Prescott Paul Realty
A 6,000 sq ft custom home. Bought the land, drew the plans, tore down what was there, and general-contracted every trade from demolition to move-in. The experience is why I can read a home — and a build — the way most agents can't.
In 2002 I bought a small lakeside house. By 2004 I'd had an architect draw the plans — and then I tore the old house down and built a 6,000 sq ft custom home in its place, acting as my own general contractor through every stage.
It was a true tear-down and rebuild. Excavators demolished the existing house and pulled out its old foundation, and the site needed massive excavation — roughly 86 truckloads of dirt hauled out of the front yard. We brought in boulders for the lakeside landscaping and set them first, because once the new foundation went in, the lot was too tight to get heavy equipment down the sides of the house.
The property lines sat so close that the home nearly reached the edges of the lot — so the project required a zoning variance. I didn't hand that to a lawyer; I presented it myself at the town variance hearing and won the approval.
Then I built it — hiring and managing every trade, on site through every stage, and passing every town inspection in sequence: footings, foundation, rough plumbing in the walk-out basement, and on up.
Demolition started in November; footings were in by late December. I got concrete to cure through a freezing Northeast winter — learning foundations and concrete hands-on from a crew of master Portuguese masons.
A rare 9-foot walk-out basement ceiling and radiant floor heat on all three levels — my decisions, not the architect's. The plumbing was set under the slab before the pour.
I pushed the build through the 2004–05 building-boom labor shortage — including a plumber who vanished for about two months at a critical point — and still delivered a beautiful home.
Zoning variance, permits, inspections — I didn't read about the process, I lived it and argued it in person. That's the part of a build that scares most buyers, and I've done it.
So whether you're buying, selling, or building new, you get an agent who can read quality, spot problems before they cost you, and guide you through the parts that scare most people.
I can walk a home and see what's behind the walls — construction quality, red flags, and what a renovation would really take.
I know what makes a home worth more to the right buyer, and how to present the craftsmanship and systems that others gloss over.
Land, permits, variances, builders, timelines, allowances, change orders — I've stood on the GC's side of all of it and can guide you through.
Honest coda: I'd hire a general contractor next time — but living every inch of a complex custom build is exactly what took my real estate knowledge to another level, and it's what I bring to your deal.
Let's talk. You'll be working with the agent who's actually built one.