info on building a ski lake

[alex38]

Hi, I live on cape cod, mass. I know we have relentless winters, and sometimes short summers, but we have all these frickin cranberry bogs, some are dried up, they look like ski lakes filled with cranberries. I can't help but think about dredging one out, filling it with water and ripping on my own private lake.

Anybody know if this is possible? I only flip burgers, but I ski with lots of contractors, builders, and such.

[D Wolters]

Don't think you can do it with that kind of income...but look for one that's been dried up for a long time. Use a probe about 4' or 5' foot long and be sure it's dry. Heavy equiptment gets stuck easily and the wetter the soil the more it's going to cost to dig out.

You can get away with a depth of 6' and use the dirt you dig to build up levee's. But the levee's MUST be compacted or it's leak city. Pay special attension to the slope of your shore line because within a year you'll be skiing in a bathtub and the only way to fix it is lot's of money.

Good luck and keep your hope's up you never know what life will bring you! 

[Marco]

Alex-  Where there is a will there's a way.  We built our lake ourselves and saved some serious money.  We rented the heavy quipment and dug it ourselves, as well as installed utilities and an irrigation system around the lake.  Those of us involved are in the building/land use fields, so we had some relevent experience.

We were lucky, in that we were able to subdivide a few lots fairly easily, and we presold them to friends at discounted rates in exchange for help in building the project.  The presales helped finance the project and made it relatively affordable for all involved.  It was a huge amount of work, especially considering we did everything (except the excavation) on weekends.  6 years later we have a pretty nice place, and two of us are currently in the process of building houses on it (again, with no hired help).

 Do your research, especially with the land use issues, to find out it it is a viable idea.  If so do the footwork to see if you can make it happen.  Good luck!

[otisg]

Alex,

My bet is that your biggest problem will be with the Government and the Enviro wheenies.......

You will probably spent more in legal fees than you will on the excavator.

 Don't forget the Army Corps of Engineers. They may want to have some fun with you after the locals get finished with you. 

I live on Eastern Long Island, not far from you as the crow flies...

I ended up buying a Catfish Farm in Alabama to be able to do what I wanted.

Good luck.