Do You Dream of Building a Custom Home?

Building your custom dream home is more achievable than you might think.  As a consumer, it’s difficult to figure out who does what and who builds what.  Here is a quick run-down on how to tell the difference between custom and production (track home) building companies. 

Custom Home Builders Are Willing To

• Build on land you own.  Some custom builders also build on land they own.

• Build one-of-a-kind homes.  A true custom home is a site-specific home built from a unique set of plans for a specific client.  Some custom builders also have a set of plans that you can customize to save money on architectural fees. These homes are often referred to as semi-custom.

• Remain small-volume builders (those that build 25 or fewer homes a year). 

•  Focus on high-end homes typically between $300,000 and 2 million +

Production Home Builders Generally

• Build on land they own or control through a developer.

• Use stock plans, and repeat the same home or elevation many times in each development.

• Build all types of housing single-family, condos, town homes and rental properties.

• Are large-volume builders. Many build hundreds of homes in a single subdivision each year.

• Generally build for price points between $90,000 and $400,000.

When you hear the word custom home you probably think of a one-of-a-kind home with everything you ever dreamed of, right down to the art nooks.  With a true custom builder that's correct.  It's exciting to create something all your own.

Today, there are many options for custom homes.   There are full-time custom home builders that build a few homes per year.  For these builders, every floor plan is unique.  There are higher-volume builders, who will customize a home by moving walls or adding square footage on existing plans.