General Contractor in Saxonburg, PA
Building Contractors United is a general contractor in Saxonburg, PA, building custom homes on acreage in Clinton and Jefferson Townships, handling excavation and site work, and renovating historic borough buildings.
Building Contractors United is a general contractor in Saxonburg, PA, and the surrounding Clinton and Jefferson Township countryside, building custom homes on acreage, handling the excavation and site work those lots demand, and renovating homes and storefronts in the historic borough. Saxonburg is about 30 minutes east of our Zelienople office by way of Route 68 and Route 228, squarely inside our Butler County home territory. BCU is woman-owned, founded in 2024, fully insured, and led in the field by JT Minarik, our Construction Manager, who has been building since 2009. Every project carries a 2-year workmanship warranty.
Construction in Saxonburg
Saxonburg is a Butler County borough of about 1,500 people founded in 1832 by German settlers, including John A. Roebling, who developed wire rope here before designing the Brooklyn Bridge. That history shows on Main Street, where brick and frame buildings from the 1800s hold shops, restaurants and offices, and where a historic district guides how exteriors are changed. Inside the borough, construction means careful renovation: restoring and updating older homes, converting and refreshing Main Street commercial space, and adding garages and additions on lots that were laid out long before cars.
Around the borough, Clinton Township and Jefferson Township are where new homes get built. This is rolling farm and woodland country at the east end of the Route 228 corridor, close enough to Cranberry, Mars and the Route 8 corridor for commuting but far enough out to buy two, five or twenty acres. Families in the South Butler County School District build custom homes with long driveways and outbuildings. Jefferson Township toward Route 356 and Butler, and Clinton Township toward Route 228 and the Allegheny County line, both hold a mix of established farms and newer large-lot plans.
Building on acreage here starts with excavation. Saxonburg-area ridges are clay over shale with rock near the surface in many places, and the valleys drain to Thorn Creek, Buffalo Creek and their tributaries. A new home on five acres typically needs land clearing, a driveway cut and graded to township standards, a building pad with proper foundation drainage, trenching for electric and a well line, and an on-lot septic system sited by soil testing. Done wrong, that work shows up as a wet basement and a washed-out driveway, so we plan it as one project with the house itself.
Services we offer in Saxonburg
Our main work around Saxonburg is custom homes on acreage and the excavation and site work that comes with them, along with renovations to the borough's historic homes and Main Street buildings. We also build shops, barns and metal buildings for township property owners and businesses.
- Custom homes and new construction on acreage in Clinton and Jefferson Townships, from land clearing through finish.
- Excavation and site work including clearing, driveways, grading, foundation excavation, utility trenching, septic coordination and stormwater.
- Home additions and remodels for borough homes and township farmhouses, including whole-home remodels and in-law suites.
- Design-build so the site, the house and the budget are planned together by one team.
- Commercial renovation and tenant build-outs for Main Street storefronts, restaurants and offices.
- Commercial construction including pre-engineered metal buildings and shops along Route 228 and Route 356.
Permits and local requirements
Saxonburg Borough issues zoning and building permits through the borough office, with Uniform Construction Code inspections handled through its code agency. Exterior work on buildings within the historic district is reviewed for compatibility with the district's character, so plan for that step before ordering windows, siding or storefront materials. Clinton Township and Jefferson Township each run their own zoning and permit processes and use third-party agencies for UCC plan review and inspections. New homes on acreage need a township zoning permit and driveway permit, and the Butler County sewage enforcement officer must approve the on-lot septic design based on soil probes and percolation tests before the house is sited. New or changed driveways onto Route 228 or Route 356 require a PennDOT highway occupancy permit.
The Butler County Conservation District reviews erosion and sediment control plans, and any project disturbing one acre or more needs a PA DEP NPDES permit, which is routine for homes on large lots with long driveways. We prepare these submittals as part of our site work scope and build the review time into your schedule up front.
Why BCU in Saxonburg
Saxonburg is 30 minutes from our office, on roads we drive all the time. We know Butler County soils, the township permit counters and the conservation district process, and we have built a modern steel-and-stone custom home with an indoor sports court north of Pittsburgh, so large custom homes on challenging sites are familiar ground. We show up when we say we will, we price it honestly up front, we build it to last for decades, and we stand behind it for two years.
Planning a custom home on acreage in Clinton or Jefferson Township, or a renovation in the borough? Request a free estimate or call (724) 900-4123. We also serve nearby Mars, Butler and the rest of Butler County.
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 EstimateYes. 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.
Usually 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.
The cost to clear and grade a lot in Western Pennsylvania depends on how many trees are on it, how steep it is, what the soil is like, and how much material has to be hauled off or brought in. Two lots of the same size can vary widely for those reasons alone.
Wooded lots cost more because trees and stumps have to be removed and disposed of. Sloped lots need more cut and fill and sometimes a retaining wall. Clay and shale, which are common across Butler and Allegheny Counties, are slower to move than loose soil. Because cost depends on the site and the scope, BCU gives a free, itemized estimate once we have walked the lot.
Get a free estimate in
Tell us about the project in four quick steps, or call us directly. We price it honestly, up front.