September 22, 2026
Location, Location, Location
So we wanted to build a lake house? First, we needed a lake.
There are 22 natural lakes in North Carolina, plus a ton of man-made lakes and reservoirs — the largest spanning 40,000 acres. Not to mention hundreds more in surrounding states, and up and down the East Coast for that matter.
Visiting hundreds of lakes just wasn’t realistic, so we narrowed it down by identifying our “must-haves”: a reasonable driving distance from home so we could still make weekend trips, access to woods and mountains, a spot that felt remote but was still accessible, rentability, and, of course, genuine love for the lake itself. We checked out a few and planned to visit more, but we fell hard for Lake James almost immediately. It sits at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, spans about 6,812 acres, and has 150 miles of shoreline. Surrounded by trees and mountain views, clean, quiet, and almost affordable — it had us at hello.
Lake: found. Next up: the house.
A few Zillow searches and one conversation with a real estate agent later, we knew a move-in-ready waterfront home wasn’t in the cards — not unless we won the Powerball. We looked at resales next, but anything in our price range needed so much work that we couldn’t have rented it out right away, and it would’ve been years before we could actually enjoy it. So we started asking: what if we just build?
It didn’t need to be huge. It didn’t need all the bells and whistles. It just needed to sit on the right piece of land and give us a welcoming weekend escape into nature. A friend once told us, “they aren’t making any more land” — and honestly, that stuck with us. With the area growing in popularity and the economy feeling uncertain, finding a lot we could actually afford felt like the most sensible path to the dream.
A few months later, we found our spot: 2.09 acres, tucked into the woods. Water views? No. A dock for that someday boat? No. But it’s perfect for us anyway — large enough to keep some privacy even once neighbors build, and close enough that we can walk right into the water to launch a paddleboard or kayak. After some savvy financial maneuvering, we made it official: our own little corner at the lake.
The original plan was to wait five-plus years before building. Turns out, patience is not our strong suit. Our bodies and souls need lake life — the work weeks are exhausting, and the weekends never feel restful enough. And we want to share it with the people and pups we love, especially our aging bulldog, who’s never happier than lying in the sun or swimming around a lake.
So, in just a few months, we’ll be breaking ground. More on that soon.
