Custom Homes

Custom homes are, simply put, homes that you build yourself and that are designed to your specifications.

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What are Custom Homes?
Custom homes are, simply put, homes that you build yourself. Not physically build yourself, naturally; that would be asking a lot of most of us! But custom homes are chosen from scratch and build according to your specifications. Depending on the level of customization that you choose to employ, this may range from selecting your chosen design and plot of land all the way up to creating a bespoke accommodation for yourself and your family entirely from scratch. Custom Homes can also entail finding your ideal plot of land, working with an architect to design a home based on your exact needs and desires, constructed from your preferred materials and decorated and furnishing the home to your specifications.

Why Build a Custom Home?
Building custom homes is becoming increasingly popular as homeowners become somewhat jaded with the perceived lack of choice on offer. The attraction of customizing your own home to your own vision of how you want to live is obvious. Building a custom home gives you the opportunity to build the perfect house for your family – whatever your budgetary constraints may be.

How many of us have not thought that there were some aspects of our homes that we would like to change, but can’t? Perhaps you’d like a bigger kitchen, with room for the whole family to have their breakfast around the table. Or a second bathroom for the kids so that your own can be kept clean and tidy whenever you go in!

Of course, we all have constraints on the space available to us; even in uncertain times, property is not cheap. But that doesn’t mean you have to put up with second best when choosing how to live. Instead of making minor alterations to your living space, take the decision to build your own custom home from scratch and you will be making your own choices for the first time. No more compromises – no more buying an imperfect home because you like the area, or making a mental note while looking round a show home that you’re going to change this or knock through that to make the living space just a bit more convenient.

Different Types of Custom Homes
In a sense, it’s meaningless to talk of the different types of custom homes or the different styles of luxury homes available; by definition, every custom home and luxury home is different, because it’s tailored precisely to your own needs and vision. But it is true to say that, there are certain general kinds of custom homes that you can go for; which type you choose will depend on factors like budget, available space, and any special requirements or preferences that you may have.

Custom homes or luxury homes are available in many different basic designs from which you can then deviate, adding or taking away elements as you see fit, or changing the floor plan to suit your needs. Custom homes can be small or large, one floor or more, split level or chalet style. A custom beach home can be a superb choice for those looking for a second property for holidays or weekends; you could build and then rent out your beachfront property to turn it into a valuable source of income. In colder climates, a traditional A-frame custom home will keep your family in comfortable, climate-controlled surroundings the whole year round.

The beauty of choosing to build a custom home is that you can adapt it to suit not only your family’s needs, but also the environment and landscape around you. Build your home to face the summer sun, or take in spectacular mountain views if you’re lucky enough to live in a state that has them. Small things like this can add considerably to your quality of life – and add to the resale value of your property, too.

The Cost of Custom Homes
Custom homes are available in any style and size, and so there is a wide range of choice when it comes to how much to spend on your choice of customized home. Generally speaking, the costs fall into four categories.

The first is the cost of acquiring the plot of land on which you hope to build. Local regulations and planning law vary, so you should consult with an expert before many any offer on land, even if it seems ideal for your needs. You’ll need to get surveys done to ensure the land is safe and suitable to build and make sure that you have, or will get, all the necessary permissions to erect a house on the plot.

The second major cost involved in building a custom home is the materials for construction. Again, you will have a major input into what kind and quality of materials are used, and it can sometimes be difficult to know what balance to strike between cost and quality. Extra expenditure on building materials at the time of construction can pay off big time if you should have a problem later on. (Bear in mind, too, that energy efficiency is not merely good for the environment but can help save you money on your fuel bills as well.)

More on Custom Home Costs
The third cost is for labor and the profit that your custom home builders will obviously be looking to make on the custom home that you’re looking for. Make sure that you’re getting good value for money, and check to see who bears the risk if costs should overrun. Any custom home builder will look to maximize their profits, of course, but you should make sure that there’s an incentive for them to finish the job on time and on budget.

Lastly, there are ancillary costs involved – surveys, architects’ fees (where appropriate), permits and the like. Make sure you’re clear beforehand on how much these will all come to – individually they may be quite reasonable but taken together they can soon mount up!

