In my two previous postings in this series, I wrote about how we should minimize our own personal “footprints” on this earth.I discussed the impact of defective septic systems leaching into adjacent bodies of water, which in our case is the Portage Lakes system.

Now we will look at another source of lake water pollution.

Many people work hard ...

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This is part two in the series on the ecological concerns related to living near a body of water.

As I wrote previously, we hear a lot about our own personal “footprints” on this earth, and how we should minimize our negative impact.Living near water it is crucial that your septic system be in good working condition and in compliance with governmental health standards.

 

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Everyone knows that kids and water can lead to disaster, but many do not consider the danger it presents for pets.

Unlike young children, dogs and even cats are born knowing how to swim. But it is not the swimming itself that's the concern. Those of us who live in waterfront properties know that very often the lake frontage has a seawall keeping the land and the water separate. Often these seawalls are more than thirty inches high.

If your pet falls or jumps in the water there may be a real issue with getting back out. A large dog with long legs may have no problem – but a short legged dog could be in serious trouble.

Twenty five years ago my wife had two older Chinese Chow Chows that refused to even go near the lakefront, and they didn’t even enjoy riding in the boat so we never had to think about the danger to them.  After the chows died Mary got two Standard Poodles who also disliked the water even though they were supposed to be water dogs -- they were even equipped with webbed feet. But while they detested the water they loved to ride in the boat. They made very regal figures sitting on the two front seats of our pontoon boat and never made any attempt to jump out of the boat after the ducks.  

When we moved into our present house, the dogs had their own lower level room with a doggie door that opened into our fenced yard. Since the poodles disliked water, we did not fence across the lakefront because we did not worry about their jumping into the water.

When the poodles died from old age, we got two Pembroke Welsh Corgis. These are dwarf-type dogs with lots of enthusiasm. They get excited and react before they think it through, sort of like how kids do.

Maxie’s first swim came when he got very excited about the invasive aquatic weeds that Mary was raking in from the lake. He lunged for the dangling weeds and landed in the water. Corgis can swim, but these are not the Michael Phelps of dogs. Maxie dog paddled furiously and finally made it to the seawall. At that point we discovered that there was no way he could climb out. So Mary had to haul him out by his collar.

You would have thought that he would have learned from this, but no, his enthusiasm sent him right back in the lake at the very next rake full of sea weeds. But this time, he started swimming parallel to the wall looking for a place to get out. Unbeknownst to him, he would have been swimming for a very long time before he would have found a way out in the direction he had headed.

Had Maxie started swimming in the opposite direction he might have discovered the steps that reach down into the lake.  Since we do not want to fence the lakefront in the summer, we figured that we needed to teach Maxie where the steps were. So Mary picked Maxie up and gently tossed him into the water in front of the steps. Maxie came up mad as a “wet dog.”  Mary kept calling him until he came to her and discovered that he could climb up the steps.  Mary tossed him into the lake again, and he headed for the steps on his own.

Later that summer, he slid off the end of the dock in a frenzied attempt to heard some geese back in to the water. Maxie remembered his lesson and then headed right for the steps.

If a waterfront home is in your future, keep in mind that you will need to protect not only little kids, but also your pets. Watch for the second section in this series of blog posts which will take a look at the danger presented by waterfowl such as ducks, geese, and swans.

To read more about Maxie, check out his website at www.MaxieTheWonderDog.com ; also read some of his amusing blog postings at http://blog.MaxieTheWonderDog.com.

In previous entries I have discussed my criteria for selecting a particular waterfront property. In this series I will take a look at the ecological concerns related to living near a body of water.

We hear a lot about our own personal “footprints” on this earth, and how we should minimize our negative impact.Living near water, we can make a huge difference in the quality of that water by what we do.

 

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In my previous postings I wrote about the location of the sun, parking, lot characteristics, and construction quality. My final criterion for finding the perfect Portage Lakes waterfront home is the lake zone in front of your home.

 

The whole portage lakes system is designated as a "no wake" zone in all areas outside of the two designated speed zones. Although the limit goes up to 400 horsepower for your boat motor, the speed at which you may go is restricted to driving slowly enough so that you do not leave a wake.

