Explore · Prefab, decoded

A prefab home is a question, not a price.

The question is how much of the work you want to do. A kit shows up as a stack of lumber — and you supply the nails. A turnkey home shows up finished. How finished it arrives swings the price per square foot more than anything else you choose. Here's what actually arrives on your lot at each rung, and what your town will say about it.

We resolve the parcel, its zone, setbacks and ADU rules — then draw them on your actual land.

or browse the interactive zoning map
1600 MODEL Contemporary by GO Logic, a Modern prefab home
1600 MODEL Contemporary · GO Logic

What actually arrives

Same idea. Three very different deliveries.

A prefab price only means something once you know its scope. Each level below is a real, named example home — its per-square-foot figure comes straight from the manufacturer’s published pricing.

Loading example pricing…

Why the price splits

Lumber ships anywhere. A crane doesn’t.

The cost gap isn’t a markup — it’s freight and labor. A kit is cargo. A finished module needs a set crew and a wide-load route, so it can only travel so far from the factory.

Kit — it’s freight

Flat-packed lumber and panels ride a standard trailer, so a kit reaches almost anywhere.

Module + set crew — a crew sets it on site

A finished module travels on a wide-load trailer and lands with a crane crew. The crew’s radius is the constraint, not the trailer’s.

If you’re outside the radius, the choice is made for you.

What it looks like

Start with the one you’d want to come home to.

Every home in the catalogue is tagged with the styles it fits. These are real models from manufacturers serving New England — tap one to see everything in that style.

1600 MODEL Contemporary by GO Logic, a Modern prefab home
Modern
1600 MODEL Contemporary · GO Logic
Tradd Leka by Bensonwood, a Traditional prefab home
Traditional
Tradd Leka · Bensonwood
Gibraltar by Jamaica Cottage Shop, a Cabin prefab home
Cabin
Gibraltar · Jamaica Cottage Shop
Tradd Dela by Bensonwood, a Modern Farmhouse prefab home
Modern Farmhouse
Tradd Dela · Bensonwood
2000 MODEL by GO Logic, a Farmhouse prefab home
Farmhouse
2000 MODEL · GO Logic
Zum Vild by Bensonwood, a Scandinavian prefab home
Scandinavian
Zum Vild · Bensonwood
The Tradd by Bensonwood, a Cape Cod prefab home
Cape Cod
The Tradd · Bensonwood

Photo on each card is an actual model tagged with that style. Every card links to a filtered search.

What the town charges

The paperwork is a real line item.

Permit fees come from each town’s published fee schedule. Often-missed costs combine town and state fees with our researched estimates. Every ledger carries its own read date.

We don’t estimate permit approval times — those depend on your town’s queue and your project.

Portland

Fees as of 2026-04-10

10 permit forms

Municipal impact fees: not verified for this town.

Permit fees

Partial — this town publishes 10 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.

  • Building Permit$3,010–6,010
  • Electrical Permit$75
  • Plumbing Permit$40–100
  • HVAC Permit$120–220
  • Certificate of Occupancy$100
  • Demolition Permit$30

Often-missed costs

  • Stormwater Engineering$2,000–10,000
  • Fire Sprinkler System (NFPA 13R)$3,000–8,000

Westbrook

Fees as of 2026-04-10

30 permit forms

Municipal impact fees: not verified for this town.

Permit fees

Partial — this town publishes 30 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.

  • Sewer Service$13

Often-missed costs

  • ADU Planning Board Site Plan Review$1,000–3,000
  • Permanent Foundation Requirement$5,000–15,000

Falmouth

Fees as of 2026-09-22

12 permit forms

Municipal impact fees: not verified for this town.

Permit fees

Partial — this town publishes 12 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.

  • Building Permit$900–1,800
  • Electrical Permit$90–180
  • Plumbing Permit$80–140
  • Heating Permit$50
  • Certificate of Occupancy$75
  • Demolition Permit$50
  • Growth Permit$200

Often-missed costs

  • MUBEC Surcharge$60–120
  • Phosphorus Control Plan (Highland Lake watershed)$1,500–5,000
  • Septic System (if not in sewer area)$15,000–30,000

South Portland

Fees as of 2026-04-10

Permit forms: not published

Municipal impact fees: not verified for this town.

Permit fees

Partial — the fees we’ve priced so far (this town’s permit-form count isn’t published).

