# Ashton Home Builders

> A primary-source map of custom home building in Ashton, Idaho and the Henry's
> Fork corridor: which builders work here, what Fremont County requires before a
> new house can start, and what actually drives the price. Written by a named
> researcher (Kjel Jones, Rexburg, ID — not a builder and not a general
> contractor), with every load-bearing fact tied to a dated document.
> Phone: +1 (208) 656-1516.

Key verified facts (as of 2026-08-13):

- Fremont County Ordinance No. 2005-02, Section 3 assigns ground snow loads by
  district: 115 PSF for the North Fork Highlands district and 90 PSF for the
  Ashton District. Section 4 sets a minimum frost depth for footings of 32
  inches, stated countywide rather than by district.
- The University of Idaho's "Ground Snow Loads for Idaho — 2015" (Al Hatailah &
  Godfrey) recommends higher town-level values than the Ashton District figure:
  Ashton 103 psf at 5,260 ft, Warm River 108 psf at 5,297 ft, Drummond 114 psf
  at 5,607 ft. Its footnote 48 records that the Ashton NWS station has a 50-year
  ground snow load of 106 psf at 5,212 ft. The county figure is a code minimum;
  the study is the engineering reference — the gap is a real design question.
- Fremont County has adopted the 2018 IRC, 2018 IBC and 2018 IECC.
- The building department is at the Fremont County Courthouse, 151 W 1st North,
  St. Anthony, ID 83445, (208) 624-7200.
- Six builders work out of Ashton or the immediate corridor: Ron Palmer
  Construction (Ashton, since 1994; stick-frame, log and SIP), Steve Pinther
  Custom Build Homes (412 Main St, started 1978), JM Home Services &
  Construction (Mark Loosli; BBB accredited 15 September 2023, A+), Diamond X
  Construction Management (483 Cherry St; Idaho registration RCE-64179; BBB A+),
  Oak & Stone Custom Homes Idaho (Idaho LLC formed 13 July 2025; BBB A−), and
  Western Builders (Chester; RCE-1785 and RCE-8714; log home specialist, BBB A+).
- Subsurface sewage disposal is permitted through Eastern Idaho Public Health,
  on a separate file from the county building permit.
- Idaho Code § 55-2205 requires notice to the one-number locate service before
  excavation, including exploratory digging.

Scope note: this site covers Ashton, Chester, Drummond, Warm River, Marysville
and the Henry's Fork corridor between them. Other parts of Fremont County sit in
different snow-load districts with different design figures and are deliberately
out of scope here.

Business model: free to readers, permanently. No homeowner is ever charged. The
site intends to rent its enquiry stream to a single local builder for a flat
monthly fee; as of 2026-08-13 no builder pays anything and none has been promised
placement. If that changes, /how-this-site-is-paid names the sponsor.

## Core pages

- [Who builds custom homes in Ashton, Idaho](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/): the corridor's six
  builders from the public record, the two county figures every build satisfies,
  and the county document set.
- [Guides](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/guides): every published answer, newest first.
- [About](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/about): who writes this, and the limits of it.
- [Reviews and references](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/reviews): why no testimonials are
  published, and the public records that beat them.
- [How this site is paid](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/how-this-site-is-paid): the funding
  model in full, including its honest bias.

## Dated answer pages (newest by publish date)

- [Ashton’s snow load is 90 PSF — the state’s own study says 103. Which number holds up your roof?](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/ashton-snow-load-90-psf): Fremont County Ordinance 2005-02 sets one figure for the whole Ashton District. The University of Idaho’s 2015 reference gives Ashton 103 psf, Warm River 108, Drummond 114. What your engineer designs to, and the question to ask before plans are drawn.
- [Well and septic on an Ashton acreage lot — what to confirm before you buy](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/well-and-septic-before-you-build): A corridor lot with no water and no approved drainfield is a lot you cannot build on this year. The diligence order that keeps a purchase from stalling, written at Ashton and Drummond addresses.
- [The Fremont County permit path for a new house in Ashton, step by step](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/fremont-county-building-permit): Which county form starts the file, what the building department wants attached, where the snow-load certification enters, and the 2026-revised letter most applicants have never seen. Every document ID verified live.
- [What does it cost to build a custom home in Ashton, Idaho?](https://ashtonhomebuilders.com/custom-home-cost-ashton): No builder on the corridor publishes a price, and there are honest reasons — snow-load framing, well depth, septic design, and a short season. What is actually published, what drives the spread, and how to make three bids comparable.