A custom home builder can help create the house of your dreams—but not all types of custom builders are the same. As you’re narrowing down the options for a builder, it’s important to consider which type of custom builder is the right fit for you, your project, and your expectations.
Here are the three most common types of custom home builders:
Personalized Home Builder
The personalized home is less of a custom home and more of, as it describes, a home that is personalized for you. In other words, your builder will take an existing floor plan within a predetermined neighborhood and adjust features and products (like finishes), and sometimes layout, to meet some of your personal needs and tastes. This approach allows for some customization, but limits the scope from which you can choose.
Ideal for buyers who:
- Are more budget-conscious
- Don’t want a lot of involvement in the design process.
- Need to move into a new home more quickly.
Not ideal for buyers who:
- Want to choose every fixture and finish.
- Need to customize the size and layout of rooms.
- Want to adjust window number or placement.
On-Your-Lot Builder
You have the land, an on-your-lot builder has the plans. Like a personalized home, an on-your-lot builder will have a variety of selections for you to choose from to make the house truly your own. What sets them apart is that often they will also allow additional customizations such as expanding square footage, adding a kitchen island, or including a third garage bay. The floor plan remains essentially the same, but you have the freedom to add a bit more space or a few more features than in a personalized home.
Ideal for buyers who:
- Want more freedom but not an overabundance of choices.
- Are content to adapt to existing floor plans.
Not ideal for buyers who:
- Want complete product freedom. An on-your-lot builder is more likely to have relationships with a select number of suppliers, which means that you may not have as many options for fixtures or finishes as you would have with a design-build firm.
- Don’t want to compromise on floor plan.
Design Builder
A design-build firm (like Estes Builders) offers complete freedom to build what you want, where you want it. We have an on-staff design team to simplify the process of building your home exactly as you envision it. While a design-build firm does have existing relationships with trusted suppliers, you can also choose fixtures and finishes from a larger selection of suppliers. This gives you the opportunity to create a home without compromise.
Ideal for buyers who:
- Want a home that is completely unique and tailored specifically to their lifestyle
- Want complete freedom with floor plan design, fixtures, and finishes.
Not ideal for buyers who:
- Need to move in quickly. More design decisions typically means a longer time to design and build your home.
Cost-Plus vs Fixed Cost
Choosing a design-build firm provides lots of freedom—but you still want to stick to your budget. Many design-builders offer what’s called a “cost-plus estimate.” But while this estimate may provide an attractive number, there is no incentive for the builder to ensure that cost is what you pay; as you make your selections and design your plan, costs can quickly inflate to far more than your target budget. At Estes Builders, we provide multiple budget updates throughout the design process and a guaranteed fixed cost building agreement. This means you’re in the driver’s seat—we won’t start building or ordering product until you’re sure your design and selections are at a price you feel comfortable with. That gives you peace of mind and creates a drama-free custom home.
Contact us today for a free Custom Home Investment Study and let us help you discover the possibilities for your own dream home.