Cost of new construction in Northern Westchester or Putnam (Union: new home, utilities)

[DickCheney2016]

I frequently see new homes in No. Westchester and Putnam (e.g., Cortland Manor, Yorktown, Carmel, Mahopac) in the $600k-$700k range. Has anyone built s house in these areas? If so, what is the cost per square foot? I'd like to build a 4 bed/3bath colonial with a two-story great room.

[steven r.]

I was born and raised in Mahopac and moved on many years ago. I went back in 2011 to visit and I really don't see much there to justify those high home prices other then the fact that Putnam is within about an hour of NYC. Mahopac is old and run down now, nothing what I remember growing up there as a kid. A lot of the buildings and such are still the same but now host different names. Grand Union for example is now Key Foods.

NYC pretty much dictates the prices from Putnam down through Westchester and right up to Manhattans front door.

[dma1250]

The cost of construction won't vary per square foot in upper vs. lower Westchester. If anything construction in upper Westchester tends to be a lot costlier because you usually need to clear trees, build a driveway, bring in utilities, drill a well, and do a septic system--all of which is heavily regulated and controlled by local authorities, not to mention DEP if you're in the watershed. But the price per square foot that the developer can sell the houses will vary a lot from town to town based on the market. Keep in mind that the cost for a builder/developer will be much lower than for you to build a house. It totally depends on the plot and what you're building, but it can be very expensive.