Closing Up Your NH Lake House for the Season

Labor Day comes and goes, the water gets that first cold edge, and every lake house on Winnipesaukee starts the same quiet countdown. Whether your place is a family camp in Alton Bay or a year-rounded cottage in Meredith, closing it up right in late August and September is what keeps mold, mice, and frozen pipes from turning into a spring headache. The tricky part is where to put the kayaks, cushions, grill, and summer gear once the season ends — especially if the house is tight on dry, secure space.

Start With the Water and the Cold

Nothing wrecks a New Hampshire lake house faster than water left in the lines through a hard freeze. Before you worry about furniture or gear, deal with the systems that a Lakes Region winter will attack.

• Drain and blow out the plumbing, or have it done, and pour RV antifreeze into every trap and toilet.
• Shut off the main water supply and the water heater so nothing runs while you are gone.
• Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses, the dock water line, and any irrigation.
• Set the thermostat to a low hold (around 50°F) if you keep heat on, or fully winterize if you do not.

A Room-by-Room Shutdown Order

Working in a set order keeps you from driving back three times for the thing you forgot. Here is the sequence most Lakes Region owners land on.

1. The waterfront first. Pull the dock or floats per your town’s rules, haul in the kayaks, canoe, paddleboards, life jackets, and swim gear while the weather still cooperates.
2. Outdoor living. Break down patio furniture, roll up the grill, stow cushions and umbrellas — the items that rot or blow away over winter.
3. Kitchen and pantry. Clear all food, even canned goods, so you are not running a mouse buffet, and prop the fridge door open after cleaning.
4. Bedrooms and closets. Seal linens and clothing in bins, and leave a few cedar blocks or moisture absorbers behind.

Where the Summer Gear Actually Goes

This is where most lake houses run out of room. A single-bay garage fills up fast once the dock sections, patio set, and five kinds of watercraft come off the shoreline, and stacking it all in a damp basement is how good gear turns musty. A portable storage container solves the space problem without a trip to a rented unit an hour away. MI-BOX drops a weatherproof container right in your driveway, you load it on your own schedule over a few weekends, and it stays put on your property or moves to our secure NH storage yard for the winter. Come spring, the same box comes back so you are not hauling everything twice.

Sizing the Container to Your Camp

You don’t need a warehouse — you need the right box for what comes off the water. Our containers come in three sizes, and most lake owners land in the middle.

• 8ft MI-BOX. Fine for a smaller cottage — cushions, a couple of kayaks, and off-season odds and ends.
• 16ft MI-BOX. The lake-house workhorse: dock sections, patio furniture, grill, paddleboards, and bins with room to spare.
• 20ft MI-BOX. Best for a big place or when you are storing seasonal furniture while a renovation waits out the winter.

Keeping an Empty Camp Secure

A lake house sitting dark from October to April is a known target, and the Lakes Region sees its share of off-season break-ins along quiet shore roads. A few low-cost habits go a long way. Photograph anything valuable before you leave so you have records, and either take small electronics home or lock them inside a stored container rather than leaving them in plain view through a window. Ask a neighbor who winters over, or a caretaker, to swing by after big storms — a plowed-in driveway and untouched mail are what tell people a place is empty. A MI-BOX parked on the property adds a second layer here: it locks with your own padlock, it is weather-tight against the snow load, and the gear inside is out of sight instead of stacked in a garage window or under a tarp.

Mistakes That Cost You in the Spring

• Skipping the mouse plan. Steel wool in gaps, sealed bins, and no food left behind beat any number of traps.
• Storing anything damp. Cushions, life jackets, and towels need to be fully dry before they go in a bin or a box, or you will open mildew in April.
• Leaving batteries in devices. Pull batteries from remotes, smoke detectors you are shutting off, and lake toys so they don’t corrode.
• Waiting for the first frost. Loading a container in a 30-degree drizzle is miserable — book it while the weather still holds in September.

One Weekend Now Saves the Whole Spring

The owners who dread opening the house in April are usually the ones who rushed the closing in October. Get the water handled, dry everything out, and give the summer gear one clean, secure home for the winter, and your first trip back to the lake is about the view instead of the cleanup. If a container parked in the driveway would take the pressure off, a MI-BOX is an easy way to buy yourself the space.

Local NH Cities We Deliver To

We deliver portable storage containers all around the Lakes Region and Central NH. Most-requested lake towns: Laconia, Meredith, Gilford, Wolfeboro, Moultonborough, and Alton Bay. Don’t see your town? We probably deliver there too — get a quote.