330 Homes Fall 2021

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by SHARON BEST and photos by TYLAR CALHOUN

D I V E B A CK A DIY outdoor renovation helps a homeowner reunite with lake living.

D amion Dolney grew up sailing on Lake Erie with his family. When he left for college, lake life slipped away. Then he married Amanda in 2014, and the couple rediscovered that joy with a 17-foot powerboat on Chippewa Lake, not far from their Hinckley home. Friends suggested trying Portage Lakes, so they rented a home and found the beaches, restaurants, bars and friendly people irresistible. “We loved having the boat in the backyard,” he says. So much so that they sold their home, acquired a couple of wakesurf boats and moved to PLX permanently in 2016. “The impetus of the move is the community’s feeling here and the amount of fun it is to live on the water,” Damion says.

Their 3,200-square foot 1952 home was expanded in the ‘80s

The Dolneys have remodeled the entire property, starting with adding the covered lakeside pavilion and five docks for their wakesurf boats, kayaks and boating visitors. They added a mid level pavilion with direct access from the home’s

lower level and a third covered area that connects the home to the cottage and serves as a carport. “It’s given us flexibility in any situation to enjoy Portage Lakes without hindrance,” Damion says of the changes he’s done largely himself with the

help of contractor friends, from whom he learned construction. “We had a couple of parties this summer [with] 50 people all seated without bringing chairs. When you live in the Portage Lakes, it’s never two people that stop by — it’s 10.”

when a previous owner acquired the neighboring 1,350-square-foot two bedroom, one-bath house as a guesthouse called the Mermaid Cottage.

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