Episode Details

If you have ever thought about building a house in Maine and walked away from your research more confused than when you started, this episode is for you.

I sat down with Emily Mottram, principal at Mottram + Maines and co-author of The Pretty Good House, for one of the most honest, practical conversations about home building I have had on this show. Emily is a registered architect licensed in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Utah, and she has spent 17 years building her practice around building science, energy efficiency, and making better homes accessible to more people.

We get into what Google gets completely wrong about construction costs in Maine, how a HERS rating works and why it can help you finance energy upgrades through your mortgage, what to look for before you buy a piece of land, why home orientation matters more than most people realize, and where homeowners are spending money they really should not be spending.

Emily also walks through what working with an architect actually costs, how to keep a new build on budget from design through closing, and what the lifecycle of different parts of your home really looks like, from the foundation and structure down to your kitchen finishes.

Whether you are in Maine or anywhere else in the country, if you are thinking about buying land, building new, or just trying to make better decisions about your current home, there is something in this conversation for you.

Topics covered in this episode include HERS ratings and energy efficient mortgages, buying land in Maine, site orientation and water management, construction costs and what Google gets wrong, architect fees and what you actually get, how to work with a builder and a lender on a new build, offsite and modular construction in Maine, and where to put your money for long-term comfort in a cold climate.

Emily co-hosts the BS + Beer Show, a free weekly building science livestream on YouTube, and hosts the E3: Energy and Efficiency with Emily podcast. She is also a member of the Natural Resources Council of Maine and teaches building science and sustainable design at a local community college.

Resources mentioned in this episode: The Pretty Good House: https://prettygoodhouse.org BS + Beer Show: Live on YouTube the first Thursday of every month, all past episodes free Green Building Advisor: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com Community Concepts (SHOP program): Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties, Maine

Housing Matters is hosted by Matt Pouliot of Pouliot Real Estate in Maine. New episodes cover everything real estate, from buying your first home to building your investment portfolio. Find us on YouTube at youtube.com/@housingmatterspod.