Porto Cima is the Lake of the Ozarks’ premier gated community, a private residential enclave on the Shawnee Bend side of the lake — the West Side, within Sunrise Beach — built around The Club at Porto Cima and its Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. It is home to some of the largest and most valuable estates on the lake. Cloke Custom Homes is based in Porto Cima: owner Charles Cloke lives and works in the community, which makes it the market Cloke knows most closely. This page covers what to know about building here. If you want a custom home builder in Porto Cima, Cloke is based in the community itself, and this page covers what to know about building here.
About Porto Cima
Porto Cima was made possible by the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge, the toll bridge that opened Shawnee Bend to development in 1998. With easy access established, the peninsula became one of the lake’s most sought-after addresses, and Porto Cima grew into its flagship community. The name means “hillside by the harbor,” a fair description of its setting above the water.
At its center is The Club at Porto Cima, a private club whose 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature course opened in 2000 and is regularly rated among Missouri’s finest, with several holes playing along or over the lake. The club also includes a large clubhouse and a yacht club on the water. The community spans roughly mile markers 13 to 17 in Sunrise Beach and includes hundreds of waterfront lots along with many more off-water and golf-course parcels.
Porto Cima is known for its estates — some of the lake’s largest homes, a number exceeding 10,000 square feet, and its highest-value properties — alongside more attainable golf-course and lake-view residences. It is, in short, the top of the lake’s luxury market, and a community with the character and standards to match.
Building a custom home in Porto Cima
Building in Porto Cima is estate-scale custom work within a private, governed community. Homesites range from deep-water lakefront near the main channel, to golf-course frontage along the Nicklaus layout, to off-water lots with lake and fairway views. The community’s standards and architectural expectations are part of the process, which protects the quality and value of the surrounding homes.
As on the rest of Shawnee Bend, the terrain slopes toward the water, so lakefront lots involve careful foundation design, retaining, and siting to make the most of the grade and the view. At this level of home, the work of matching an ambitious design to a specific lot — and doing it within the community’s expectations — is exactly where an experienced local builder earns their place.
Docks and the shoreline
Porto Cima’s waterfront, including its yacht club and private docks, falls under Ameren’s shoreline management program, which permits docks and shoreline structures across the entire Lake of the Ozarks. Placement and setback rules run through Ameren regardless of the community, and dock planning may also involve community considerations. It is separate from county building permits and is best addressed early in an estate-scale project. Ameren’s authority comes from the federal license for the Osage Project, FERC No. 459. The project boundary generally follows the 662-foot contour, two feet above full pool at 660.0 feet on the U.E. datum, and work below the 658.5-foot ordinary high water mark is covered by the Army Corps of Engineers’ General Permit 38. On deep-water estate lots, confirming where the 662 line falls relative to the buildable area is worth doing early.
Permitting and inspections
Porto Cima is within Sunrise Beach on the West Side, and building permits and inspections are handled at the county level for that area. Alongside that, the community’s architectural review board approves plans before construction starts, with authority over setbacks, exterior materials and the overall character of the home. On an estate-scale build the review is thorough, it runs on the board’s own meeting calendar, and it commonly adds weeks at the front of the schedule — a resubmittal means waiting for the next meeting. Buyers building from out of state rarely account for this. Designing to the community’s covenants from the outset is the practical way to protect the timeline, and it is one of the real advantages of working with a builder who lives inside those covenants. Confirming both the county authority and the community’s requirements for a specific lot is an early step in any Porto Cima build.
Working with a custom home builder in Porto Cima
Cloke Custom Homes is led by owner Charles Cloke, who lives and is based in Porto Cima. For an estate-scale home in this community, that proximity matters: the builder is not driving in from elsewhere but working in the place he knows best, familiar with its lots, its shoreline, its standards, and its expectations. Cloke works from a fixed, itemized budget so homeowners can see where their money goes — a level of transparency that matters as much on a large custom home as on any other — and Charles is personally involved and on-site at the stages of the build where his attention matters most.
For how building costs are determined at the lake, see the guide on the cost to build a custom home at the Lake of the Ozarks. The most reliable way to understand what a particular Porto Cima lot will support is to walk it with the builder before buying. Book a lot walkthrough with Charles.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Porto Cima, and what is it known for?
Porto Cima is a private gated community on the Shawnee Bend side of the Lake of the Ozarks, within Sunrise Beach on the West Side, around mile markers 13 to 17. It is known as the lake’s premier estate community and for The Club at Porto Cima’s Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course.
What kinds of homes and lots are in Porto Cima?
The community ranges from large deep-water lakefront estates — some over 10,000 square feet — to golf-course frontage and off-water lots with lake and fairway views, so it spans the top of the lake’s luxury market and more attainable luxury alike.
Do I need a permit for a dock in Porto Cima?
Yes. Docks and shoreline structures are permitted through Ameren’s shoreline management program, which applies across the whole lake and is separate from county and community requirements.
Does Cloke Custom Homes build in Porto Cima?
Yes. Owner Charles Cloke lives and is based in Porto Cima, making it the community Cloke knows most closely and one it builds in directly.
How long does architectural review add to a Porto Cima build?
The community’s architectural review board approves plans before construction begins and meets on its own schedule, so several weeks at the front of an estate-scale project is realistic. A resubmittal means waiting for the next meeting.
What is the 662 line at the Lake of the Ozarks?
662 feet is the elevation the federal project boundary generally follows, two feet above full pool at 660.0 feet on the U.E. datum. Ground below that contour is inside Ameren’s jurisdiction under the Osage Project, FERC No. 459, and requires Ameren approval separate from the county and the community.