Finding a Builder and an Architect: What We Learned While Planning Our Lake House Addition

Over the last few years, building on our lake has exploded. With people moving in from downstate or even California—where our prices feel like a bargain—new construction is popping up everywhere. For us locals, it’s a bit surreal. But it also gave us something valuable: inspiration. When we decided to move forward with creating our morning room, my husband and I did what anyone living on a lake would do—we took the boat out for a tour. We rode around, and I snapped pictures of sunrooms I loved, studying their style, structure, and how they blended into the landscape. That little boat ride ended up being the foundation of our entire project…and even how we found our builder.

Along the side road that winds along the lake, new homes have been going up nonstop. I started taking photos of the builders’ signs so I could look up their work later. Between the lake tour and that drive, we pulled together a shortlist and set up interviews with three builders.

Now, coming from a corporate leadership background, I’m not easily shocked – but the pricing of materials and labor opened my eyes in a whole new way. Even in our quiet corner of the world, building isn’t cheap.

Ultimately, we chose our builder not only because we liked his vision and approach, but because he truly understood the variance laws that come with building on the lake. Anyone who has ever built near water knows – variance regulations aren’t just guidelines; they’re practically gospel. Having someone who could navigate them confidently was huge.

But I’ll be honest: for a Type A personality like me, the pace of construction planning was…an adjustment. We started meeting with the builder in June, along with the architect he recommended, and didn’t get our first set of drawings until August. Everyone told me that was fast. I was stunned.

At this point, we were still pricing out the idea of adding a second floor to the addition, but quickly realized it wasn’t realistic – not just because of cost, but because it would eliminate two upstairs windows and leave us with dark bedrooms. And if you know me, you know I live for natural light.

I also wasn’t thrilled with our architect. She was slow, and her design didn’t capture the vision or the flow we were hoping for. We ended up reworking her entire layout because it didn’t maximize the space or function the way we needed.

And then came another surprise: the price.

To complete the main-floor addition and the upstairs walk-in shower – another project we knew we had to tackle if we were going to live comfortably in this home – we had to increase our original budget by $50,000. Reality check moment. But still, we decided to move forward.

We officially signed everything in October, and building began the first week of November.

What I Learned Through the Process

Looking back, here are the biggest takeaways I wish someone had told me: