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Building a Custom Home - By the Numbers
Article by Brandon Cornett
For most people, buying a custom home is a major financial step in their lives. There is a lot of money on the line, and a lot of room for error.
Fortunately, you can minimize the risk and increase your chances for success through proper research.
This website is intended to help you fulfill two goals — learning about the custom home building process, and locating a custom builder to near you. In this section of the website, we will address the first of those goals.
The articles below will help you better understand the custom home building process as it applies to you, the buyer.
1. Research and Choose a Custom Builder
Some aspects of this process are obvious, while others are not. For example, let's talk about the terminology being used here. What makes a custom builder live up to the title? Is a luxury home the same as a custom one? And what the heck is "semi-custom."
Here's an easy way to look at it. Custom home builders can create a one-of-a-kind home for you. They can either design it from scratch, or work from plans created by an architect. Either way, the end product is the same — a home that is built for you, from the floorplan to the ceiling.
On the other hand, some homes labeled as "custom" do not live up to the label. If it starts with a common floor plan and merely adds a few options here and there, it is not a truly custom home. It may be luxurious, and you might be able to provide some input on certain features. But if it's built from a common floorplan, it's not a one-of-a-kind custom home. Keep this in mind when researching and choosing builders.
When you consider the amount of money you will spend to have your dream home constructed, you can see the need for careful research. So consider custom builders carefully. Visit some of their recent projects. Talk to some of their past clients. See what you can find on the Internet. Ask about their professional credentials, professional memberships and the like.
Lastly, ask if they have ever operated under a different name. Once in a while, a builder with a bad reputation will simply open under a new name to escape its past.
2. Decide Where to Build the Home
Many aspects of the home will be partly determined by the lot / land you choose. Lot size, topography and other factors will all have a bearing on your desired floor plan. So before you can start drawing up those ideas for your custom home you need to determine where the home will be built.
This obviously brings up a related topic of custom home building projects, and that is whether you will build on your own lot or within an existing community. Many custom builders offer both of these options, while other builders stick to just one. Often, new communities and subdivisions will invite a variety of custom builders to create the custom homes within the community, which means you are able to choose from one of several builders.
On the other hand, if you are more inclined to choose a certain builder (as opposed to a certain community), it's just a matter of asking them where they can build. Then you will be able to evaluate your options and choose the lot that is right for the kind of custom home you want.
3. Plan Your Custom Home
Does you chosen builder have their own architects to draw up the foor plans or do you have to find your own architect? This is a good question to ask early on in the process, because it could mean choosing one custom home builder over another, based on the services they can offer.
Builders who also provide the design talent as well as the actual construction are referred to as "design / build firms." This is the one-stop approach to have a custom home built, because it means you don't have to find your own architect. Just keep in mind that not all building designers are licensed architects, and some may only be self-taught in their profession. With that said, there are many talented and capable building designers out there. You just need to be aware of a person's credentials and expertise.
4. Stay in Touch With Your Builder
The best thing you can do during the actual construction process is to keep in close contact with your builder. This doesn't mean pestering them to the point they can't focus on your project, but merely keeping tabs on the progress. A good home builder will take care of this for you by scheduling regular meetings and site visits, and by seeking your input and approval at all major steps along the way.
