Other building costs in Maine (septic, well, foundation, etc)? (Bridgton: power lines, how much)

[id77]

I'm interested in building a home in southern/western Maine (Bridgton/Oxford/Sebago area) and am trying to put together an "all-in" cost estimate for what this project is going to cost me. At this point, I've got good estimates for what the land is going to cost and what the home structure itself is going to cost, but I'm still trying to chase down other costs, such as:

- Foundation (full basement desired, possible walk-out depending on terrain) -- hilly vs flat costs?
- Septic (land I'm looking at typically have the permits/design pulled already, but if I were to also do those how much is added?)
- Utilities (electric from the nearest street, well/pump, etc)
- Driveway/parking (paved vs gravel costs?)
- Other things I might not be thinking of

I'm not after specific itemized costs for each of these just yet, and I get that those will really need me to have the land to get specific, but I am looking for a ballpark figure so I know what sort of budget to set aside for this. For example, is laying a foundation a project that's going to be a $10k, $50k, or $100k expense?

How much is reasonable to set aside in the total purchase budget to account for the above items? For the foundation and septic, assume 4 bedrooms and a 2-floor 2500 square foot home (though the reality is it will probably be smaller).

[dubthang]

The cost of ground work will completely depend on the type of ground you are working with. Flat and rock free will always be cheaper than rocky and hilly. Foundation, septic, driveway, and possibly utilities should all be handled by the same company. If you do a dug well, that can be wrapped into the above as well.

Things to keep in mind:

-Costs go up when displaced materials have to be hauled offsite.

-A dug well is cheaper than a drilled well. A drilled well may need arsenic filtration. A dug well may go dry in the summer.

-Septic costs depend on the make up of the soils. If you have to go above ground, it'll cost more. A separate gray water system will lower your over all costs when it comes to septic maintenance.

-A gravel driveway is cheaper than a paved one. Both will require upkeep. A paved one is easier to plow.

-Power can be above ground or underground. Some towns will mandate which is required, some don't. Underground costs more. If you have to put a pole onto your property, you will have to pay for it. This will cost a minimum of $3500, and you will have to maintain your own power corridor. You can sell your power corridor to CMP at a cost of 15% of the total installation cost. You may also have to pay more if the hookup at the street was contracted by somebody else.

[id77]

Originally Posted by dubthang

The cost of ground work will completely depend on the type of ground you are working with. Flat and rock free will always be cheaper than rocky and hilly. Foundation, septic, driveway, and possibly utilities should all be handled by the same company. If you do a dug well, that can be wrapped into the above as well.

Things to keep in mind:

-Costs go up when displaced materials have to be hauled offsite.

-A dug well is cheaper than a drilled well. A drilled well may need arsenic filtration. A dug well may go dry in the summer.

-Septic costs depend on the make up of the soils. If you have to go above ground, it'll cost more. A separate gray water system will lower your over all costs when it comes to septic maintenance.

-A gravel driveway is cheaper than a paved one. Both will require upkeep. A paved one is easier to plow.

-Power can be above ground or underground. Some towns will mandate which is required, some don't. Underground costs more. If you have to put a pole onto your property, you will have to pay for it. This will cost a minimum of $3500, and you will have to maintain your own power corridor. You can sell your power corridor to CMP at a cost of 15% of the total installation cost. You may also have to pay more if the hookup at the street was contracted by somebody else.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I'd rather error on the side of more expensive and come under than be surprised later, so I'm going to assume the more expensive of each option here:

- Rock/soil for the foundation hauled off-site
- Drilled well
- Underground power from the street pole to the home; estimate in a typical case this will be several hundred feet of trench. I'm already leaning this direction as the home may not be occupied year-round and I'd rather not find out trees fell on private power lines weeks later.
- Above-ground septic, though I'm pretty sure this will be able to be buried on the lots I've been looking at.
- I'm good with a grey water system if it saves water consumption.

What's a reasonable budget to put aside for this work?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by id77

I'm interested in building a home in southern/western Maine ...

I did all of that back in 2005.

Though in Argyle twp [still within Southern Maine geographically].

... - Foundation (full basement desired, possible walk-out depending on terrain) -- hilly vs flat costs?

When the day came that my 'site-work' contractor and foundation contractor set up for it to all happen, I was there. I don't know if I was of any help, though. Likely I was in the way.

While digging for an 8 foot basement, they hit a rock ledge, the excavator could only break through four foot of it.

I agreed, at that minute to lessen our homestead to only having a 50% basement / 50% crawlspace [as it turns out, the crawlspace area includes an artesian spring].

