Permits around the lake
Which side of the line is your house on?
The Geist Harbours lakefront communities alone span four cities. Here is what each one's own documents say about remodel permits.
| If your house is in | Permits come from | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Fishers | Department of Planning & Zoning | City Code §154.15(A): a permit before construction, alteration, repair or demolition of any building. |
| Indianapolis (Lawrence Township outside the City of Lawrence) | Department of Business and Neighborhood Services | Homeowner's Building Permit Guide: a permit is needed for all remodeling unless the Building Standards and Procedures exempt it. |
| City of Lawrence | Lawrence Department of Public Works | City FAQ: DPW issues all building permits; the Municipal Code requires one for non-trim work above a set cost. |
| McCordsville | Planning & Building Department | Town permit guide: remodels that alter mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC or structural items need one; flooring and painting alone do not. |
On the Marion County side, a lake house can sit in the City of Lawrence or in the part of Lawrence Township that Indianapolis permits, and the two use different offices. We confirm which one covers your address while the design is still on paper, not after the old shower is out.
What we build at the lake
Bathrooms for houses that fill up every summer
A lake house bathroom works harder than most. Guests, wet feet coming in from the dock and towels that never quite dry all land on the same floor. For a bath that takes that traffic we steer toward porcelain tile, which shrugs off water, or a wood-look LVP that gives a warm look without the upkeep of real wood. The primary bath is where we put the quiet: a walk-in tile shower with a bench, a freestanding tub, and a long vanity with storage for everything.
Resale math is a weak guide at Geist. The Census medians change at every city line, from $224,800 citywide in Indianapolis to $391,000 in Fishers, and none of them separates a lakefront house from one on an inland street. A better guide is how the house gets used. Across all the projects in NAR's 2025 report, 55% of owners said they feel a major sense of accomplishment when they think of the finished work, and a lake house is a place you finish for the summers you'll spend in it. We plan for that first and keep resale in view with durable, neutral choices.
- Walk-in tile showersBenches, niches and glass sized for a lake-house primary bath.
- Guest and primary bathsFloors and finishes picked for the traffic a summer house sees.
- Interior designMood boards and 3D renderings that carry the lake palette inside.
- Long vanitiesRoom for every guest's things, with drawers instead of open shelves.
I hired Jordan at Interior Smith to do a bathroom remodel for me. I also used Alex to help design the room since it needed several things done. They did such a great job I have returned several times for needed projects because I knew things would be done correctly and look great. I didn't have to go all over for the things I needed.
From our Google reviews
“I didn't have to go all over for the things I needed”
Erin's review is on our Google profile; we don't claim her home is on the lake. The point she makes holds at Geist as anywhere: one designer and one contractor, on one job, from the first sketch to the last fixture.
Geist questions
Asked around the reservoir
Homes around Geist
Geist Reservoir, the place
- Mostly Indianapolis and Fishers
- The reservoir lies primarily in the northeast corner of Indianapolis and the southeast corner of Fishers, with small parts in Lawrence, Fortville and McCordsville. Source: Geist Reservoir, Wikipedia
- Twelve Geist Harbours communities
- Admirals Bay, Admirals Pointe, Beam Reach, Diamond Pointe, Feather Cove and Masthead are among them, spread across Hamilton, Hancock and Marion counties. Source: Geist Harbours Property Owners Association
- Fishers' side since 2010
- Fishers annexed and incorporated its Geist area on January 2, 2010, and began taxing it in 2011. Source: Fishers, Indiana, Wikipedia
- One public parcel
- Geist Waterfront Park, 70 acres in east Fishers, is the only public parcel on the 1,900-acre reservoir. Source: Fishers Parks, Geist Waterfront Park
- Four cities, four median values
- Census 2020-2024 medians for owner-occupied homes, citywide rather than lakefront: Fishers $391,000, McCordsville $345,400, Lawrence $230,100 and Indianapolis city (balance) $224,800. Sources: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, table B25077, for Fishers; McCordsville; Lawrence; Indianapolis
- 55% feel a sense of accomplishment
- Across all remodeling projects in NAR's 2025 Remodeling Impact Report, 55% of owners feel a major sense of accomplishment when they think of the completed work. Source: NAR 2025 Remodeling Impact Report
Around the shoreline and back into town
From the Geist District on the Fishers shore to the Indianapolis side, we remodel homes all around the water, and Geist Waterfront Park is the one stretch of shoreline we won't be working on. Inland, the rest of Fishers and Indianapolis are both in our area, along with Noblesville, Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, Whitestown and Brownsburg.
Lake-house planning, a few clicks on
Anywhere around Geist
Start your lake-house bathroom here
We come out together, measure, talk through how the house gets used in summer and leave you with a rough number. No pressure to sign, ever.
- (317) 809-1577, Mon to Sat, 7 AM to 8 PM
- jordan@interiorsmith.com