build – Maine Terrain https://www.maineterrain.com Secret Destinations in and around Acadia National Park Mon, 11 Jul 2022 13:55:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.8 Building a Home in Maine: Coastal Waterfront! 2022 https://www.maineterrain.com/building-coastal-maine-home/ https://www.maineterrain.com/building-coastal-maine-home/#comments Tue, 10 May 2022 02:00:54 +0000 https://www.maineterrain.com/?p=2672

Building a home In Maine

July 24, 2021

Maine Terrain Acadia National Park
SO2

Written by Stephen Ondich

Building a home in Maine is a fantasy for many. Should you buy verses build? Beautiful waterfront homes for sale exist but there are also plenty of waterfront camps for sale in Maine. Our friends, Tim and Terri G searched for a homebuilder in Maine and built their coastal dream home on 4 picturesque acres in the coastal community of Milbridge, Maine.  Construction took place from 2017-2019. They answer questions about homebuilding  in Maine and finding the perfect home site.

The G Spot Maine, a Custom Beach House in Milbridge Maine

Milbridge, Maine

Location

The G-Spot Maine is 43 miles from Acadia National Park.

It is Acadia Adjacent.↵
 

Building A Coastal Maine House: How Terri & Tim G Did It 

Homesite Search

MaineTerrain: You and Tim are from Virginia.  How did you pick Milbridge as the location to build your dream home?

Terri G: The shortest long version is that we traveled to Ogunquit Maine in 2016 because of an invitation to my Aunt’s surprise birthday party. We had never been to coastal Maine before.

In searching for a nearby hotel, prior to the trip, I began looking at the Maine coastline and was utterly enthralled.  That led to searching-out real estate listings, for s__’s & giggles, in order to gauge the real estate prices up there. Then, that led to a genuine interest in finding a place for us, our “Summer Camp,” in essence.

MaineTerrain: Significantly, Ogunquit means “Beautiful place by the sea,” in Abenaki. When inspecting potential build sites, what things were you looking for?
 
The G Spot House View Toward the Ocean

Terri G: Our only true prerequisite was that it had to be on the ocean.  If we travel regularly 12-14 hours to our Maine summer home, then it makes logical sense to travel to a place completely unavailable to us here in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  Meaning, the Shenandoah Valley offers numerous gorgeous lakes and picturesque rivers. However, we simply do not have access to the Atlantic Ocean.  Boom, decision made.  🙂
 
MaineTerrain: That sounds familiar. We are about 45 minutes away from Newport Beach. Yet, we travel 2000 miles to come to Milbridge! When you first saw your Milbridge parcel did you immediately know it was the one?  
 
Terri G:  Ha ha!  Tim  & I talk about this often because it really, truly was just like that.  Immediate and mutual.  We began our property search up in Eastport, Maine and worked our way down the coast, ending in Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine.  
 
When we first viewed our property, it was so densely wooded that we got turned around. We had to get our bearings and start over again.  As soon as we finally stood on the shoreline, we looked at one another and both said, “This is it,” and it was.  We’ve never regretted the decision.
Milbridge, Maine oceanfront lot of the G Spot House

Homebuilders in Maine: Downeast

Maine Terrain: Whose idea was it to build your own coastal home
 
Terri G: As in building the home? Or the style that we chose?  
As for building it, as soon as we saw the coastline of Maine via Google Earth, we knew that we would have a house there.  Therefore, I would say that it was definitely a mutual decision.  Interestingly, we officially purchased our four-acre property just one month after my Aunt’s surprise birthday party.  

As for style, I’m the design person, so I knew that we’d most likely have a chalet-style home, if only for the prominence of so many over-sized windows on the main wall.  With oceanfront property, that’s a given!
 

Maine Terrain: Although we bought an existing home in Milbridge, we also relied heavily on Google Maps and Google Earth when scouting locations. Do you or Tim have a background in construction or was your custom home design a completely new endeavor?

