OTISFIELD – A local construction company has been selected as one of eight builders to work on a $1 billion real estate project at Mt. Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H.

“I’m pretty excited to be involved in that project, but I’m also pretty humbled,” said Rick Micklon, owner of Maine Building and Development. “I’m the smallest builder that was selected.”

Micklon said he will begin work this summer and will be constructing semi-custom homes in a section of a village development named Dartmouth Brook. Micklon said he is under contract to build at least 10 homes per year for the resort.

Micklon has owned the company since 2003, and operates out of his home on Bean Road. His son, Kabe, is construction manager and his neighbor and sister-in-law is a part-time office manager. Beyond this staff, Micklon has about 47 subcontractors whom he turns to for home projects.

Micklon said he will need about a dozen more subcontractors to work on the project.

“I don’t want to add too many, because I want to stay loyal to the people who are already working for me,” he said. “I’m always open to talking to contractors, but it’s very difficult to get into the team because I have very high standards.”

Micklon said he will be able to continue working on other Maine home developments while he is working for the resort. He said he hopes to cooperate with KBS Building Systems of Paris to expand modular products to the Mt. Washington development, and is arranging to have resort representatives take a tour of the factory.

Mike Brunetti, director of development at the resort, said there has been a concept plan to put in about 1,400 condominiums and residential buildings around the signature hotel since the 1980s, but only about 400 are in place to date.

The project calls for 950 residential units along the Base Station Road, at the Bretton Woods ski area, and at the Mt. Pleasant Golf Course. Brunetti said the condominiums will start in the high $300,000 range and “the sky’s the limit” for custom homes.

“There’s a need for high-end second, third home development,” Brunetti said. “The demand is obviously a little bit lighter than when we purchased the property, but our market research is saying there is a demand.”

Brunetti is a partner with Celebration Associates of Charlottesville, Va., which purchased the resort in 2006. The resort recently completed nearly $50 million in capital improvements, including construction of a 43,000-square-foot spa and conference center.

The residential development is expected to take place over the next 10 to 12 years.

“This is one of the largest projects that we’ve done before, other than Celebration, Fla.,” he said.

According to the company’s Web site, Celebration, Fla., was founded in 1994 near Walt Disney World. It is a 4,900-acre town that includes more than 3,000 residences.

Brunetti said the eight builders were chosen from more than 70 interested parties during a nine-month period. Micklon said the application process included interviews with a consultant, surveys of past clients, home visits, and a background check.

Micklon said one other builder is based in Maine, and the remainder are from New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Those selected are part of a Builder’s Guild that meets regularly.