New Home Builder in Old Orchard Beach, ME
Any new home builder in Old Orchard Beach, ME works from the flood map first: FEMA's maps effective July 17, 2024 put VE zones along the beachfront with base flood elevations of about 11 to 16 feet. In VE and Coastal AE zones the town wants new homes a foot above that height, on posts or columns with breakaway walls, and we design the foundation from that rule outward.
- (207) 613-8565
- 130 Main St, 1st Floor, Ste 2, Gorham
- [email protected]
- Part of Legacy Construction, founded 2021
- 4 to 6 builds at a time, never more
- 5-year workmanship warranty, in writing
This page explains building a new custom home in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, where FEMA's 2024 maps put VE zones along the beachfront and much of the town sits on sand with a high water table.
New Home Builder Portland builds ground-up houses and replaces worn-out ones on the owner's lot. We confirm the base flood elevation, the soil and the sewer connection before design, then price the house from full drawings.
The figure to keep: averaged over many builds, the three finish tiers run $315 to $365, $365 to $435 and $435 to $490+ per square foot, turnkey but not counting land. For a 2,000 square foot house that means $630,000 to $730,000 at the simple tier and $870,000 to $980,000+ at high detail.
Why Does the Flood Map Come First in Old Orchard Beach?
The flood map comes first in Old Orchard Beach because the floodplain ordinance the town adopted on June 18, 2024 sets both the height and the type of foundation for a new home in a mapped zone. We pull your parcel's base flood elevation, the 100-year flood height on FEMA's map, before you buy or draw, because it sets the foundation.
- VE zones on the beachfront, AE along Goosefare Brook
- Sandy soil and a high seasonal water table, tested first
- Shoreland rules 250 feet back from saltwater
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What Towns Around Old Orchard Beach Do We Cover?
See all 22 towns we serveWhat Does Building New in Old Orchard Beach Involve?
Building new in this town comes down to three jobs: raising houses for the flood zones, reading lots for sand and groundwater, and replacing tired cottages with new houses.
New Home Construction on Old Orchard Beach Sand
New home construction here mostly means building on sand: about 64 percent of the town's rated land is sandy glaciofluvial soil, and only about 10 percent has bedrock within 100 centimeters of the surface.
About 37 percent of that land has groundwater rising, in its wet season, to within 18 inches of the surface, so foundation depth and drainage come from the test pits on your lot. Ledge rarely sets the cost here, and water often does.
Building on Your Lot Back From the Beach
Building on a lot you own here turns on the septic question first: soil survey data rates about 91 percent of the town's rated land very limited for conventional septic fields.
Town sewer from the Wastewater Department changes that wherever a lot can connect, and Maine Water Company supplies public water drawn from the Saco River. We first learn which of those lines reach your road.
Knockdown and Rebuild on a Beachfront Lot
A knockdown rebuild is the answer on many beachfront lots, where the flood rule weighs heavily on renovate or rebuild: a new home in a VE zone stands on posts or columns a foot above base flood elevation.
In the Residential Beachfront District, from Parcher Avenue north to the Scarborough line east of the railroad, the zoning plans for low-rise year-round homes mixed with seasonal resort lodging. We check what the district allows on your lot before anything comes down.
What New Home Services Do We Offer in Old Orchard Beach?
Old Orchard Beach lots call on three of our services most.
- Raised homes for VE and AE zones
- Test pits in sand and high water
- Teardown and a new house on the lot
Old Orchard Beach Code Enforcement issues building and plumbing permits, along with electrical and sewer connection permits, and lists MUBEC (Maine's building and energy code) as the 2021 IRC, IBC, IEBC and IECC. We file every one, and the Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) rules on each.
How to Build Above the Flood Line in Old Orchard Beach
Flood height, soil and the old house, checked first.
We pull the base flood elevation for your parcel, walk the lot with you, read test pits in the sand and look over any house that stands there now.
Raised plans, one fixed price, a signed contract.
