11 Reasons reasons my clients choose to build custom homes
EDUCATION
I love everything about amazing spaces! Luxury hotels, quaint inns, charming Spanish resorts in small beach villages, in Mexico..you name it! Much of my design work is greatly influenced by travel. In my career, I have honed my area of expertise to helping amazing people design and build amazing custom homes. Some of my clients are living on luxury waterfront lots in Miami, while others are in Texas hill country. What I have learned from working with countless families is that most people want tailored experiences and homes. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how obtainable these things are. In order to understand what my clients want, it is important to understand what they don’t like in their current homes.
Most of my clients have lived in at least 2 homes prior to designing to build custom. In most cases at least 1 home was a resale that they opted to renovate along and along. The other house was a production built new construction home. I have created 15 of the most common reasons my clients ultimately decide that a quality custom home is the best option for their families.
Overlooked cabinetry designs Most production builders overlook not only the quality of cabinets they use, but don’t think of function. Rarely will you find drawers for pots, ideal spaces for spices, or soft close doors. Typically, production builders overlook space planning and function completely. Your kitchen cabinets can be totally customized to your needs. Yes, you can have cabinets that are taller than 42”. Yes. Shelving can be used in lieu of upper cabinets. Crown Molding and spacers are just a couple of the ways that you can make your kitchen look more refined and custom. Custom cabinets are expensive, but if you are going to pay for cabinets why not purchase cabinets that support both your design style and function needs.
Unused room for the sake of tradition Many production builders are still building with formal living and dining rooms that flank the front door. Really? I am all about balance and symmetry in design. Unfortunately, this is usually wasted space that most families will never use. In addition, you end up paying for square footage that you aren’t using and you may spend 10s of thousands of dollars to furnish. When you opt for custom floorplans, you can literally recapture 300-500 square feet of usable space!
Limited cabinet heights If you are lucky, you will find a production that has 42” cabinets are a standard over 36”. You can go taller!
Limited Ceiling heights and finishes In some parts of the country production builders still offer 8 foot ceilings as a standard. 9 feet if you are lucky on the 1st floor. One of the simplest ways to make any home feel more luxurious is increase the ceiling height to at least 10’ and add 8’ doors. Talk about luxury and openness. I promise, this will immediately make any floorplan feel more luxurious. In addition, many builders don’t offer coffered ceilings, tray ceilings with built in lighting, or vaulted ceilings with rustic trusses. Again, these are great ways to add architectural detail and character to your home. Most likely, your production builder will not offer this as an option. Funny, sometimes they will include them in the model.
Not enough planned storage for guests coats and shoes Most of my clients dream of sharing their home with family and friends. This is only of the driving forces that causes them to build. Sadly, most production builders don’t have thought out floor plans that consider where you will store your guest coats and shoes. Imagine buying a production built home in Michigan...1 small closet near the front door in a 5000 square foot home. There will probably be cold weather or snow most years for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Where will you put your guests coats? Please don’t say on the back of the sofa or on a bed in the spare bedroom.
Poorly planned outlet placement When most production builders plan out outlets they think only about reducing the hard wiring cost of the home..not how you will live. Imagine moving into a new home and there are no outlets where the nightstand and tv would naturally go? Let’s take it a step further. The cable hook ups are behind the bedroom door and you want to center your 70” tv on the longest wall in the master bedroom. Crazy huh? It happens. When you build a custom home, you get to decide where you want your outlets and cable connections.
Too few (or too small) windows Yes, windows are expensive, but so is therapy. Natural sunlight is one the best natural mood enhancers on the planet. Most people grossly underestimate the value of large windows to make their home feel larger and brighter. Careful consideration should be given to privacy in relation to neighboring houses. Production builders will also argue that homeowner’s should limit the number of times the “envelope” of the home should be cut or have entry points. I have my thoughts on this. We will discuss in a later post.
Ignored future of load of electrical panels Most builders will only build to the minimum electrical standard in the region they are actively building. This where things can get tricky. Houses are becoming more technologically advanced. If you have large computer systems and servers in the home, this should be considered. If you have a lot of media equipment; think about it. Let’s say you plan on having the brightest house in the county during the holiday season with all your dancing lights and christmas trees, please don’t skimp on your electrical panel. Usually, a $4000 upgrade can save you so much trouble. Oh, don’t forget about the Tesla? You are gonna wanna charge it at home. Make your sure house is ready!
Poorly designed laundry rooms For most modern families the laundry room is a mini hub. Builders typically view that laundry room as an empty room with a washer and dryer. Cabinets, hanging rods, sinks, counter space, and an ironing station are what families of this century require. If you have outside help with daily chores and cleaning your helpers will be grateful. It is no longer cool to fold clothes in the living room on the floor.
Upgraded didn’t mean higher quality Most people quickly release that just because the builder offered it as an upgrade, doesn’t mean it’s a quality product. Upgraded carpet, hardwood, lighting packages, and counters are usually marked up heavily and are just a bit nicer than what the builder may offer as a standard. There are many quality vendors for everything you will want to include in your home. With production builders you are usually limited to their selections and vendors. Ultimately this comes back to their profit margins and perceptions of taste. Imagine paying $700,000 for a house and having to choose between 4 types of level one granite. Trust me? It does happen.
Kids not considered Most people that are building custom homes have kids or grandkids. They want everyone to feel welcome and a part of the family. Well thought out floor plans should offer kids rooms that can become teen suites the kids become older. What about dedicated kid friendly playrooms that can become the hang out space for teens? In my experience, most people that build custom homes want their kids to feel as special as mom and dad.
That’s a lot right? Trust me the reasons can go on and on. Have you purchased a home from a production builder in the past? What are some of your regrets? What are some of your things you promised yourself that will not be tolerated in your next house? Drop me an email. I would love to hear.
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