Cool Spot on the south side of Richland Chambers Lake

Cool Spot on the south side of  Richland Chambers Lake

Time for little business!  This is a really cool restaurant / bar on the south side of Richland Chambers on FM 416.  This used to be the 'Draft House Grill and Bar".  The business at one time was moving along pretty well and it was a great hang out on Friday & Saturday nights.  Live music, good food and great atmosphere made for a fun evening on RC Lake.  The facilities are in great shape with all of the kitchen,  bar equipment and some sound equipment is in place.  The owners have moved on to other things and are wanting to sell.  This place is perfect for someone who wants to open a "Pub Style" operation, Sports bar, or just a good restaurant.
Check out the listing:  470 FM 416 Streetman, TX 75859

An impromptu 'jam session' at The Draft House  spring 2012

Like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream

Where has the blog gone?  Nothing is worse for a blog than inconsistency, right?  Well it has been many months since I have blogged and you can see in the picture where the house is as of yesterday 17Aug13.  Yes, some progress has been made though not what you would expect from supposedly a well thought out and planned building process.  

Building a house for yourself requires many things, perhaps the most influencing of which is motivation.

Many things have happened in our lives for Julie and I this spring, beginning about the time the blog dropped off.  So not wanting to sound as if I am complaining or offering up excuses, I won't.  Suffice it to say we have not been as motivated to make the change and move south down Chambers Creek about 12 miles or so.

The real estate market has been good and busy this year.  The lake is down 8 1/2 feet and we have moved our boat to a deep water slip in the marina at The Shores.  

We have been on the water quite a bit however not as much as last year.

Our motivation is returning with each new board nailed up and the goal is to move in around Christmas.

We'll see.

"Like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream"

~John Candy~

Home Construction

These may not look like much, but this is the pad for the house.  Improved fill has been brought in and put in place.  Our soils here are mostly clay based and they expand and contract according to the amount of moisture present.  The improved fill is put into place (in this case 30") to absorb the movement of the clay under the house.  We had boring samples done and a soil analysis based on the findings.  That analysis and our floor plan drawings are with the engineer now and he is designing our foundation.  Once that is done we will move forward with a concrete company to build the foundation.  

Lake Access on a Budget

For good water access on a budget a lot in The Shores with a boat slip in The Shores marina is a good way to go. The slips in The Shores marina were offered by the developer to buyers purchasing lots in The Shores.  The slips were sold out to lot owners with the purchaser receiving a lifetime lease on the slip.  There are now 9 lots for sale in The Shores that come with a lifetime lease on a slip.  The diagram has the slips available with the lot numbers beside them.  Right now they range from $25,000 to  $50,000. Check out the lots for sale with a boat slip at www.BuyRCLake.com.

The Boathouse is finished!!   It has been for a while, I have been finding myself neglecting my blog.  The water under the boathouse is still about 3 feet and we can get the boat in.  Our seadoos are across the lake on a friends dock.  We plan on getting them when I can get the electricity hooked up to the boathouse temporarily.  We are going to take some chairs, fishing gear and possibly the chimenea down to the boathouse soon and see about catching some fish.

View down the cove to the open water.  The lake is 5 feet low

Ready for a beverage fridge and fish cleaning, fresh water will come to the sink

Landsape pump for the sprinkler system

Custom made for the Tri Tune

"Rain, Rain come again another day..today"

Richland Chambers Lake Spillway

This is a cool picture I took back in 2009 of the damn on Richland Chambers after some big rains in September and October, of all months.  The lake went from almost 5 feet low on September the 13th to more than a foot over by October 15th, rising more than a foot a week. 

Richland Chambers Lake Watershed

Most years,  Richland Chambers Lake fills in the late winter and spring so 2009 was not the norm, but it does demonstrate how fast the lake can fill.  The watershed for Richland Chambers covers 1957 square miles. It stretches into 6 counties eventuating in the confluence of Richland Creek and Chambers Creek (now in the middle of the lake).  Bardwell Reservoir is the headwaters of Chambers Creek and Navarro Mills Reservoir is the headwaters of Richland Creek.  Both are Army Corps of Engineers lakes and have 26 and 28 foot flood stages respectively.  One of the main functions of  Bardwell and Navarro Mills  is flood control. Water can be impounded and released into Richland Chambers all we need is a couple of good rains in the right spots!

Check out historic lake levels: US Lakes

Lake level information and sources: BuyRCLake.com/lake-level

Exclusive Lots in Exclusive Neighborhoods

 I just have had the pleasure of listing 2 really nice waterfront lots in two great, exclusive neighborhoods.  The first one is in Northshore Estates is a beautifully treed, waterfront subdivision over on the east side of Richland Chambers Lake.  Some of the best sunsets in the state of Texas have officially been recorded in Northshore Estates!
  Lot 4 is a .6 acre home site with big, old growth oak trees and about 118" of deep dockable shoreline.  This is one of only 2 waterfront lots left in Northshore Estates.  If your looking for a quiet, wooded waterfront neighborhood and a home site with deep, dockable water, this one is it! Call me 903-641-3359 or check it out at BuyRCLake.com/richland-chambers-waterfront-lots
John