  • ADU Application Meeting$200
  • ADU Zoning Permit$500

Often-missed costs

  • ADU-Specific Pre-Permit Fees$700
  • 90-Day Historic Delay (Pre-1940 Structures)$5,000–15,000
  • Drainage Review Engineering$1,000–5,000

Scarborough

Fees as of 2026-04-13

22 permit forms

Municipal impact fees: not verified for this town.

Permit fees

Partial — this town publishes 22 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.

  • Building Permit (New Home)$900–2,700
  • Electrical Permit$100–200
  • Plumbing Permit$60–180
  • Heating Appliance Permit$50
  • Fire Suppression System Permit$50–150
  • Driveway Coordination$25
  • Shoreland Setback Determination$250
  • Flood Permit$50
  • Variance / ZBA Appeal$250
  • Zoning Determination Letter$50
  • Excavation Permit$80
  • Demolition Permit$50
  • Stormwater Maintenance Agreement$750

Often-missed costs

  • Fire Sprinkler Installation$5,000–15,000
  • Septic System$15,000–30,000
  • HHE-200 State Septic Permits$250–850
  • FEMA Elevation Compliance$10,000–30,000

Gorham

Fees as of 2026-05-28

20 permit forms

Municipal impact fees: not verified for this town.

Permit fees

Partial — this town publishes 20 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.

  • Building Permit$1,200–4,800
  • Electrical Permit$50–200
  • Plumbing Permit$60–180
  • Demolition Permit$50–150
  • Sewer Permit$50–1,000
  • Subsurface Wastewater Permit (HHE-200)$150–265
  • Board of Appeals (Variance)$200–500
  • Site Plan Review$1,000–4,600
  • Subdivision Approval$1,500–5,000

Often-missed costs

  • MUBEC State Fire Marshal Surcharge$40–120
  • Septic System (off-sewer lots)$15,000–30,000

Biddeford

Fees as of 2026-05-29

19 permit forms

Municipal impact fees: not verified for this town.

Permit fees

Partial — this town publishes 19 permit forms; these are the fees we’ve priced so far.

  • Building Permit$600–6,000
  • Plumbing Permit$40–130
  • Demolition Permit$50
  • Variance / ZBA Appealfrom $75
  • Sewer Connection$400
  • Subsurface Wastewater Permit (HHE-200)$150–265
  • Subdivision Approval$300

Often-missed costs

  • Building Permit Application Fee$60
  • ADU Permit Fee$200
  • Septic System (off-sewer lots)$15,000–30,000

What you’re allowed

Your state sets a ceiling. Your town sets the rule.

New England’s ADU size limits — the outer wall of what’s possible. The number that actually governs your build is your town’s, and many opted out entirely.

Bars span each state’s statutory range; + means no fixed state ceiling. The note under each row describes what towns actually do within it.

  • Massachusetts

    900 SF or 50% of primary dwelling (whichever smaller). Owner-occupancy prohibited statewide. ADU permitted on nonconforming lots (760 CMR 71.03(3)(b)(9)).

    MGL c.40A s.3 (Affordable Homes Act, H.4138)

    900 square feet
  • New Hampshire

    HB 577 — detached ADUs by right statewide. 750 SF is ordinance floor (towns cannot restrict below). Owner must occupy either principal or ADU (cannot specify which).

    NH RSA 674:71-73 (as amended by HB 577, 2025)

    950 square feet
  • Maine

    varies by town (800-1000 sqft typical)

    LD 2003 (2022), amended by LD 1829 (2025) and LD 2173 (2026)

    190+ — at least 190 square feet; Maine sets no state maximum
  • Vermont

    or 30% of primary dwelling

    24 V.S.A. 4412

    900+ — at least 900 square feet, or 30% of the main house if larger
  • Rhode Island

    1BR: 900 sqft max, 2BR: 1200 sqft max

    RI General Laws 45-24-37

    1,200 square feet
  • Connecticut

    67% of towns opted out of state mandate

    PA 21-29

    1,000 square feet

Connecticut’s ceiling is 1,000 sqft — but 67% of towns opted out. A state number can’t tell you what your lot allows. That’s a per-parcel question, and it’s the one that actually gates your project.

Check my town’s real rules →

Browse the catalogue

Start from what you already know.

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