Any recommendations for high-quality home builders in Maine?

Submitted by FeloMonk t3_10o9enz in Maine

My fiancé and I have been living in Portland for years and are finally ready to move to the burbs. But, as I’m sure many of you know, it’s really difficult to find a house right now. The inventory is so low, prices are still high, and rates are higher now too. So we’re considering building a house instead of buying one.

We’ve already reached out to Fine Line Homes in Freeport. But we were wondering if anyone has worked with a builder they really liked (or one the didn’t). In particular, we’re looking for one who builds really solid, high-quality, simple New England houses.

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metalandmeeples t1_j6dcedy wrote

Fortin Construction. They offer turnkey packages so you don't need a construction loan. You'll likely need 20% down, however, unless you already have land. It's worth mentioning that you will pay more to build now that homes aren't appreciating by 20% a year any longer. You also will be in a holding pattern waiting to find out what your mortgage rate will be as the building process is likely ~2 years at this point. All that said, we love our Fortin Construction home and would choose them again in a heartbeat.

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FeloMonk OP t1_j6dd5at wrote

Great to hear! Can I ask what the cost per square foot ended up being?

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metalandmeeples t1_j6ddraw wrote

Prices in our neighborhood have been in the range of $210/sq ft - $288/sq ft. Ours was around $235. This is in Durham and includes the land.

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IamSauerKraut t1_j6dnfpq wrote

Holy sheet that is high!

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metalandmeeples t1_j6dnm7w wrote

It's what houses cost in Southern Maine right now. These are on the lower end of pricing too.

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FeloMonk OP t1_j6dnr7l wrote

The couple places I’ve reached out to have been in the $300-500/sqft mark… the world is crazy.

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Tronbronson t1_j6i4j7y wrote

That sounds like the land is playing into it or you're looking at high end. 500$ a sq/ft is pretty fucking high, at that rate I'd like to offer my self up as a GC

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FeloMonk OP t1_j6i92oy wrote

Land was not included in that rate… crazy. I mean I’m definitely not going to pay $500/sqft unless I want to live in an immaculately built shed.

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Tronbronson t1_j6iedsp wrote

Unless you're glazing everything in marble and mahogany, and the house is completely net zero, I would say that is price gouging. You would need a lot of expensive fixtures, and top of the line building materials, architects landscaping etc. That company doing 210-240 sounds like a steal in this market.

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freeportme t1_j6e15p5 wrote

Yes and they are Making a fortune off everyone! It is the going rate but I’d rethink your plan at this point! Most of those companies send over the lowest bidder as well!

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Tronbronson t1_j6i4afo wrote

Not really, one of my realtor buddies is building way up north at 250$ sq/ft. Construction prices are inflated with everything else. The bids I got for home repairs 5 years ago vs now are 3x for the same job.

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Extreme-Status-5776 t1_j6dcoe4 wrote

We worked with chase custom homes. We personally had no problems but several of our neighbors did so would not recommend.

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Seyword t1_j6e7msk wrote

What’s your budget? It will almost certainly be more expensive to build than buy an existing home. Not to mention a lengthy wait before you actually move in.

If I was looking to buy right now, I’d look at Old orchard beach or maybe the Lewiston/Auburn area. There are still affordable homes in those locations.

A friend of mine sold his Westbrook home in 2020 (made a nice profit) and planned on building a new home elsewhere. They just recently moved in after it took them forever to find a suitable lot and complete the build. They are now in Topsham and regret selling their Westbrook home.

No matter what route you try to go, it’s brutal to try to buy or build anywhere near Portland. Good luck.

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ncljhnsn t1_j6e1s9c wrote

Bright Built if you can get them to respond! Burnham & Lobozzo make great homes too. We bought a used home (unfortunately didn’t have the time to wait for a new build with a kid) but I work with both builders regularly (for work) and their customers seem to be quite happy with them both.

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Alternative-Crab-663 t1_j6nfzxc wrote

Check out https://www.hayrunner.com/ located in Portland-be worth making an appointment to discuss your ideas, given current market conditions, what would make sense, etc. they have extensive building and reno experience…

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FeloMonk OP t1_j6np5ss wrote

Interesting, I can’t quite tell if they’re home builders or just do renovations? Seems like an interesting type of company.

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Breezy207 t1_j6os47y wrote

They do it all, design, building, reno and selling, everything across the real estate spectrum-no one knows the market better than Shannon Smith, their principal, or how to get the most value for your housing dollar.

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bigtencopy t1_j6ddnq0 wrote

Yates Builders, think they are based in Standish.

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gjazzy68 t1_j6iamhy wrote

I looked at lots a few places around Portland once for curiosity and it was really not worth it. Unless you buy a bigger lot to develop and make a profit of it.

A carpenter friend said if you wanna build your own, it was better to get a house in shambles and doze it, and rebuild. At least you would have the foundation. but that was a few years ago. Now even crack houses are going for 250k+

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