New Construction on the South Shore
New construction on the South Shore starts with the lot, not the floor plan. Perc test, flood zone, ledge and the distance to the nearest utility decide more about your budget than the kitchen does. We look at all of it before anyone draws a line.
The lot decides the house
Most people fall in love with a plan and then go looking for somewhere to put it. On the South Shore that order costs money, because two lots on the same street can carry completely different houses.
A failed perc test turns a three-bedroom into a two-bedroom. Meanwhile, ledge turns a full basement into a slab, and a flood zone changes the foundation, the first-floor elevation and the insurance. Being four hundred feet from the nearest water main is a number nobody mentions until the quote arrives.
None of that shows up in the listing photo. All of it shows up in the estimate, which is why new construction on the South Shore gets priced after someone walks the ground.
What homeowners say
New construction on the South Shore
Twenty-one houses, and no two lots asked for the same thing. Some sit on pilings because the flood map said so. One has a slab because the ledge did. Click any of them to see it full size.
New construction on the South Shore: what the job contains
Every stage below is ours. You are not hiring a framer and then going to find a finish crew in January.
The lot, first
First, the perc test and the septic design, or the tie-in if the street has sewer. Wetlands setbacks, flood zone, ledge and grade. So this comes before the drawings, because it is what the drawings have to obey.
Design and engineering
Then plans your town will accept, with the structural engineering behind them. We work from your architect's drawings or handle the design from the start.
Permits and the board
Meanwhile the permits move: building, electrical, plumbing, and conservation or board of health when the lot requires it. However, those last two are the ones that set the real timeline, so we start them early.
Foundation and frame
Then come footings, foundation or slab, framing, roof and sheathing. The stage where a mistake is cheap to fix and expensive to leave.
Services and finish
Finally, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, insulation, drywall, trim, cabinetry, floors and paint. One company through all of it.
We price the lot before we price the house.
That is the number that movesOne company, start to finish
A house from scratch is every trade there is, in sequence, over most of a year. The common arrangement is a builder who subcontracts all of it and a schedule that belongs to nobody. Because of that, new construction on the South Shore usually loses its time between the trades rather than during them.
You hire one. When the framing is two days late and the roofers are already booked, that is our problem to solve, not yours to referee.
- One contract for the whole house, not one per trade
- Perc, septic design and board of health handled before design
- Every permit pulled and every inspection managed with your town
- Your own site manager on the job, not just a phone number
- A written schedule with a start date and a finish date
How new construction on the South Shore runs
The lot walk
First we walk the lot with you, before you buy it if we can. Grade, trees, ledge, wet spots, where the septic can go and how far the utilities are.
Feasibility and budget
Then comes a real range based on what that lot will carry, not on a plan from a catalogue. If the lot will not take the house you want, you find out here.
Design, engineering and permits
Drawings your town accepts, the engineering behind them, and every permit pulled. Conservation and board of health when the lot requires it.
Build
Foundation, frame, shell, services, finish. As a result you get a schedule, and you get told when it moves and why.
What new construction on the South Shore costs
Nobody prices a house over the phone. What moves the number is mostly decided before the first drawing.
What raises it:
- A failed or marginal perc test. Engineered septic systems cost multiples of a conventional one
- Ledge. Blasting or hammering rock is the least predictable line in any estimate
- Flood zone. Elevated foundations, flood vents and the insurance that follows
- Distance to utilities. Every foot of water, sewer, gas and electric trench is money
- Roofline and footprint complexity. Corners cost more than square footage
What keeps it down: a lot with sewer, town water and a clean perc, a simple footprint with a simple roof, and deciding finishes before framing rather than during. After the lot walk you get a written estimate with the scope itemized.
When we are not the right call
If you want the lowest number per square foot, we are not it. Because we pull permits, carry insurance and pay a crew that comes back the next day, we are rarely the cheapest bid in a stack of three.
If you already own a lot that will not perc and you want someone to build anyway, we will not. That is the kind of problem that becomes yours three years later, not ours.
We are worth it when you want one company responsible for the lot, the drawings, the permits and the house, with a schedule in writing. If the space you need is smaller, an addition is usually the cheaper answer and we will say so.
New construction questions homeowners ask
The lot, the septic and the town
Should I buy the lot before talking to a builder?
Talk first if you can. A perc test, a flood zone map and the distance to the nearest utility can change the budget by a six-figure amount, and all three can be checked before you close. In any case we walk lots with people who have not bought them yet.
What is a perc test and why does everyone keep mentioning it?
It measures how fast the soil drains, which decides what septic system the lot can take. A clean perc means a conventional system. However, a marginal one means an engineered system, which costs several times more. On lots with town sewer it does not come up at all.
How long does a house take?
Most take the better part of a year from permit to final inspection, and permitting on the South Shore is the least predictable stretch because it depends on your town. Of course we give you a schedule in writing and tell you when it moves.
Drawings, changes and licensing for new construction on the South Shore
Do you work from my architect's plans?
Yes, and we also handle the design from the start. Either way the drawings have to satisfy your town before anything is approved.
Can I make changes once we start?
Yes, and every change has a price and a date attached before it happens. For example, changes after framing are the single most common reason a project goes over, so we put selections in writing early.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We hold an Unrestricted Construction Supervisor License in Massachusetts, which is the license the state requires for structural work with no cap on the size of the building, and we carry liability and workers compensation insurance. Ask any contractor for their license and their certificate of insurance before you sign. Registrations can be checked with the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.
Also on the South Shore: home additions, accessory dwelling units and our finished projects.
Tell us about the lot
A free site visit, a straight answer about what that lot will carry, and a written estimate with the scope itemized. Even if you have not bought it yet.