There are many things to consider when planning the lake house.  Searching for the perfect floor plan requires taking many things into account.  Yesterday I wrote about planning for the view.  

Today's topic is "There is NO backyard" for a lake house.  Just about all sides of a lake home are on public display and the owners usually want a nice visual presentation to the public.  A lake home usually has a "Road Side" or "Street Side" and a "Water Side" instead of a "Front" and "Back". 

Storage buildings that are often found in a family's back yard are the main view that anyone going by on a boat will be looking at.   So careful consideration has to be made for where to store outside tools in the backyard because it's the front and is the main display for the home to anyone on the water. Cook-out areas, play areas for the children, sometimes boat storage or lawn mower storage, etc.  Normal back yard activities are on full display.

At the same time, you don't want to move those to the front of the home because it is still the main display side for the home and any visitors would normally be coming to that side of the home for entrance.

Whatever you do to reduce others' view of your private waterfront areas will also reduce your view of the lake.

Home owners have approached this in various ways. I have seen many lake homes with privacy fences around the front and sides of the home, only leaving the back or water side unfenced. They are not concerned with "curb appeal" at all except for creating a nice fence.  Others don't seem to need a private area with all outdoor living areas on full display.

When planning to build a lake home, this is one of the considerations that you will want to think about though, because it might make a difference in which lot you buy or which home you build.

Here's to "Living At The Lake"!