What drives someone to build their own home? Is it the thought of taking a parcel of land and creating something beautiful that will stand the test of time? Is it to create a home that functions well and feels great to live in? Is it because it just makes financial sense?
At A Class Building and Construction, we'd say it's all of these things. Homeowners want a well-built, high-quality home that looks great and will last a lifetime.
A custom-built home is the best way to achieve these things, so why are so many Aussies satisfied to just pick a design from a catalogue for a home they'll spend their lives in, rather than putting more thought into how a custom home can add more value to their lives?
Let's explore the benefits of a custom home compared to a set design from a project builder, whether it's a cost-effective option, and how a custom home fares compared to a project home in the long run.
Building a custom home is a true collaboration between homeowner and builder. A custom home builder takes your dream home plans, which you have customised to suit your specific needs, and turns them into a reality. It's their job to understand your vision and budget, and to create a home that suits your family's lifestyle.
While some large building companies may offer the option of customised homes, this article refers mainly to smaller, locally owned custom home builders that give each project the attention it deserves.
If you're going to invest your life savings into a home, you should expect the best. Let's look at the key differences between custom home builders and volume builders so that you'll have a better understanding of why a custom builder represents better value for money.
Project home builders, or volume home builders, build pre-designed homes with limited options for customisation to your lifestyle needs. Often, volume builders are large companies that construct hundreds of homes each year. They have different teams, including building and interior designers, salespeople, and construction workers. This means you will work with different people throughout the building process.
Custom home builders specialise in building unique homes tailored to homeowners' needs. They are normally locally based small businesses, meaning you deal directly with the owner or lead builder throughout the design process, construction, and beyond.
Volume home builders often have display homes you can visit to see their most popular designs. However, you may be limited in where you can build these pre-designed homes, as they can't be altered to make the most of your block. For example, a project builder may require a sloped block to be levelled to accommodate their set design, whereas a custom builder might suggest saving on these expensive site preparation costs with a split-level design.
Custom home builders have the expertise to handle challenging blocks of land, collaborating with homeowners and architects to achieve the best possible outcome. Project home-building plans aren't customised to the site, so they don't account for factors like orientation and privacy.
However, using a set design can save time because a customised home design tailored to the block and the homeowner requires more planning.
Many people assume that they will save money by using a set design by a volume home builder rather than building an architecturally designed home. However, a customised home comes with many long-term financial benefits. These include being cheaper to run because it's built to be more energy efficient, potentially having a higher resale value, and requiring less maintenance and repairs due to the use of higher-quality materials.
Project home builders may charge more to make changes to their pre-designed homes, and often these changes are limited to things like choosing a different type of flooring material or external cladding. They may also limit the number of changes you can make.
You only have to look at the online reviews for many large building companies to see that the bigger the company, the less personalised the service and the more unhappy customers.
When you use a project builder, your home will only be as good as the supervisor assigned to your build. It's their job to oversee all aspects of your build to ensure everything is being done to the highest standard. However, these supervisors often oversee many projects at once and are unable to give your project the attention it deserves.
A custom home builder is normally a smaller, local company whose reputation rests on the quality of its construction. They pride themselves on delivering superior-quality homes and keeping their customers happy through frank and open communication, not just during construction, but also in the aftercare service they provide should you be unhappy with any part of your home.
Many people choose to build project homes because they are more economically accessible. However, custom homes represent a better long-term investment because they are built to higher standards.
Project homes are best built on flat, easily accessible blocks. Extra site costs to make your block suitable for building a project home can actually cost you a lot more than working with a custom home builder who can handle block challenges like knockdown rebuilds and sloping sites.
If you're not just building a house but a forever home, a custom home builder offers design flexibility.
Having a house that suits your specific size and lifestyle requirements, with optimised space and functionality, means you're less likely to outgrow your home.
By maximising site potential, you can create a home that's more comfortable to live in and is worth more.
For example, by capitalising on views or making the most of breezes and natural light.
With higher attention to detail and a willingness to try new ideas, a custom home builder can help you create a truly eco-friendly home that's cheaper to run.
A one-off design and higher-quality construction mean that an architecturally designed home will deliver greater capital gains than a lower-quality home produced in high volume. While your initial investment in a custom home may be slightly higher, it represents a better long-term investment.
Building your dream home is a huge undertaking, so it's important to be able to work closely with your building team. You just won't get that unless you're working with a custom home builder.
At A Class Building and Construction, we pride ourselves on our exemplary customer service. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee because we're committed to delivering premium homes for our clients. With more than 45 years of combined experience in the Illawarra and Wollongong region, you can rest assured that when you work with us, you're getting the best. Ready to bring your dream home to life? Call us today on 0414 183 503 to start your custom home journey.
Volume homes are delivered cheaply as the same designs are replicated, so the design costs can be split over many homes. Building materials are purchased in bulk, and volume builders get discounts from suppliers. However, by building many homes at once, your volume builder won't be able to achieve the same level of attention to detail as a custom home builder who's dealing with fewer homes.
If you want to make fewer decisions about your home design, have ideal site conditions and a limited budget, a project home may suit your needs. But if you want control over your design, a higher-quality home and comprehensive after-service support, a custom home builder is the way to go.
While a custom home is not often as cheap as a volume home initially, you often get what you pay for. Our custom homes are built to the highest quality so that they last for many, many years to come. This means the construction cost may be higher, but they also deliver greater capital gains.