In a "no wake" zone docking is easier and less complicated. You can easily see who is boating by, and you do not have to put up with the roar and wash from speeding boats. However you will have boaters slowly floating by who are checking out your property and looking in your windows at night. Fisherman will be casting their lines under your dock and boat.

In an area where properties face one of the speed zones life is different. You will have noise to contend with during the hours when speeding and skiing are allowed. You will need to have more secure means of stabilizing your docked boat to protect it from the wake. The advantages are that you are on a wider area of the lake with a more expansive view, and you do not need to boat for fifteen or twenty minutes to travel to the speed zone.

Myself, I like the quieter more intimate no-wake zone way of life.

Watch for further postings on waterfront living. For more information on the Portage Lakes area, email me at

Tom@TomMcCombs.com or call at 330-644-2413.

 

When considering a Portage Lakes lakefront home don’t let an amazing view cloud your judgement. A professional home inspection is critical prior to finalizing a purchase.

 

In the Portage Lakes, many of the houses were originally built as humble summertime homes or cottages, so knowing the quality and condition of construction is of utmost importance.

During the World Wars, the local rubber factories were producing at top capacity and needed laborers to fill jobs. Housing was at ...

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Continuing my discussion about buying lakefront property, we are going to take a look at the characteristics of the land itself. Several of my criteria for choosing the right property concern the lot itself; distance from the neighbors, the typography of the lot, and the amount of lake frontage.

 

In my previous posting on parking I mentioned that most of the lakefront lots on the Portage Lakes system are narrow, and if they aren’t it usually means that several ...

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As I stated in my original posting on "How to buy lakefront property" I have a list of criteria that may be used when considering the purchase of a lakefront or waterfront home. In the second posting in this series I discussed the location of the property in relation to the sun. Now, let’s talk about PARKING.

 

When you cruise the Portage Lakes system in your boat, you are getting the "front door" view of each property. The front yard is considered to be the lakefront side, while the back yard is the street side. Everything is geared toward the lake and the entertainment associated with lakeside living. From the lake you will see expansive decks, patios, and lots of windows.

What you normally can’t see from the lake is the parking area for that property.

In order to maximize the number of houses on the available land, lots tend to be small and narrow. Over the years most of the houses have been expanded to fit current lifestyles so that now there may be little yard left. This means that frequently there is also very little parking. Sometimes there is barely enough parking for the residents, let alone their guests.

Since entertaining goes hand in hand with lakefront living, parking for your guests becomes a real issue. When my wife and I bought our present home we knew that we needed a lot of extra parking space, which eliminated several nice prospective properties from our list of possibilities. So we kept looking until we found our present house which has a very rare and desirable parking situation. We have five lots that total up to a half acre, and enough parking for at least 20 cars.

If the property you fall in love with does not have parking adequate for your entertaining needs, all is not lost. Consider alternatives such as street parking availability, public parking lots within walking distance, community guest parking lots, and friendly neighbors who don’t mind sharing their extra parking spots in exchange for the same consideration. And for very large gatherings, some people have even gone to the extent of hiring valets to park guests’ cars in a public lot or of hiring a shuttle to transport guests to and from an off site parking lot. Plus, some of your guests may be arriving by boat.

If you are considering buying a lakefront home, watch for my next blog entry on the lot itself. If you would like to receive information on all of the available properties please email me at

 

Tom@TomMcCombs.com or call me at 330-644-2413.

 

 

 

 

 

I am pleased to announce that I have moved my license to Century 21 HomeStar. I believe that this will enable me to even better meet your real estate needs. You will still be able to contact me via my website at www.TomMcCombs.com.

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There is nowhere that I would rather live in Ohio than lakefront on the Portage Lakes. The reasons are evident in the boating season, but only those of us lucky enough to live here get to appreciate the wonders of winter on the lakes.

There is just something magic about getting up in the morning and looking out over the frozen lake covered in pristine snow surrounded by winter frosted trees. For my wife it invokes ...

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