building a house in Aroostook County (Presque Isle, Caribou: wood floors, rent, how much)
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Dh and I will eventually be living in Maine at some point in the next 6 years. We plan to build our own home and to my knowledge we will probably end up in Aroostook County somewhere. Im sure I will have about 10million questions before that time so any great info you have about the area would be much appreciated!
Dh was born and bred in Caribou so he is very familar with the whole situation, im from away so im obviously not AS familar. I have visited a few times up there and have never seen a cooking stove in a house that is gas. Just electric. Is this standard is there any way to have a gas stove?
What is the average cost to build a home in Aroostook County? We plan to buy some acerage outside of caribou but I can't seem to find a site to compare building prices (obviously its small). we plan to build a two story home with roughly 4bdrms....etc etc...any ideas? I want to make it as energy effecient as possible...read WELL INSULATED. Any good tips on that?
Also are there any bee farms that rent hives to home gardeners? The last placed we lived there was a couple who cared for all the hives that people rented from them and it was really great to have the hive and really great not to have to do the dirty work involved with it!
Ok thats it for now...thanks guys!
Dh and I will eventually be living in Maine at some point in the next 6 years. We plan to build our own home and to my knowledge we will probably end up in Aroostook County somewhere. Im sure I will have about 10million questions before that time so any great info you have about the area would be much appreciated!
I am sure that we can help you.
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... Dh was born and bred in Caribou so he is very familar with the whole situation, im from away so im obviously not AS familar. I have visited a few times up there and have never seen a cooking stove in a house that is gas. Just electric. Is this standard is there any way to have a gas stove?
We use a gas stove.
Though wood stoves are nice too. Our next stove/oven will be wood.
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... What is the average cost to build a home in Aroostook County?
I am not in Aroostook, rather we are in Penobscot county.
We are building our home.
Ours will finish at around $25 per sq ft with us living in it.
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... We plan to buy some acerage outside of caribou but I can't seem to find a site to compare building prices (obviously its small). we plan to build a two story home with roughly 4bdrms....etc etc...any ideas? I want to make it as energy effecient as possible...read WELL INSULATED. Any good tips on that?
You will not find natural gas in the County, but you can use propane gas for a cooking stove. Propane will run you more money to use, but if you want to cook on gas, it's available. I can't tell you the cost involved, but the owner of Rathburn Lumber in Presque Isle has a home they built out of Insulated Concrete Forms. (ICF's) I've spoken to the owner and they swear by it for insulated space and overall liveability. It will run you more $$ than stick built, but with the price of energy, it would be worth looking into. Some ICF contractors are outrageous in their pricing, so if you go down that path, talk to the folks at Rathburn and hook up with the right contractor.
I have visited a few times up there and have never seen a cooking stove in a house that is gas. Just electric. Is this standard is there any way to have a gas stove?
No natural gas, so if you want a gas stove you need to go with propane. There are several dealers in the Caribou area, all tend to be a bit expensive.
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What is the average cost to build a home in Aroostook County? We plan to buy some acerage outside of caribou but I can't seem to find a site to compare building prices (obviously its small). we plan to build a two story home with roughly 4bdrms....etc etc...any ideas? I want to make it as energy effecient as possible...read WELL INSULATED. Any good tips on that?
It really depends on the builder and the finish work. The best bet is to contact a few builders directly and get their feelings and insight. I personally like Troy Haney from "Haney's Building Specialties" he does have a website and is a straight talker that will give you honest pricing and answers. A&L Construction is another very good builder that will do a great job and will give straight answers. I have worked with most of the builders in the Caribou and surrounding area so DM me is you have a question on somebody. There are a few that are shysters.
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Also are there any bee farms that rent hives to home gardeners? The last placed we lived there was a couple who cared for all the hives that people rented from them and it was really great to have the hive and really great not to have to do the dirty work involved with it!
Ok thats it for now...thanks guys!
I don't know of anybody up there that does that. Not saying there isn't somebody, but if there is I don't know who they would be. You might try to contact Knot-2-Bragg farms in Washburn and see if they know anybody. They run a nice place and they are the only ones I can think of that would use bees like that up there.
You will not find natural gas in the County, but you can use propane gas for a cooking stove. Propane will run you more money to use, but if you want to cook on gas, it's available. I can't tell you the cost involved, but the owner of Rathburn Lumber in Presque Isle has a home they built out of Insulated Concrete Forms. (ICF's) I've spoken to the owner and they swear by it for insulated space and overall liveability. It will run you more $$ than stick built, but with the price of energy, it would be worth looking into. Some ICF contractors are outrageous in their pricing, so if you go down that path, talk to the folks at Rathburn and hook up with the right contractor.
I'll second this recommendation 100%. Talk to Roger or Blyn (The guys behind the counter usually) and they will hook you up with the right people.
Thank you thank you for your very informative responses....they are much appreciated! We would like to spend around 250,000 so hopefully that is enough to buy our dream home (that does not include the price of land thats just how much we want to spend on the house)
It will basically be our dream home so I am so very excited!
