After 30+ years of looking at lake lots to buy, we have finally done it!!! We are now the proud owners of not only a lake lot but also a small cabin. It was quite by chance that this purchase came to be. Last Thursday the custodian where I work went to lunch and brought back one of those weekly newspapers with various items for sale. I always flip thru it, never expecting to find anything because they're mostly vehicles for sale. As I started perusing the ads, I wondered "Could there be any lake lots for sale?" I never expected to find one, but there it was --- "CABIN & LOT" on Paradise Lane. I immediately called Handyman and asked if he'd like to meet me after work and drive over. We got there and just as we pulled up a gentleman stuck his head out the door to see who was there. According to him there would be days between hearing cars on the road. We found out that he's renting the cabin, but he wouldn't care for us taking a look inside. It's a small cabin -- only 16' square on the outside. The main floor is the living area and kitchen space. There is a double sink, but only a 2 burner stove mounted in the counter top. The refrigerator is included but we were told the freezer is fine, but the refrigerator isn't cool enough. The upstairs is the bedroom, just one room. The bathroom is located in the "basement." The problem being that you have to go out the front door, then around the cabin and down a floor to get to it. Actually it's 2 rooms. One has the shower and the other has the commode and sink. There is a back door out of the living area but there is nothing outside the door. We were given pictures of the original house when it was built in the year 2000. There was a window in place of that door. Someone built a room on the back, and put a bathroom in it, but apparently it was not constructed very well and has since been torn off, thus, having a door open into thin air.
I was still waffling on whether to buy it or not. I wasn't that familiar with that part of the lake or the area. I couldn't tell you how many prayers I sent up over those days. I asked for a sign that all would be okay. A few days later one of the secretaries that I work with phoned about a problem with her computer. While I was talking with her I remembered that she lived up on the lake, so I asked her if she knew the Beaver Creek area and she said, "yes." Then I asked her if she knew anything about Paradise Lane and when she said, "Yes, that's where I live," I took it as the sign I had asked for and that everything would be okay.
We won't get possession for a while -- up to 30 days from now. Plans now are to not do a lot until spring. We're going to have the water turned off and blow out lines so we won't have to worry about freezing pipes this winter. One of the main reasons is because at this point it has no permanent heat. The guy living there has one of those heaters that looks like a radiator. I guess that'd fine if you're there, but we want something more permanent for when we aren't there. There is a lot of cleaning up to do around the place, even another building that needs to be dismantled and trashed. We might also do some cleaning up/painting on the inside while the weather is bad. I'm looking forward to having it empty so I can really see it. I feel like I'm invading someone else's privacy at this point.
Some of are plans are, first and foremost, to add a bathroom on the main floor and build a screened in porch on the back so you have a place to put your feet when you open that door. We're also planning on taking out the 2 burner cooktop and buying a 4 burner 20" range with oven. We haven't decided whether to have propane or electric heat. I'm sure that this will be an on-going project and take us several years to get it just like we want it, but we enjoy having projects to work on.
We are just so happy to finally be lakefront property owners!!!
