Lake House Simulators
Walkout basements, garages and carriage barns in Wolfeboro, Alton, Gilford, Meredith and the towns around Squam, Newfound and Sunapee.
A lake house is built for summer. A golf simulator gives it something to do the other eight months. Many families around Winnipesaukee use the house for ski weekends at Gunstock, holidays and long fall weekends, and want a room that gets used when the boat is out of the water.
The Lakes Region is a longer trip for us than southern New Hampshire, so we plan these jobs carefully. We design the room, supply and install the simulator, calibrate it and train you. We also think about the questions that only come up in a house that sits empty for weeks at a time.
Lake houses and what they mean for a simulator
Many lake houses sit on a slope down to the water, which often means a walkout basement. Those are some of the best simulator rooms we see. The lower level usually has more ceiling height than a typical basement, natural light on one side, and a door straight outside. The screen goes on the uphill wall and the room opens toward the lake.
Older camps are a different story. A lot of the original cottages around the lakes have low ceilings, crawl spaces instead of basements, and additions from several decades. In those houses the better spot is often a detached garage or a barn. Those buildings usually have the height, and putting the simulator there keeps the noise away from the bedrooms.
If you are thinking about a new addition or a bigger garage to hold the simulator, check with your builder about New Hampshire's shoreland rules. Construction within 250 feet of a lake can need a state permit. Converting space you already have usually avoids that. Your builder or designer handles the permit. We give them the dimensions the room needs.
Island houses need a plan of their own. If the house is on one of the Winnipesaukee islands, tell us early. Screens, enclosures and turf come across by boat or barge, and that depends on the season and the weather.
Seasonal homes and cold weather
Most of the trouble with simulators in lake houses comes from the heat being turned down while nobody is there. Projectors and computers are generally rated to run above about 40 degrees, and they do not like condensation. If the house sits at 50 degrees all winter and you arrive and crank the heat, moisture can form on cold electronics. The fix is simple. Keep the simulator room conditioned, and give the equipment time to come up to temperature before you turn it on.
Because we are part of Boston Automations, we can tie the room into a smart home system so you can warm it up from your phone on the drive north, check the temperature and humidity while you are away, and get an alert if something goes wrong. That is optional.
Snow and mud season matter for scheduling too. Some lake roads are hard to reach in March and April. We plan site visits and installs around that.
Rooms that work in the Lakes Region
Walkout lower levels
This is usually the best room in a lake house for a simulator. It has good height, a door to the yard and room for seating behind the hitter.
Detached garages and barns
They have the height and keep the noise away from the bedrooms. They need insulation and heat to work in winter, and we coordinate that with local trades.
Bunk and game rooms
A simulator can also show movies and play multi-sport games. That suits houses that fill up with family on holiday weekends.
Murphy systems in guest rooms
If the house has no spare room, a fold-away simulator lets a guest room or office do both jobs.
Towns we serve in the Lakes Region
- Wolfeboro
- Alton
- Alton Bay
- Gilford
- Laconia
- Meredith
- Center Harbor
- Moultonborough
- Tuftonboro
- Holderness (Squam Lake)
- Bristol (Newfound Lake)
- Sanbornton
- New Hampton
- Sunapee
- New London
Lake Sunapee and New London are not strictly the Lakes Region, but the houses and the questions are the same, so we cover them here.
How a project runs in the Lakes Region
Lakes Region jobs are planned as a trip. We do one site visit with everything we need to measure and photograph, then book the install as a block so the crew stays in the area until the room is finished. Most rooms take two to five days on site. If you are not at the house during the install, we can work with a caretaker or property manager and send you photos as the room comes together.
Tell us about the room
Use the design form to send photos and rough measurements. We reply within one business day with a first read on whether a simulator fits.
Site visit
We laser-measure the room and model swing clearance for every player in the house, then look at power, lighting, ventilation and where the equipment will live.
Design and proposal
You get a room plan and one price covering the simulator, screen, enclosure, installation, calibration and training.
Room preparation
If the room needs framing, electrical or HVAC work, we coordinate it with your builder or bring in local trades and manage them.
Installation
Most residential rooms take two to five days on site. Rooms that need construction first take longer.
Calibration, training and service
We calibrate the launch monitor, set up your software and courses, train everyone who will use it, and stay on call afterward.
Common questions
- Can a simulator stay in a house that is closed up for the winter?
- Yes, as long as the room stays above about 40 degrees and the humidity is controlled. If you plan to drop the heat lower than that, we will talk through which pieces to bring home or protect.
- Do you need us to be there for the install?
- Not the whole time. We need access, power and heat. Many lake house owners let us work with their caretaker and come up for the walkthrough and training at the end.
- Is the Lakes Region outside your service area?
- No. We serve all of New Hampshire. The Lakes Region is a longer drive, so we plan site visits and installs as scheduled trips rather than same-day calls.
Plan a lake house simulator
Tell us where the house is and which room you have in mind. Photos and rough measurements help. We reply within one business day.