Terri G: No, we have no formal training.  However, we both have worked hard on our previous older homes for years. We are quite adept at many aspects of general handyman work and construction.

We each have our own specialties.  For example, Tim is the only one who handles anything electrical. I am absolutely NOT a fan of being zapped.  He hangs the sheet rock while I’m the mud-n-taper. I have pretty darn impressive mudding/taping skills, if I do say so myself. 

I’m the wallpaper hanger.  We both do tile work.  And we both share a love of power tools!

 

The G Spot Maine Great Room

Maine Terrain: One comment I hear often about construction in Maine is that there is a limited pool of qualified contractors. Thus, delays are almost inevitable. How close did you come to hitting your projected timetable?

Terri G: Our home is a modular, not to be confused with a mobile home.  I have always been an avid believer in modular construction. Therefore, I knew that that was the direction that we’d take. 

We chatted with a couple of local modular home retailers and settled on one in Bangor.  All of our contractors were employed by and affiliated with that particular modular home retailer. So that simplified the process compared to hiring our own contractors and subcontractors.

The delays, however, as with all construction projects, were frequent.  
Our home was to be set in early June but it wasn’t set until July. Accordingly, that threw off the remaining timetable. 

Footnote, if I may, we don’t ever want to build again. However, if we did, it would absolutely be another modular home.  We are so pleased with the structure itself.  It’s incredibly solid!

Maine Terrain: How much consideration did you give to buying an existing coastal home?

Terri G: When we began looking at properties in earnest, we looked at both raw land and ready-built homes. 

Initially, we had no preference whatsoever.  However, we found that Maine, Down East Maine in particular, seemed to have an over-abundance of breathtakingly beautiful oceanfront raw land properties. All at remarkably low prices compared to Virginia and the D.C. area. So those two factors really made that decision to purchase raw land and build on it. 

Maine Terrain: Did you run into any unexpected surprises during construction? Anything just come way out of left field?

Terri G: Ha ha, staahhp!  Seriously?  Yes.  Emphatically, yes.  I think that the one thing that completely threw us off-base was the need to blast ledge, i.e., granite.  Mainly because of the cost. Holy smokes!

We had heard that blasting might be necessary because Maine is the bold rocky coast after all, but we were unprepared for the actual cost and the need to find someone who could do it immediately to avoid any additional delays.

Maine Terrain: Do you have any advice for someone looking at a lot now? Perhaps someone thinking about building their own dream house?

Terri G: Do it. Be prepared for months of migraine headaches and numerous sleepless nights.  Take vitamins & drink caffeine for extra stamina, but do it.   It’s soooo worth it.  😉

The G Spot Maine vanity room

The G Spot House

MaineTerrain: What room do you find yourself spending the most time in? Why?
 
Terri G: Our Great Room.  It’s huge and features a two-story wall full of windows that overlook the ocean/bay.  It also faces east, so we can grab a cup of coffee and watch the sun greet us.  Not to mention that the Great Room features our red Vermont Castings propane stove, which we often light on chilly mornings or evenings.  Nothing like it for the relaxing atmosphere.
 
MaineTerrain: When you were in the planning stages, what were some of the must-have features you wanted to include?
 
Terri G: Tim & I have eight adult children between us, so we HAD to have a place that could accommodate everyone, including spouses, grandchildren, etc.  As previously mentioned, oceanfront was an absolute must.  A full basement with more room to spread out. Plus Tim’s man cave.  Acreage, for privacy’s sake.  Oh, and a guest cottage!
 
MaineTerrain: If someone is interested in staying at your home, how should they contact you?
 
Terri G: Thank you for that, Steve.  How nice of you.  Any number of ways.  
Preferably via our Airbnb listing.
Or via our website .  

Or even our Facebook page.
 
Also, we can be reached directly by email.
Terri & Tim ‘G’ .  
 
Thanks Steve!

Terri and Tim’s Coastal Maine Home is on AirBnB Below

]]>
https://www.maineterrain.com/building-coastal-maine-home/feed/ 7