General Contractor in Butler County, PA
Building Contractors United is a general contractor based in Butler County, PA, serving every township from Cranberry to Slippery Rock with excavation, commercial construction, new homes and remodels.
Building Contractors United is a general contractor in Butler County, PA, and Butler County is home. Our office is in Zelienople, and the county's towns, townships and back roads are where we do most of our work: commercial construction along Route 228 and Route 8, excavation and site development on clay hillsides, custom homes on acreage, and additions and remodels in neighborhoods from Cranberry to Slippery Rock. BCU is a woman-owned construction company in Butler County, PA, founded in 2024, fully insured, registered with the state under HIC #PA193140, and led in the field by JT Minarik, who has been building since 2009. Every project carries a 2-year workmanship warranty.
Construction in Butler County
Butler County stretches from the Allegheny County line at Cranberry and Mars north past Slippery Rock, and it contains two very different construction markets. The southern tier, along I-79, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 19 and Route 228, is one of the fastest-growing areas in Western Pennsylvania. Cranberry Township's office parks, medical buildings and retail, Adams Township's subdivisions, and the Route 228 corridor between them generate constant demand for a commercial contractor in Butler County and for residential builders who can deliver quality at scale. The Seneca Valley and Mars Area School Districts anchor that growth.
The northern and eastern parts of the county are more rural, and the work changes with them. Butler, the county seat, has an older downtown and an industrial base along Route 8 and Route 422. Saxonburg, founded by the Roebling family in the 1830s, has a historic Main Street and growing townships around it where new homes go up on multi-acre lots. Slippery Rock pairs a university with a small-town commercial district, and the surrounding farmland supports agricultural buildings, contractor shops and pole buildings. Across the county, a home builder in Butler County is as likely to be clearing a wooded lot and drilling a well as pouring a foundation in a finished plan.
What ties the county together is the ground. Butler County soils are predominantly clay over shale and sandstone, with glacial deposits in the far north and stream valleys along the Connoquenessing, Breakneck and Slippery Rock Creeks that carry floodplain and wetland considerations. Hillsides hold water in spring and dry hard in late summer, so excavation in Butler County rewards proper compaction, drainage planned before the footings go in, and foundations sized for the actual soil. We do our own excavation, which gives us control over the part of the job that most often causes trouble later.
Services we offer in Butler County
Excavation and site work
We are an excavation contractor in Butler County, PA, handling land clearing and grading, commercial pad preparation, foundation excavation, utility trenching, driveways and stormwater systems.
Commercial construction
Our commercial construction services cover ground-up office, retail, medical, flex and pre-engineered metal buildings from Cranberry to Butler and beyond.
Commercial renovation and build-outs
From Main Street storefronts to Route 228 suites, our commercial renovation and tenant build-out team delivers finished space on schedule.
Design-build
Our design-build process puts design, pricing and construction under one roof, which is a practical advantage when a project also needs land development approval.
Custom homes and new construction
We build custom homes on your lot across the county, including acreage that needs clearing, a well and septic, and a long driveway. One recent custom home paired steel and stone with an indoor sports court, which gives a sense of the range we are comfortable with.
Home additions and remodels
Our additions and remodels team handles second-story additions, in-law suites, garage additions, kitchens, baths and whole-home remodels throughout the county.
Permits and local requirements
Butler County has more than 50 municipalities, and each borough and township issues its own zoning and building permits, some through an in-house code official and many through a third-party agency that administers the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code. Cranberry Township, Adams Township, Butler Township and the City of Butler have the most developed land development processes, and smaller boroughs often rely on the Butler County Planning Commission for subdivision and land development review. We confirm which office has jurisdiction before design starts.
At the county level, the Butler County Conservation District reviews erosion and sediment control plans for earth disturbance, and any project disturbing one acre or more requires a PA DEP NPDES permit before work begins. Many townships add their own stormwater ordinances on top. We prepare and track these submittals as part of our site work scope and build the review time into the schedule from day one.
Communities we serve in Butler County
- Zelienople and Harmony
- Cranberry Township and Seven Fields
- Butler and Butler Township
- Slippery Rock
- Mars and Adams Township
- Evans City
- Saxonburg
If you are planning a commercial building, a new home, an addition or a site that needs work anywhere in Butler County, we would like to see it. Request a free estimate or call (724) 900-4123. We price it honestly, up front, and we build it to last for decades.
Common questions
Permits and soils vary by township. We will walk your site and give you a written, itemized estimate.
(724) 900-4123Get a Free EstimateUsually yes. Most Butler County townships require a grading permit for earth disturbance above a set threshold, and state rules add requirements based on the size of the disturbance.
Any disturbance of 5,000 square feet or more needs a written erosion and sediment control plan. Any disturbance of one acre or more needs an NPDES permit through the Butler County Conservation District before work begins. Thresholds and fees differ between Cranberry Township, Adams Township, Jackson Township and the other municipalities, so check with the township building department. A good contractor knows the local rules and handles the application.
Yes. Building on your own lot is common in Butler County, and a general contractor that handles both site work and construction can take the project from raw land to finished home.
Before design starts, confirm the lot's zoning, setbacks and any deed restrictions with the township, verify access to public water and sewer or test for a well and septic, and get a survey. A site visit will identify slope, soil and drainage issues that affect the foundation and site cost. Lots with existing utilities and a flat building area are the simplest. Rural acreage north of Butler often needs more site work but offers more freedom in the design.
Yes. Every home addition in Pennsylvania requires a building permit under the Uniform Construction Code, issued by your municipality or its third-party inspection agency. Most additions also need zoning approval for setbacks and lot coverage.
Requirements and fees vary by municipality. Cranberry Township, Pine Township, McCandless, Hampton and Zelienople Borough each have their own fee schedules and review timelines, so review time depends on the municipality and the project. Expect separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections, and possibly a stormwater review if the addition adds significant impervious surface. Your contractor should pull the permits and schedule the inspections.
Commercial construction cost per square foot in Pittsburgh varies widely by building type, structure, finish level and site conditions. A pre-engineered metal warehouse costs far less per square foot than a medical office or a restaurant with full kitchen.
The main drivers are the structural system, the amount of mechanical, electrical and plumbing work inside, the exterior finish, the site work required, and the municipality's permit and stormwater requirements. Hillside lots and clay soil common to the region add to the site portion. Because cost depends on the site and the scope, BCU gives a free, itemized estimate after reviewing your program and seeing the site.
Get a free estimate in
Tell us about the project in four quick steps, or call us directly. We price it honestly, up front.