Many home building companies will use the word "custom" in their advertisements, but many different types of home building contracts carry that description. Buyers should know the difference before choosing a builder.
On every corner or in every addition of homes,
you will find builder touting the phrase “custom homes,” and although the term implies that the buyer has total control over the building, design, and décor of the home, this is not the case. There are many categories of custom homes, each with distinct differences that buyers need to consider before higher a builder. Production built homes, semi-custom homes, and custom homes are very dissimilar in definition.
Professional built houses are probably affiliated with the builders with the most familiar names. These building companies usually snap up a group properties, and build and sell all or most of the homes defining a housing addition. Professional builders will have a set number of floor plans that they mass produce cutting the costs of building and passing them on to buyers. An addition built by one of these companies will be full of similar looking houses with a variance of five to ten floor plans. Buyers can have some input on the design of a house.
You might choose to separate the rooms in an otherwise open floor plan, divide a room into two, close off an office or dining area, or flip the layout, but the changes must usually fit within the original structure of the plans. Professional builders sometimes build spec homes, homes that are not being built for a specific buyer, with the intent that the homes will sell to customers who do not have the luxury to wait for a personalized build or custom home.
If you are build from the ground up or get in on the end of spec home, you will have the experience of going to the company’s design center and making some custom choices such as carpet grade and color, paint color, brick color, fixture designs, and tile options. These choices, however, must be made from a limited selection provided by the company, and stepping outside the standard choices may be considered an upgrade increasing the cost of the home.
Semi-custom builders offer the buyer more input on the builder’s plans. The builder may still only offer a set amount of floor plans from which to choose, but the buyer gets some input on the design. You may be able to add a room, extend and exterior wall, or add a garage port, and the interior design options are often truly custom. You can usually shop tile, carpet, paint, etc. at any retail or building supply store rather than from a limited selection provided at a design center. For the interior design challenged, a design studio may be a safer choice, however.
True custom homes present the owner will full run of the property. These houses are usually built on existing properties owned by the buyer, and you will get to work with the architect from the ground up. This is the way to build your dream home. You can choose the layout, tell the architect your vision letting him draw up some choices, or you can dictate every detail.
