Building from scratch on an island

[lakershaker]

Hello all,
My wife and I are planning on building on one of the islands starting either this fall or next spring. We are still in the early stages, and hope that some of you who have gone before us can give us some advice.

First of all, excluding the land, what would be a good per square foot cost range for builiding a traditional camp? I know building on an island is more expensive due to the transport costs, and is dependant on what you put into it, but we are looking for a good base range for budgeting purposes.

Secondly, any recommendations on general contractors/builders and architect/designers would be appreciated.

We are really excited to be starting this process, and this is a great forum for information. Thanks in advance!

[LakeLackey]

I recently completed building a campish type house on an island in Winni. However, your inquiry clearly gives the perception that you "already know" what it takes and what is involved. Therefore, you should realize that there is no $$$$ amount someone can give you until you define what it really is that you plan to build. If you want numbers, for "only" the physical dwelling, then $160 to $275 per foot is the low range (and costs keep going up, so it will probably be 20% higher or more next year; the labor rates alone that I was able to get 6 months ago have already gone up 25%). Sounds like you better do a lot more thinking and get a lot better informed before you go any further.

[Mink Islander]

For a good builder, give Reg Glines a call (603) 387-6092. He and his partner, Jeff, are two true Yankee craftsman. Absolutely the best contractors I ever worked with. Their attention to detail and focus on quality are reminders of what building construction should be like. Have been doing only island construction for many years. They tend to have a long backlog -- last I knew they were working on several projects on Beaver Island.

As others have said, cost is a difficult thing to estimate. Really will depend on what you want to build. One option worth considering if you are eager to keep the all in cost down would be to look at some of the log homes. They can be built quickly and relatively cheaply. There's one on Mink on the channel side that went up a couple of years ago and the realtor/owner is advertising to build a similar home on some land he owns on Bear.

As for timing, if you are truly in the early stages (i.e. no plans, no builder), I'd be very surprised if you could get underway this fall or even next spring. Life in a building boom.