Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Any one have a pond house?

I am going to build a small one room house near my pond this summer for fishing, cook outs and to store feed ect. Right now I have plans of making a porch on the front and having it stick out over the water. The building would be something along the lines of a 16x24 (16 deep and 24 long)and would be mostly rough lumber. I would like to poll the members of PB and see if what design ideas are out there from the experts. Also if you have pic you could share that would be great, as they say a "pic is worth a thousand words."

Donnie

I would like to have a small building at my pond 10 miles from my house so I can leave some tools, fishing/hunting stuff, etc there. I have had so many problems with people trespassing, I have decided it is not worth the effort.

This is our 20’ x 32’ garden/pond/guest house. It was designed to be a guest house, but now we call it “Buff’s Bar & Grill”.

DonJovi,
We have a cabin next to Zephyr Pond that serves most of the purposes you are wanting for your cabin. So far, the *&)%$#*& have stolen the air conditioner, the wood burning stove and most everything that wasn't tied down. I still like having it there though. Good luck.

My pond is on the front of my house so I "should" be ok. Plus the pond is getting a fence this spring so that should help. Really I just want a place to hang out and kick back. I am thinking of building a fire/pit grill from a palet of bricks that where left over from my house. So nothing of any great value will be left there. I may also put my feeder on one of the posts that holds the porch. I am just collecting ideas right now, but I got a few plans in my head already. Anyone have any input on building a fire pit/ grill? I was thinking of using concrete blocks and covering them with brick or I thought about getting a $100 charcoal grill from Walmart and "bricking it in".

Jim I like the looks of yours, I may build something like that for my shed in the back. I need a place for two four wheelers and my mower.

Donnie

Jims Place, Is that bathroom paneling on the walls and an epoxy coated floor?

here is my pond house, you will have to scroll down abit to see it pictures

My thoughts on a Pond House are turning along the lines of a Yurt on a floating dock/platform that has screened sides, etc etc. Size? Probably around 8' X 12'. Simple, economical. But ideally, I like the cabin style with the porch over-hanging the water. My floating dock will be built in "units", 8X12 each and able to be hinge-pinned together for increasing/decreasing size. If I can build enough of them, I will have a nice size Aircraft Carrier that I can fly my R/C planes off of!

Jim's Place, that is really nice.
I have only lived on my pond for about six months, so you might take this suggestion with a grain of salt, I would build the cabin you finally decide on then add 20 or so feet for covered porch or patio or whatever you want to call it, on the water side. Put a sink at minimum, full kitchen would be better, with enough tables and chairs to seat all of those you expect to visit. A full bath would be a big bonus. For me at least, the pond is where everyone winds up. We spend a great deal of time visiting, eating and just relaxing on my open patio. Also consider the direction of your areas wind diven rain when locating the building. Seems like everything that can, will be blown into pond.

I'm building a porch...does that count?

Jim, what a great building! Looks like you have all the requisite stuff in it: sinks, tools, shop vac, air compressor, fishing gear and a beer poster to boot!

Joe, nice looking porch! It looks like it's almost within casting distance from the pond.

Ryan, ½ “ plywood on the walls and ceiling and yes the floor is epoxy coated…I love that stuff.
The pond house has really worked out well for party’s etc, keeps everyone out of the main house.
DonJovi
We were going to build a fire/grill pit as you described, but we could not make our mind up on location so I took my old 3’x4’ lawn and garden trailer and turned it into a portable fire place/grill hook it to the ridding mower and off we go.

Joe, your spoiled ….nice job.

Jeff, my wife slowly inched me out so I did what any Pond Boss member would do….build another one bigger and better.

Now that's what I'm talking about!!!!

Man all you guys have nice places. I hope I get mine looking that good. Jim are you building that shop yourself or are you contracting it out? I am still tossing the idea of going with a big shop instead of a small out building for the the mowers and 4 wheelers.

Donnie

Maybe this counts as a "big shop." I am working on closing in the 12' section on the far left with an insulated loft, walls, and 12' wide sliding door opening to the two 20'x24' parking bays. That way I can afford to heat the small section for Winter work - a "small shop inside a big shop".

Here is a picture of my new pond house, It's still on the drawing board like many other things, sense the main house is going to be built next to the pond a pavilion on the earth pier leading onto the board walk over the water should suffice. The trees will be the next project this spring, bald cypress and weeping willows are going to be planted all around the edges of the pond. Live oaks in the yard next to the main house.


Jim I can relate, My wife and I can't agree on were a permanent stone fire pit and grill should be placed, so like you ,I stick too the mobile smoker and grill so we have endless options to hang out. woods, pond, under the over hang on the shop etc...

Warning the wife's shop will soon fill and she will encroch into your manly space. I built my wife a 12 by 12 shop of her on for this very reason. All it did was pospone the trespass of my manly space. She has slowly inched her way in.