Thank you thank you for your very informative responses....they are much appreciated! We would like to spend around 250,000 so hopefully that is enough to buy our dream home (that does not include the price of land thats just how much we want to spend on the house) It will basically be our dream home so I am so very excited!
Our house is 2400 sq ft, our land is 42 acres with riverfrontage. We live in a forest.
I would use $50k to buy 100 acres of land, and use $80k to build yourself a dream home, and put the remaining $120k in an investment somewhere.
Go flashing your entire wad, and someone will rip you off by jacking up their prices.
Our house is 2400 sq ft, our land is 42 acres with riverfrontage. We live in a forest.
I would use $50k to buy 100 acres of land, and use $80k to build yourself a dream home, and put the remaining $120k in an investment somewhere.
Go flashing your entire wad, and someone will rip you off by jacking up their prices.
May God bless you
This is why I wonder at the price of building per square foot or the general cost to build a home in that area. Where we are living now the average price of a 2400 4bdrm home (which we live in) with the basic upgrades (wood floors on half our main level) we bought a year ago and spent 450,000 no joke. We live in a nice area and have a very basic home. We live in a rat race...
This is why my concern for the price of building....I do NOT want to be ripped off. I am a very anal person and while building will probably know the cost of every nail and board they use. I am very picky and do not like jobs poorly done.
This is why I wonder at the price of building per square foot or the general cost to build a home in that area. Where we are living now the average price of a 2400 4bdrm home (which we live in) with the basic upgrades (wood floors on half our main level) we bought a year ago and spent 450,000 no joke. We live in a nice area and have a very basic home. We live in a rat race... This is why my concern for the price of building.... I do NOT want to be ripped off. I am a very anal person and while building will probably know the cost of every nail and board they use. I am very picky and do not like jobs poorly done.
I can understand that.
We played with our home design for 10 years, before moving to Maine. [Alas now that we are in it, I would have done a couple things differently.]
Our floor plan includes: 3bdrm, a big open space with few interior walls, a large sunken living room around an open hearth fire-pit, an indoor 8' by 40' lap swimming pool, lots of light-grain wood paneling with black wrought iron fixtures, polished-metal candle-like sconces all around, dark slate flooring, and big picture windows on three sides to view the surrounding forest.
That is pretty much what we have. On my pension income we have ran low on funding though we are making progress [it will take time].
Our home [per the completed plans as described above] has been assessed at $80k. We currently have about half of that invested into it.
To put $400k into a home here, would be a truly massive McMansion, or maybe a B&B. 10bdrm, 10 bath, valet parking, water-fall cascading over one side, indoor Olympic pool, private theater, dining room and table to seat 40, .......
Glad to see people considering moving to "The County." As a retired contractor I could give you many good referrals of other good contractors and like anywhere else there are also many fly-by-nighters. What I can tell you is the building industry is constantly evolving and since your plan is six years away you are in the unique position to study these trends long before you make the leap.
Personally, as a contractor I have always had a really great relationship with S.W. Collins lumber yard in Presque Isle. However, Rathbun too is a good choice. Of course we also now have a Lowe's for some odds and ends but, don't rely on them for any real help or knowledge. We also have, in Presque Isle, another local lumber yard called MPG (Maine Potato Growers). I have never had any real luck with them as a professional builder but, I often frequent their garden store.
You may also want to consider alternative home energy resources. This market has developed significantly as of late and by the time you are ready to move I'm sure there are going to be many more innovative advancements. Keeping abreast to these trends can really add to your dream-home.
I have had some experience with ICF's and they certainly can have their benefits. If you are living near a noisy roadway you'll certainly appreciate the sound deadening properties. However, I live somewhat in the country and must admit I sure love the morning and evening loons and other birds.
I have always favored a conventional 2" x 6" stick built home with an ICF built basement. One reason is routine remodeling becomes a monster later on with ICF walls. Your 2" x 6" stick built home can yield you comparable R-Values with correct building practices. Most of your heat loss is attributed to a poorly insulated attic space and the lack of properly sealed walls that result in drafts. However, allot of glass on a North facing wall will wreak havoc on your heating bill as well.
Consider this, if you build a 2" x 6" wall with 6" fiberglass insulation batts and put 1" Styrofoam insulation on the exterior under your siding with a good sealed house wrap you will have achieved an R-Value of almost R-28. Now with each nicely insulated glass window or door you install you are cutting a hole in your R-28 wall and replacing it with around an R-3. This is significant on North facing walls.
As far as Bee-keepers in the area I know of a couple but again, if you are six years away those inquiries might be better answered when you are approaching the one year away mark.
You may want to consider a building trades subscription to stay informed of the latest technologies. I have always favored The Journal of Light Construction. If you are considering building yourselves, don't move in until it is finished, that will usually lead to unfinished tasks.
Good luck with your endeavors.
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