Holderness is the Squam Lake town. More than a third of the town's surface is water, split between Big Squam (6,791 acres, up to 99 feet deep) and Little Squam. The shoreline runs through the middle of everything: year-round homes, seasonal camps that have been in families for generations, and the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center that anchors the town's conservation ethic. Most jobs here have the water somewhere in the picture.
What matters most on Holderness properties
Squam Lake carries the same NH Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act rules as Winnipesaukee — 250-foot protected shoreland from the reference line, 50-foot structure setback, and 75 to 125 feet for septic depending on soil (RSA 483-B). Property owners on Squam tend to pay extra attention to water quality beyond what the law requires. That sets the bar.
- Squam shoreline work. Staging outside the 250-foot protected buffer, keeping shoreline vegetation intact where the rule requires it, and coordinating with the town on dock-adjacent digs. Squam's a watched lake — the work has to be right.
- Septic on older camps. Many Squam properties are running septic from the pre-modern-setback era. Full replacement to current standards often means careful siting on a lot that wasn't designed for a 75-foot minimum in the first place.
- Hillside drainage. Properties above the lake and along the Mount Prospect / Mount Webster side collect runoff fast. Curtain drains, swales pitched to shed water toward daylight, and culverts sized for actual flow.
- Ash tree removal. Emerald ash borer has worked through the Squam watershed like everywhere else. Dead ash near a lake house, dock, or shoreline path is safer down than standing.
- Camp rebuilds and seasonal driveway work. Camp access roads that have spent decades under snow and ice need full base rebuild every so often. Crown, base, and proper drainage on the uphill side.
Where in Holderness I'm working
Anywhere on the Squam side — the Big Squam shoreline, the Squam Channel properties, Little Squam, the town center, and the residential stretches along US-3 and NH-113. ZIP 03245 covers most Holderness addresses. The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and Rockywold-Deephaven Camps are both landmarks I navigate around regularly.
Common questions from Holderness
Do you work on Squam Lake shoreline properties? Yes. 250-foot SWQPA buffer, 50-foot structure setback, 75 to 125 feet for septic depending on soil.
How long to get to Holderness? Roughly 30 to 35 minutes from Hill via Route 104 and I-93.
Can you run the job while I'm out of state? Yes. Most Squam-shoreline owners are seasonal. Walk the site once, estimate, text photo updates through the job, close-out call at the end.
What about the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center conservation ethic? Understood and respected. Projects near protected watershed land get extra care on buffer vegetation and equipment staging.