Home inspection in Medicine Lake.

What we see in Medicine Lake homes.

Medicine Lake is a peninsula city of 337 residents at the 2020 census, entirely surrounded by Plymouth. It covers 0.371 square miles, and about 53 percent of that is water. The area began as Medicine Lake Park around 1887, when Jacob Barge sold lots to city folks who wanted to build cabins. The city voted to separate from Plymouth and incorporated in 1944. The 45th Parallel North runs through both the city and the lake. That history left a mix of converted summer cabins, mid-century houses and newer rebuilds squeezed onto small lots by the water.

On a lot this small and this close to the water, the same things matter every time. Grading and drainage away from the foundation, window wells, sump pumps and discharge lines, and basement or crawlspace moisture are what matter. Cabins that became year-round homes often have additions of different ages, older insulation, marginal heating and plumbing that was not designed for winter. Newer rebuilds are worth checking for flashing, ventilation and how the new work ties into the older structure. Decks, docks and retaining walls near the shore get a close look.

Local facts checked September 2026 against: Wikipedia.