What is a Custom Home Builder?
A custom home project is one where you work directly with a homebuilder (and possibly your own architect) to design, plan, and select every single detail about the home’s construction, layout, and finish. And when we say ‘everything’, we mean EVERY-THING. You’re responsible for selecting everything from the number of bedrooms to the color of the doorknobs
Custom Home Vs Semi Custom Home VS Spec Home
Building a Custom Home: The homebuyer has near-total control of the home’s layout, look, and feel. Custom homes tend to take longer to build and are generally more expensive than pre-built homes, but the end result is a true expression of the homeowner’s style and priorities.
Building a Semi-Custom Home: The homebuyer selects an existing plan in their homebuilder’s wheelhouse and customizes the look and feel of the interior and exterior.
Buying a Spec Home: A move-in ready home built by the homebuilder to meet the needs of the average person. Spec homes are cost-effective ways to get a new home at a good price.
As such, custom homes are perfect for people who enjoy a detail-oriented process and generally are not willing to compromise on their vision.
At a high level, here’s an example of the types of decisions you can expect to be responsible for if you choose to build a custom home:
- The home plan and any floorplan modifications, including moving walls, adding closets, putting in vaulted ceilings, adding windows or doors, etc.
- Exterior materials (brick, stone, siding, shake, board) and deciding the locations to batten them all down.
- Building materials and finishes like hardwood floor brands and styles, lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures — not to mention home energy efficiency levels.