We are a custom home builder in Biddeford, ME, and new houses on land you own are the only work we take on. From Biddeford Pool to the wooded Rural-Farm lots inland, every house starts with a walk of the ground.
A Biddeford build starts with the ground because ledge, wet soil and coastal flood zones are common here. Soil data puts bedrock within about 39 inches of the surface on roughly 38 percent of the city's rated land.
Rural-Farm lots sized for well and septic at 40,000 square feet
Biddeford Pool and Fortunes Rocks houses drawn for VE flood zones
Sewered in-town lots, with the bedroom-based sewer permit priced in
Written price before ground breaks
Septic and well work coordinated
Weekly build updates
Every town we serve
Biddeford land falls into three settings, each with its own foundation.
The July 2024 FEMA maps show Biddeford Pool and Fortunes Rocks as VE zones, where base flood elevations reach roughly 13 to 21 feet. On those lots the flood line sets the floor height first.
Mile Stretch Road is the only road into the Pool, so deliveries there get timed with care.
The Rural-Farm zone covers about half of Biddeford, mostly woods, and we probe every lot there for ledge.
The 2023 city plan notes rural wells can run short in drought, so we want the driller's results early.
Near downtown and the mill district, lots take Maine Water from the Saco River and city sewer to the Water Street plant.
That takes the septic off the budget, and a lot holding a tired older house often suits a knockdown and rebuild.
The custom home services we offer in Biddeford cover the house and the ground.
Biddeford's Code Enforcement Office issues the permit under the 2021 International Residential Code, and we file it once the price is approved.
We walk your land and book the site evaluator's test pits where septic is needed.
Your designer, a reworked stock plan or our design partner sets the layout, and the price arrives in writing before a footing is dug.
After the permit, we build from footings below frost to final trim, report weekly, and walk it with you.
Ron Michaud
Owner, Custom Home Builder Biddeford · Biddeford, Maine
The person who walks your lot is the person who answers for the house.
Ron Michaud grew up in Biddeford, a few streets from the old mills, and started on framing crews in 2004. Those first years ran from summer cottages in Kennebunkport to new colonials in Gorham, and he learned the trade from the sill plate up.
What stayed with him was how often a house went over budget before the first wall stood: ledge nobody tested for, a septic design that changed, a driveway twice as long as the drawing. In 2014 he narrowed the work to building new custom homes, starting every one at the lot.
Ron still walks each lot himself before a price is written. He looks for ledge and wet ground, asks where the well and septic will go, and tells you plainly what the site will cost before you fall in love with a plan.
Maine does not license general contractors or home builders, so there is no license to show you. What you get instead is a lot walked before it is priced, a written number before ground is broken, and a phone that gets answered.
More about RonYou choose a custom home builder in Biddeford, ME by what they ask about your lot before they show you a plan. A builder who never mentions ledge, test pits or the flood map is pricing a house blind.
Ask which foundation fits: a full basement, a frost wall with slab or a raised coastal one. Over shallow ledge we usually pick a frost wall, not a blasted basement.
Ask who reads the site evaluator's HHE-200 septic form, which lists the bedrooms the system is sized for. Maine issues no license to home builders, which makes straight answers your guide.
A custom home in Biddeford is right for owners who hold land, or a worn house on a lot worth keeping.
Building a new house in Biddeford is hardest at the coast and along the Saco River, which the 2023 plan rates extremely vulnerable to flooding. Within 500 feet of the river, the Saco River Corridor Commission issues its own permit.
A Biddeford build should get going on paper months ahead, so the septic design, drawings and permit are ready for foundation season. Design to keys takes most of a year or longer.
The cost to build a house in Biddeford ranges from $285 to $445+ per square foot turnkey, before land, and each band is a qualifying average, not a quote.
| Finish tier | What it usually means | Average per sq ft | A 2,400 sq ft house |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple and efficient | Shingle roof, vinyl siding and windows, a classic cape | $285 to $330 | $684,000 to $792,000 |
| Mid-range custom | Fiber cement, fiberglass windows, more tile | $330 to $395 | $792,000 to $948,000 |
| High detail | Cedar shingles, metal roof, coastal trim | $395 to $445+ | $948,000 to $1,068,000+ |
Whole-house turnkey averages, before the land. Ground costs follow.
A well and septic in Biddeford run about $14,000 to $24,000 to drill the well and $16,000 to $40,000 to put in septic. Soil data rates about 95 percent of the city's rated land very limited for standard leach fields, so designs run higher.
On a cleared, utility-ready Biddeford lot, site work for the well, septic and power adds about $70,000 to $95,000, and a wooded lot with ledge can pass $150,000.
Two Biddeford houses in one tier differ by foundation and finishes: blasting ledge for a basement or raising a coastal floor costs more. In-house trades tighten control, and subcontractors add depth.
You get a written price for a Biddeford house by sending the free estimate request and meeting us on the lot. We read the ground first and write the number second.
