The best part about building a custom home is that every element can be customized to fit your exact needs. Or, at least, that’s how it should be. Many people do not realize that some “custom” home builders aren’t much different than production builders, or those that build most suburbs.
Production builders offer a range of house plans, package the land with the home, and may even allow buyers to change some elements of the home from a preset list of features they can achieve. A custom builder is supposed to offer more flexibility and custom designs, but some companies that bill themselves as custom designers actually work in stringent parameters. They offer more selection than a production builder, even in the layout of the home, but they aren’t open to major deviations from their plans. They remain profitable by offering a generalized set of options, but avoid offering anything truly custom.
So, how do you know that your home design is custom and that your builder is really open to personalizing any element of your build? Here are a few strategies you can use to assess your design and builder.
What are You Starting With?
Sometimes you can tell if you’re working with a truly custom home designer by what lot or designyou’re starting with. A truly custom designer should be open to building on land that you’ve already purchased, and open to helping you find land suitable for the kind of home you imagine. A custom builder may have some lots pre-purchased for their next clients. However, a truly custom builder won’t offer you a home that is already in the process of being built, or that already has plans drawn up for it.
Sometimes builders choose empty lots and create architectural plans for them, with the expectation that someone will want to work with them on the build or purchase the home after it is built. This is called a “spec” home, or one built on the speculation that it will be purchased.
A spec home may work for you, as long as you realize that yourdesign options will be limited by the decisions the builder has already made for the property. They will also be limited by the budget the builders have in mind for the project. If you opt for too many expensive changes on this kind of project, the builder may limit your choices moving forward. Or, they may have to reduce the quality of other aspects of the design, all because they have a set budget in mind that they decided upon when they bought the land.
If you want a truly custom home, it is best to either work with the builder to find a lot or purchase one yourself and commit to the builder after. If a builder has a whole community of custom homes they are planning to build, you may still be able to get a great home you’ll love—it’s just important to understand how their plans will constrain your choices.
Look at Their Portfolio
You can tell a lot about a builder from their online portfolio if you know what to look for. The first thing you should look for is if they are selling any homes on spec or have whole communities planned. As we mentioned, these don’t have to be deal-breakers, but you should be more cautious about them.
Then, take a look at the actual homes the builder has constructed before. They may all look different, with various décor, but you may be able to notice similarities that tell you something important. Does the structure or layout of the homes look similar? Your builder may be wedded to a specific floorplan and allow only some changes.
How about the style and materials? If they all look similar, your builder may have a specific style that they are most comfortable creating. If you like the style and materials, that can be fine. However, it is often better to work with a builder who can create a variety of styles, so that you know they can truly reflect your personal style.
If they have a write-up about their projects, note any time that they mention they came up with custom solutions or drastically changed their plans for their client. These are good signs that your home build will be completely custom.
Check out our design portfolio
Look at Their Reviews
You can also get a sense of how custom a builder’s homes are from their reviews, or better yet, from talking to their former clients directly. While people may be very happy with their less-than custom home, they might also reveal unusual constraints that the builder put on the design or requests that could not be accommodated. If they don’t give a reason, this could be a red flag that your design won’t be truly custom.
Ask About the Quality of Hidden Features
This is just good practice in general, but it can also help you assess if your home is truly custom. Parts of the home that are hidden from your view, like the electrical system, plumbing system, insulation, and more, may be all part of a package deal for a builder that isn’t doing truly custom builds. If they can’t get you a better-quality pipe or insulation, their design might be limited in other ways too.
Test the Limits of their Design
The best way to make sure your design will be truly custom is to ask for the unique features or big changes that you want to your home. Before you have preliminary plans, explore your options with the designer. Are they open to major departures from work they have done in the past? Will you be able to choose any kind of material you want? For example, are they open to getting a unique kind of kitchen countertop, or do they want you to pick one from a handful of options?
After you have the plans, ask for the changes that you’re looking for, and listen if you get some push back from the designer. Sometimes a designer is smartly leading you away from a mistake, a design that you might not actually enjoy, or that won’t actually look good. Other designers might be leading you away from a change that is too much work for them, or that they can’t accommodate.
Telling which is which can be hard. That’s why, in the end, you have to work with a builder that you can trust and who you feel is really dedicated to your vision.