Over four to six weeks of design the raised foundation gets worked out on paper along with a single price, and the contract keeps your first payment to a third or less, the Maine rule for jobs over $3,000.
Built and checked phase by phase.
Joe Hausler checks the raised foundation himself before any framing goes on it, as he does every phase, and he is on the lot several times a week while a written update reaches you weekly, right through the closing walkthrough.
How Do You Pick a New Home Builder in Old Orchard Beach, ME?
You pick a new home builder in Old Orchard Beach, ME with one test: whether the bid starts from the flood map for your parcel and shows you on paper how the house will stand above it. A builder who prices the house first and the foundation later is pricing the wrong house.
Lots here ask for drainage and height more than rock work, so we settle the foundation design before the floor plan.
Then compare the paperwork: a fixed price, a contract that satisfies Maine's statute on home construction contracts, and the warranty term in writing. We give five years of workmanship coverage, and one year is the usual term elsewhere.
Who Reviews an Old Orchard Beach Build, Where, When?
Who issues permits for a new house in Old Orchard Beach?
Permits for a new house in Old Orchard Beach come from the town's Code Enforcement office, including the sewer connection permit a house on town sewer needs. Approval of each one is the code office's decision, never ours.
Where does the shoreland zone reach in Old Orchard Beach?
The shoreland zone in Old Orchard Beach reaches 250 feet inland from saltwater and from Goosefare Brook downstream of the Boston and Maine Railroad bridge, narrowing to 100 feet upstream of it and along streams. Inside it, Maine DEP's shoreland rules and the town's own set the setbacks.
When did the current flood maps take effect in Old Orchard Beach?
The current flood maps for Old Orchard Beach took effect July 17, 2024, a month after the town adopted its floodplain ordinance on June 18, 2024. Those maps show AE zones along Goosefare Brook too, not only on the beach.
Something else to ask? Call (207) 613-8565.
How Much Does a New Home in Old Orchard Beach Cost?
A new home in Old Orchard Beach costs, on average across many builds, $315 to $365 per square foot when built simple and efficient, with mid-range custom at $365 to $435 and high detail from $435 to $490+. Those turnkey bands leave out the land, and the foundation a flood zone calls for moves a house within its band.
| Finish tier | What it usually means | Average per sq ft | A 2,000 sq ft house |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple and efficient | Vinyl siding, an asphalt roof, vinyl windows, a plain two-story plan | $315 to $365 | $630,000 to $730,000 |
| Mid-range custom | Fiber cement siding, fiberglass windows, a covered deck | $365 to $435 | $730,000 to $870,000 |
| High detail | Wood windows, a metal roof, tiled baths and custom trim | $435 to $490+ | $870,000 to $980,000+ |
Turnkey averages across many builds, land excluded and never a quote. A well, a septic system and site work are figured as their own lines.
Do you need a well and septic in Old Orchard Beach?
You need a well and septic in Old Orchard Beach only where Maine Water Company water and town sewer stop short of the lot, and that is the first thing we check. Where they are needed, budget $17,500 to $44,000 on average for the septic, shaped by the sand and the water table, and $15,500 to $26,500 when a well has to be drilled.
What does site work add on an Old Orchard Beach lot?
Site work on a cleared, serviced Old Orchard Beach lot averages $77,000 to $105,000, power hookup, septic and well included. On a wooded inland parcel with a long drive, site work here can pass $165,000, though ledge (bedrock near the surface) is rare in this sand.
What moves an Old Orchard Beach house within its tier?
An Old Orchard Beach house moves within its tier mostly on its foundation: posts or columns with breakaway walls in a VE or Coastal AE zone are a bigger job than a slab inside frost walls (foundation walls set below the frost line) on higher ground. Finishes come next, then the kitchen and bath count.
How High Will Your Old Orchard Beach House Need to Sit?
Your Old Orchard Beach house will need its lowest floor a foot or more over the base flood elevation if it lands in a mapped zone, and finding that number for your parcel is the first thing we do after you request a free estimate.