About New Home Builder Portland
Joe Hausler spent 15 years managing commercial jobs as large as $300 million, then came home to Maine to build houses the same careful way.
New Home Builder Portland is Legacy Construction's company for new custom houses around Greater Portland. Joe Hausler is based in Portland, works out of our office on Main Street in Gorham, and signs off on each phase of every house we build.
Joe Hausler, Owner, New Home Builder Portland
15 years managing commercial construction, up to a $300 million development
Founded Legacy Construction in 2021
4-6 active builds at a time, by design
- Part of Legacy Construction, founded 2021
- 4 to 6 builds at a time, never more
- 5-year workmanship warranty, in writing
Where Did Joe Hausler Learn to Run a Build?
Joe Hausler learned to run a build on job sites, first at his father's side from the time he was eight and later managing commercial work. Between the two he earned a construction management degree from California State University, Chico.
His commercial career lasted 15 years, rising from assistant project manager until he was overseeing developments worth up to $300 million, from office towers to mixed-use and institutional buildings. Jobs at that scale move on a written schedule, a written budget and a sign-off at the end of each phase, and Joe runs a family's house on the same three.
Anyone who wants to check that history before a first meeting can read it on Joe's LinkedIn profile. We would rather you look than take a website's word for it.
When Did Joe Hausler Start Building Homes in Maine?
Joe Hausler started building homes in Maine in 2021, after moving back on January 1 of that year to found Legacy Construction, a custom home company in Portland. New Home Builder Portland is the part of that company that builds new custom houses on land its clients own, from the city out to New Gloucester in the north and Dayton in the west.
We hold the count to four to six builds under way at once, and that ceiling is deliberate. A builder juggling fifteen houses cannot stand in each one every week, while Joe is on ours several times a week.
Most of our projects fall in a range from $400,000 to $2 million and beyond, and square footage explains only part of that spread. The land under a house and the finish level inside it move the number as much as its size does.
How Does Joe Hausler Read a Piece of Land?
Joe Hausler reads a piece of land with a Maine real estate license and a builder's eye, ideally before you sign for it. He can point you toward lots, then walk them with you and look for what a listing leaves out: ledge near the surface, wet ground, slope, a long driveway and how far power has to come.
The septic often decides more than buyers expect. A Maine site evaluator designs it from test pits, which are holes dug to expose the soil profile, and that design can cap how many bedrooms the lot will carry.
Our advice is to buy land with a builder beside you, because the cheaper lot often costs more to build on. Ledge under a wooded lot, or a driveway that runs a long way in, can take site work past $165,000, and that figure belongs in the budget before the purchase, not after it.
What Does Joe Check Before the Next Crew Starts?
Before the next crew starts, Joe checks that the phase ahead of it matches the drawings, because every trade builds on the work of the one before. Footings get his review before the foundation walls go up, framing before the insulators arrive, and air sealing before drywall hides it.
If a phase falls short, it is corrected first and the next crew waits. That is cheaper for you than finding the same mistake behind a finished wall a year later.
You get a progress update from us every week, with what was done, what comes next and any decision we need from you. Joe's visits to the site run several times a week, so the update comes from someone who has seen the house.
What Should You Weigh Before Signing With Us?
We build new custom homes and nothing smaller. Our work starts with design and a read of the lot and ends with a finished house, on open land, on the shore or where an old house comes down. Small repairs and stand-alone roof, siding, deck or window jobs sit outside it, as do modular and manufactured houses.
General contractors and home builders get no license from the State of Maine, so no state card stands behind any builder here, us included. In its place you get $2 million in general liability coverage plus workers' compensation, a signed fixed-price contract, and a workmanship warranty in writing that runs five years, when one year of coverage is the norm. Maine's Attorney General will also tell you whether any contractor has drawn consumer complaints, and we encourage you to ask.
Every figure is on paper before ground is broken. Maine's statute, 10 MRSA ยง1487, covers every home construction job above $3,000: the agreement goes on paper, signed on both sides, and the down payment can be no larger than one third of the price. After that, a price change happens only through a written change order, never a handshake in the driveway.
How Does a New Home Run From Plans to Walkthrough?
A new home runs from plans to walkthrough in three stretches: a design and planning stage of four to six weeks, the build, and a final walkthrough together. The plans come first because a fixed price is only as firm as the drawings it was built from.
From the foundation to that walkthrough, a typical house takes 10 to 14 months, which is our usual span and not a promised date. Weather, the lot and the finishes you choose all move it, and the weekly update keeps you current on where it stands.
At the walkthrough we go room by room with you, opening doors and running fixtures, and we write down anything you want adjusted. The house then carries our workmanship warranty in writing for five years, long enough to see it through several Maine winters.
When Can Joe Walk Your Lot With You?
Tell us your town, whether you own the land yet and roughly how much house you have in mind. Joe will arrange a walk of the lot with you, and a fixed price follows once the full plans are drawn.