.... For example, is laying a foundation a project that's going to be a $10k, $50k, or $100k expense?

Dude. Hold on. While I did it, that was 20 years ago.

I have enjoyed the past 20+ years of homesteading, raising livestock, gardening, and beekeeping in Maine.

But in all honesty, I can not project for you, what your experience will be.

... For the foundation and septic, assume 4 bedrooms and a 2-floor 2500 square foot home (though the reality is it will probably be smaller).

For me, that was around $70,000.

[dubthang]

Originally Posted by Submariner

For me, that was around $70,000.

If you are looking for more numbers, we paid roughly $45,000 for two pier foundations, two septic tanks with one leach field, dug well, underground power lines, and all associated driveway work. This was done this year.

The big thing is that what my costs are, what Submariner's costs were, and what yours will actually be are going to be wildly different. It will come down to who is your contractor, what is available for materials and how close they are, your lot layout, your soil types, etc. I'd make some phone calls to local contractors in areas that you are looking at to see if they can give you a better idea on costs.

[jsonlong]

I am going through this myself and this information that I am sharing is helpful for rough estimates only.

Fall 2023 prices in midcoast Maine.

For a gravel driveway requiring excavation, tree disposal, and 1 culvert. I was quoted $62/linear foot from a local contractor. E.g. for a 200 feet driveway, it'll be $12,400. When talking to this contractor, they said the rate is all inclusive meaning it includes excavation, road installation, materials, and clean up. If the site was all level and cleared to being with, the rate would have been closer to $45/ linear foot.

I am still waiting for the other estimate to come in and will share when I get it.

Finally, I saw this when it came out 1.5 - 2 years ago on youtube and author said the cost was $50/foot. Start at 2:40 into the video where he talks about driveways. I don't know what type of driveway he's talking about though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6fXtoANAcY&t=2s

Hope this helps.

[Submariner]

A 'site-work' contractor did my 120 yard driveway and the hole for the foundation to be poured into. Then after a different contractor poured the foundation, the first guy was back and they installed a french drain around the perimeter of the foundation, and smoothed it all out pretty. I think that one contractor set me back $8,000.

My land is flat, and most of the time wet. It looks dry but if you dig a one foot hole and check it again an hour later the hole will be full of water.

Any natural depressions in this county are peat bogs. The water has nowhere to go and the soil is too saturated to accept any more water, centuries later the water is still there only now it is filled with sphagnum / peat moss.

My driveway had to have 'fill' hauled in and packed down in a two-foot thick layer on top of the existing soil. The fill material used was crushed rock from a local rock quarry. It packs down to form a near concrete-like hardness.

With the water table up so high, it really makes the trees grow fast. As the roots of the forest reach out 50 feet in every direction, any time one of those root tips pokes above the soil and senses sunlight, a tree sapling will form, nourished by its mother tree. I have a mile long jeep trail, something like that needs to be bush-hogged every second year, or else you get saplings blocking the trail so big a jeep can not push them over. To keep it all from sprouting up dense forest takes work.

On the other hand, dense forest is habitat for a lot of wildlife.

I grew up on a farm [cattle and orchards] in central California, where droughts have been a huge issue since long before it was even a state. I love seeing all of this green all year round.

[jsonlong]

An update on the gravel driveway estimate. The second estimate came in this morning at $65/foot. This contractor did not give a rate, but a total cost and his measurement. I calculated the rate myself. One thing of note is the second estimate did not have a line item for vibratory compaction that the first estimate had. I don't know what the cost would be to include it to make it a true apples to apples comparison. The estimates are close enough that I'm going by what my septic design person recommends because I'm going to hire this contractor for all the site work if possible and not just the driveway.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by jsonlong

I am going through this myself and this information that I am sharing is helpful for rough estimates only.

Fall 2023 prices in midcoast Maine.

For a gravel driveway requiring excavation, tree disposal, and 1 culvert. I was quoted $62/linear foot from a local contractor. E.g. for a 200 feet driveway, it'll be $12,400. When talking to this contractor, they said the rate is all inclusive meaning it includes excavation, road installation, materials, and clean up. If the site was all level and cleared to being with, the rate would have been closer to $45/ linear foot.

I am still waiting for the other estimate to come in and will share when I get it.

Finally, I saw this when it came out 1.5 - 2 years ago on youtube and author said the cost was $50/foot. Start at 2:40 into the video where he talks about driveways. I don't know what type of driveway he's talking about though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6fXtoANAcY&t=2s

Hope this helps.

Does that include clearing the trees and removing the stumps on the driveway path? If so, that sounds like a great price! :-)