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Custom homes are exciting precisely because they are custom. Your custom home should be personalized to suit your needs, tastes, and lifestyle perfectly. However, some people who think they are getting a custom home don’t actually get one. Some “custom” builders offer only a few more choices than a production builder or those who build whole neighborhoods at a time. When you’re building with these companies, you may not even realize how limited your design choices are until it’s too late. Or, you might be working with a spec builder who has a design in mind and doesn’t care who they sell that home to.

So, how do you know that your home won’t be truly custom? Here are the signs that your design is limited and that you won’t get the full custom home experience.

1. You Have to Build on Their Land

Some custom home builders do purchase land that their clients can build on, but that is rare. More often, a truly custom home builder will either work with land that you have already purchased, or they will help you find land that is suitable for your design. If your builder insists on a certain lot, especially one that they own, they may be spec builders and not interested in catering to your every need. The truth is that itcan significantly change your design parameters, allowing for some kind of homes and removing some options. You should have the right lot for you.

2. Initial Design Doesn’t Reflect You

You spoke with the designer, and they took careful notes, but they came back with a design that is, to put it lightly, bland. It’s a typical modern house, with nothing that you can really point to that makes it your style or inspired by your real needs. It may be that the builder had plans very much like these lying around already. If you’re skeptical, ask the designer how they took your specific needs into account, room-by-room. Soon, you’ll be able to see through them. Pay special attention when it seems like the house isn’t your style or includes elements that you communicate you don’t want.         

3. The Floor Plan Isn’t That Flexible

When you are buying a home from a production builder in a neighborhood, you often have a choice when it comes to the floor plan. You may be able to change room positions, add rooms, add a garage, or a bay window. While those changes are great, it’s not the same depth of choice that is available when you create a custom home.

When you create a custom home, the entire floorplan is changeable. You can ask your builder to make a two-story design a bungalow. You can ask your builder to change an open floor plan to one that is more compartmentalized. Most importantly, you can create a floorplan that isn’t what we would consider marketable or appealing to most buyers. The house is yours, which means if you want a very unusual floorplan, with something crazy like the kitchen on the second floor, you should be able to have it.

Another thing you should look out for is if the floorplan looks a lot like another home that the designer has made. Sometimes designers just attract clients with similar needs, and sometimes they recycle designs.

4. The Major Systems are Settled

While many homeowners may overlook them, the major systems of the home should be custom in a custom home. If you care about the kind of plumbing, the layout of the electrical system, or the quality of the insulation, you should be able to get what you want. Builders that don’t do custom homes already have all of these details set in stone.

5. Your Designer Steers You Away from Unique Ideas

Everyone is inspired by different things. We all love different spaces, features, and materials. Some clients come to custom builders with wild ideas, and a truly custom builder will love to bring those ideas to life. For example, we created a castle-like entrance with a moat for one of our customers. It’s those inspirations that make a home yours. Those who don’t build truly custom homes will see unusual ideas as too much of a risk.

6. You’re Choosing from a List of Materials/Finishes

Production and spec builders want to order things in bulk. Or, at least, order as many things as possible in bulk. They may buy three styles of doors ahead of time, in larger orders to reduce the price. Then, they’ll give you a choice between those three doors. While that might be cost-effective, it really isn’t custom. If you want to bring in an outside product that you love, your builder should be happy to get them. Custom builders should even go out of their way to find one-of-a-kind materials if that is what you want. Anytime you are working from a finite list, ask your builder if you could bring in another option, and their answer will be telling.

7. You Don’t Have Choice in Every Area

There can be a bit of decision-fatigue in the home building process. There are a lot of things to choose and sometimes, knowing your styles and taste, your builder may suggest things to you. However, they should be able to walk you through every room in great detail. If there’s a spot where you really don’t have much choice—like in the bathroom or the landscaping—then you don’t have a truly custom home.

8. Your Builder Doesn’t Share Your Values

Everyone has slightly different needs from their home. And, because it is their home, the design choices in it often reflect your most important values. Custom builders are used to discovering what your values are and making sure that every aspect of your design reflects that. For example, if you care about sustainable design, your builder should bring you sustainable options every step of the way, from plumbing and insulation to recycled flooring. The same goes if you care about integrating smart technology, creating a multi-generational home, or any other values that matter to you.