Where to Start
The first thing you will need to do before embarking on the building of a custom home is to identify a suitable plot of land and purchase it, or at least establish that it is for sale and within your budget. Acquiring land for custom homes (see section below) is the first step in building your home, because everything depends on the land on which you’ll be building – its size and shape, suitability for building on, surroundings, access to roads, sewerage and the like. The nature of the plot will also inform your plans – whether it’s the way your home will face, situation of gardens and so on.

Let’s say that you’ve got a plot of land in mind and agreed a price with the current owners. The next step is to contact contractors who will build your custom home for you. This is a wider choice than you may think – there are a large number of companies building custom homes in all shapes and sizes, and depending on your precise needs, you may find one or another more suitable.

Once these preliminary steps are out of the way, you’ll start the process of designing your custom home. Depending on what sort of custom home company you are working with, this will normally involve choosing from a selection of basic designs from which you can then proceed to personalize your chosen layout. You’ll need, early on, to make decisions about materials to be used in construction, but here again the custom homebuilder will be able to give you some expert guidance.

Make sure that before you sign any agreements, however, you are fully aware of the costs of building your home as well as where responsibility for any overruns may lie.

Acquiring Land for Custom Homes
You pass an empty piece of ground that you think would be just perfect for building a custom home on, but who owns it, is it for sale, and would you be able to build on it even if you purchased it? Rules and regulations vary from state to state and country to country, but there are a few general principles to keep in the forefront of your mind when acquiring land for custom homes.

First of all, make sure that you are paying a fair price for the plot of land you aim to acquire. When buying real estate, we are conditioned to think of floor space and location as the two main controlling factors in the cost of a new home, but buying ‘empty’ land is slightly different. Of course, the size of the plot is still the major determinant of how expensive it will be, and clearly, location matters, too. But the third thing to bear in mind is that different types of land have different values, particularly if they may also have agricultural value. Comparing prices for land in the area, you may feel that you’re being offered a plot at a reasonable cost – but the other land in the neighborhood may be put to an entirely different use, so be careful.

In most states, there will be a land registry where you can check on the ownership of a plot, as well as the cost of adjoining properties and any legal impediments to your purchasing the land. Traditionally this meant a day poring over maps in the local municipal planning office, but there are websites available these days that can make this job a lot easier.

Finally, it’s incumbent on you to ensure that there are no planning restrictions or by-laws that might prevent you from building a residential property on the plot of land once you’ve bought it. This is a particular issue in towns and cities – so consult your local planning authority and make sure you’re not about to buy a worthless patch of grass!

The Process of Building Custom Homes
Building custom homes should be a straightforward and relatively swift process, but inevitably, there will, from time to time, be delays and problems. The key to getting the home you want is to build up and maintain a good collaborative relationship with the custom homebuilder you’ve employed. This means taking a close interest in the progress of the construction, obviously, but also having the good sense to realize that you have employed experts and you should leave them to get on with the job unmolested by interruptions for yourself!

Every time you visit your home as its being built, you come away with extra peace of mind that things are going to plan – but you also take up an hour of the supervisor’s time that could better be spent on the work at hand. Give them a bit of space to do what they are paid to. But, at the same time, keep a keen eye on any potential delays and cost overruns, so that you can catch them and deal with them at any early stage. Building custom homes should be a pleasure, not an ordeal!

Custom Homes: Things to Bear in Mind
Ensure that your chosen pot of land is suitable to build on, both in terms of the environment and the ground, access of amenities, and also in terms of legal and planning considerations.

Make sure you’re clear on all the costs associated with building custom homes – acquiring the land, raw materials and labor required to build the house, and any ancillary fees that you may need to pay. These always add up to more than you think.

Keep an eye on the progress of your custom home, but don’t stifle the workers by being on site 24/7. Chances are you’ll end up slowing things down, not speeding them up.

Be decisive. Your custom homebuilders are there to lend you expert advice, but unless you make the decisions on layout, materials, interiors and the like, you’ll end up with the home they want – which might not be what was in your head!

Hopefully by now it has become clear that building a custom home could be one of the greatest adventures you will ever embark on. With a little care and good judgment, you could be living in your dream home just a few months from now. So go ahead and take the plunge and live the way you want to.


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