" for now plan. I just have to get used to not being on the same street and the grands elementary school and having lots of stuff! Downsizing isn't always easy.

 

[Ronstar]

Our house is on a small lake, our condo is in a big city suburb. Lots of differences.

Lake house is quiet. Low density area of 5 acre lots. No traffic. I have a lot of room there with a workshop. Baoting/kayaking on the lake. Lots of home/grounds maintenance. Nearest Walmart/ home improvement store/restaurant/medical is 12 miles away. No amenities nearby.

Suburban condo is in a high density area. Congested with lots of traffic during rush hours. Little living/garage space. No maintenance. Nearest Walmart/home improvement store/medical 4 miles away. Nearest restaurant/grocery store 0.4 mile away. Lots of amenities nearby.

I'm happy with both, but sometimes run out of things to do at the condo since I don't have a workshop. Lake house and grounds maintenance is too high leaving little time for hobbies.

So my advice is to assess your lifestyle and live in an area that best suits you.

 

[Rustic23]

We live on a lake. It is 30 miles east and west to the closest major towns, and about 5 miles from a smaller town, (think grocery store two or three gas stations, four or five eating places) We could make do with the small town, except for medical. No hospital. Both larger towns have hospitals, and there is ambulance service in our subdivision.

That being said, you have to enjoy the "hermit" lifestyle. Our area is like a small town without retail. You get to know most if not all your neighbors, and life resolves around activities in the sub-division.

Now for kids and grand kids. We see them if we make the effort to see them. They are about 100 miles away. Not that bad, as grand kids are 14 and 21. Once the kids were in school the visits to the lake dropped off. However, that is our family. A couple of other neighbors see their kids more. But, I think we would all agree we see kids less.

Bottom line, you have to decide. As you don't have to make the move right away, try before you buy.

 

[kgtest]

I would think services and medical would be limited...and time with friends would be less.

 

[Rustic23]

Services and medical is further away, in our case, but not limited. Old friends are seen less but new friends are seen more, and in fact we see friends more often now, it's just new friends.

Here is a qualifier. We are an Air Force family. We moved about 17 times during our working years. So making new friends, and being in new places is not a big deal. How well you will acclimate to lake life depends on what you consider important, and what you are use to.