Pros and Cons of Building a Custom Home

Everyone has a vision of what their dream home is or what it should be. When it comes to owning a new house, however, you may get torn between building a custom home and buying one that already exists. While many homeowners prefer to move into their newly bought houses right away, others will want to customize every aspect of their living spaces. Going for the latter option can be somewhat of a huge yet exciting project. That being said, accounting for both the pros and cons of building a house with a custom design will help you make a choice that suits your personal needs and preferences. 

Pros of Building a Custom Home

You Get to Personalize Your Home

One of the main advantages of custom-built homes is that you get to personalize every aspect according to your taste and needs. For instance, you can choose the size of each room as well as the design style and color scheme. You can even go for special home features such as a home gym, office, or game room; it all depends on your imagination — and of course your budget. You’ll also have the freedom to decide among different architectural styles such as Tudor, contemporary, or Greek revival.

This isn’t the case when you purchase a listed house, which normally comes as it is. Building a custom home essentially allows you to mix design, lifestyle, and functionality into one package. And needless to say, you won’t be alone in this project. You’ll be working with a team of contractors, architects, and interior designers who will bring your vision to life.

Building a custom home essentially allows you to add the features you want.

Less Maintenance to Deal With

When you purchase an existing home, maintenance costs may pop up anytime — not to mention the time you’d be wasting on unexpected repairs. Building a custom home, on the other hand, allows you to save both time and money. This is because everything from roofing to plumbing to appliances is essentially brand new. You’ll obviously still have some upkeep to do — such as mowing the lawn — but nothing compared to when you buy an existing property. 

You Can Choose the Location You Want

Another advantage of custom home building is that you get to choose the location. For instance, you can pick a lakeside lot or one with gorgeous mountain views — or simply somewhere with no neighbors. If you don’t want to worry about landscaping, let’s say, you can go for a small lot that doesn’t require much upkeep. With custom-built houses, you’ll basically have the freedom to look around for an ideal location and design your living spaces accordingly.

The option to choose your desired location is one of the advantages of custom-built homes.

Opportunity to Choose Cost-Efficient Materials

Building custom homes allows you to control the materials that go into the house, potentially improving its durability. You’ll get to choose hard-wearing materials that will save you a great deal of money on maintenance and repairs down the line. For example, you can go for high-quality sidings that come with lifetime warranties.

When you purchase a home that already exists, however, you’ll often have to settle with the materials that come with it. If the countertop is prone to scratches, let’s say, you’ll probably end up having to replace it sooner than usual. It goes without saying that unwanted home improvement projects such as an untimely countertop replacement or repairing a leaking roof can leave a dent in your wallet. 

Less Competition

There’s a great deal of competition on existing homes nowadays. Along with low mortgage rates, this benefits the seller. And high competition naturally drives up the prices. When you choose to build a custom home, you won’t need to worry about high demand sending prices up the roof. 

Allows for Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is something that a lot of homeowners are looking to bring into their living spaces. You can find a wide range of Energy Star-rated products and appliances to buy for your home. And since they consume less energy, you’ll be able to help in protecting the environment — besides saving a great deal of money down the line.

While many newer homes may already feature energy-efficient elements, you can take sustainability to the next level by building a custom home. This can even involve making use of sustainable construction materials. Other measures include installing high-performance windows like tinted or double-glazed ones that are both energy-efficient and offer insulation for your house. You can also go for eco-paints that are known to minimize air pollution by emitting considerably lesser toxins. 

By building a custom home, you’ll get to make it as energy efficient as possible by going for elements such as tinted windows.

Cons of Building a Custom Home

It Can Be Somewhat Expensive Upfront

Should you choose to build a custom home, expect the initial costs to be towards the higher end of the price spectrum. Besides the cost of the land, you will also need to account for the professional fees of architects, contractors, and designers. Bear in mind that these fees can take up a huge chunk of your budget. And let’s not forget the material costs of the house. Going for high-quality materials can often be expensive upfront.

Be that as it may, it’s also worth considering that such products — as well as sustainable ones — will save you money in the long run. In the case of buying listed homes, on the other hand, you won’t have to factor in the construction materials as everything is already built. 

Working with a construction team tends to be on the expensive side.

It Can Take Time

Another common reservation around building a custom home is that it can be time-consuming. Depending on the weather conditions and how complex the design is, the process can sometimes take up to a year. First, you have the design process where you’ll need to discuss the details of the layout with professionals. You will also have to take into account the time it takes to acquire the building permits necessary to go ahead with the project.

Once the paperwork is done, the construction can get underway — which can take a while due to the aforementioned factors. Buying a home that already exists, however, allows you to move in sooner and more easily. 

Lack of Mature Landscaping

When you opt to build custom homes, be ready to deal with a lack of mature landscaping. This is because new lots are typically cleared of any greenery to make room for construction. However, you can usually discuss with the architect to find ways to keep some of the trees and shrubbery. On the other hand, a clear building site allows you to choose the types of plants you would like to have in your outdoor living spaces — and in the specific layout, you prefer.

A lack of mature landscaping can also mean that you’ll be able to choose the greenery you want.

Finding the Right Location Can Be a Dilemma 

Building sites are often challenging to find in urban areas that are close to amenities such as schools, hospitals, and shopping centers. If you’re flexible about the location, however, you can likely find a nice lot in the countryside with an idyllic view. Not only can it cost much less than an urban site, but choosing the countryside will allow you to allocate more of your budget to make your custom-built home more beautiful.