Custom Built Home or Project Builder Home – Which is right for you?

We would like to introduce you to Jack and Sarah...

Jack and Sarah, a busy working couple in their late-30’s and have three beautiful children - 2 boys and a girl. Jack and Sarah just received some great news that they are super-excited about! After finally saved up enough hard-earned cash for a deposit they have just received their mortgage pre-approval to build their dream home!

One sunny Saturday, after dropping the kids off at Nana & Poppy’s house, the couple visits a project builder display village. They are impressed by the beautiful display homes, large walk-in-robes and spacious bathrooms combined with the promise of affordability and quick build times. They could be living in their dream home in less than 6 months from now!
 
After browsing several hundred floor plan options, Jack and Sarah choose a design that seems to fit their budget and needs, feeling confident in their decision to move forward with a project home.
 
Understanding Project Homes
Project homes are generally new homes offered by large-volume new home builders. These builders may build hundreds, or even thousands of homes a year, often offering quick build times, streamlined processes, tempting ‘free’ inclusions, and thousands of floor plans which are all available online for genuinely excited families to find their perfect floor plan and builder.
 
What are the benefits of a Project Home Builder?

1. Lower upfront costs: The cost to get started down the road for a new project home can be significantly lower than that of a custom home.
2. Faster build times:  With a large range of tradespeople to choose from, they may offer faster build times, at a lower cost per square meter than a custom home builder.
3. Simplified decision-making with a range of pre-selected options: Just select from a set of pre-designed homes, identify the build site (or if it is a house and land package, the site may be pre-selected for you), sign the building contract and watch the process unfold before you.

 
What are the typical compromises of a volume home builder?

1. Limited customisation: Although some builders are bucking this trend, most volume builders charge a premium for design changes and personalisation.
2. Standard materials and finishes: Many builders will offer a standard set of materials and finishes that might not match personal taste, and in some cases, may look good upon installation, but may not stand the test of time.
3. Less flexibility in layout adjustments: Although there are more floor plans than you can poke a stick at to choose from, it is rare to find a layout that suits every family’s needs or wants. Often, floor plans are pre-designed in such a way to maximise the efficiency of material and labour usage, which is great, but may result in a simple ‘no you can’t do that’ from your company contact that you are dealing with (who may actually be a sales rep, and not the person actually drafting your plans.)

 
Jack and Sarah’s Realisation: The Hidden Compromises
Despite the initial excitement, Jack and Sarah begin to notice limitations as they dive deeper into the planning stage of their project home builder experience.

1. The kitchen layout is not ideal for her love of cooking. She just can’t see how she can cook for her family PLUS all of the family for all the annual ‘Big Family Events!’
2. Having chosen a house and land package, which seemed like the simplest option, has resulted in a reduced choice of sites. The only available site left at the new estate was smaller than they envisioned. In Jack’s words: “doable”, but not really suitable for their kids and their dog.
3. They have also noticed that storage space is lacking in the design, but agree that one bay of the small double garage could be used as storage, (as Jack’s ute might not fit under the garage door height anyway) and a garden shed might work, if the site wasn’t already smaller than ideal. However, remembering he was told that a custom home is more expensive, Jack is still keen to push ahead.

 
Although subtly discussed, they notice how every small change they request comes with a significant design change price tag, but worse, a more-than-expected change to the contract build price, pushing them closer to their budget limit.
 
Unfortunately, Jack and Sarah start feeling like they’re ‘settling’ for a home that doesn’t quite meet their vision, causing some sleepless nights, frustration, and second thoughts about their biggest ever investment. At this point, Sarah starts researching a little more about custom home designs.
 
Introduction to Custom Homes:
A custom home design is a fully bespoke home designed to meet the specific needs and personal preferences of the homeowner. This usually involves the homeowners finding a block of land they love and building a home they love on it.
 
What are the benefits of a custom-designed home?

1. Total control over the design and layout: With no one else pulling the strings, the home is designed around the site and client’s family. Often using inspiration images the family has agreed that they love, a design is developed in collaboration with the client to design their actual dream home.
2. Wider building material choices: Guided by an experienced and up-to-date custom home designer, such as an architect or building designer, material choices become easier to specify in the design from the start, guided by the intended design outcomes, budget, and tailored to the specific style the client loves.
3. Long-term satisfaction: The ‘need to move’ is no longer present after their custom home has been completed because they planned for the future needs of their growing kids with a custom home design.

 
Considerations:

1. A custom home design typically costs more than a project home, and may have a longer build timeframe.
2. Although guided by experienced professionals, there is usually more involvement required in the planning and design stages, with more options available, and therefore more choices to make.

                                                                                            
The Turning Point: Jack and Sarah’s Decision to Go Custom
Just before signing the contract, in a moment of clarify, Jack and Sarah take a step back to reassess. They realise they’re not as excited as they once were about the house as it stands, as it just feels like a compromise they would be ‘settling for’. They found that they were already talking about their ‘next house’ where all the compromises in the project home were solved.
 
Sarah explains the research she has done around how to go about starting down the custom home design route, including all the pro’s and con’s. They decide that investing in a custom home is worth it for a home and spaces that truly meets their family’s needs and desires. It was a hard conversation, but they both felt more comfortable with that, knowing that their home will be uniquely theirs.
 
Custom Home vs. Project Home: What’s Right for You?
Factors to consider:

1. Budget constraints: A project home might be right for you, if keeping the build cost to as low as possible is the top priority.
2. Personalisation needs: A custom home might be right for you and your family, if specific needs and a unique, tailored home vision are essential to you. Other factors like designing for energy efficiency, a wide design & material selection, designing the home to respond to the site orientation and topography.
3. Fulfillment and Contentment: Custom homes can offer greater contentment as they’re designed around you, your family, and your lifestyle.

 
We encourage you to set aside some time to talk, and reflect on what matters most to you – whether it’s budget, design control, or personal connection to the space that you’ve been involved in creating.
 
The Reward of Investing in Your Dream Home
Jack and Sarah’s journey continued. They found a great rear-to-the-north site, large enough for the kids, their friends and the dog. They’re now working with a building designer to bring their dream home to life. To get started, they brought some inspo pics from homes that they absolutely love, and a list of rooms they need with minimum sizes they need for each room, and most importantly, their maximum budget.

Now that they’re working through the design development process, and they now feel that their investment will be worth every minute. Although there are a lot more decisions to make, they feel much more connected to the design, and each decision is kind of exciting anyway, as they are talking about their own future home life.
 
Now, what about you?
If Jack and Sarah’s story resonates with you in any way, we encourage you to explore the custom home design options available to you with us, to ensure that you don’t ‘settle’ for less than what you and your family deserve.

While a project home can be a great option for some, a custom home allows you to truly create the space you’ve always dreamed of, to your budget, without major compromise.
 
The First Step on Your Journey...
Click here to book either a no-obligation, FREE 15min Design Discovery Meeting, OR book a 1hr design consultation at a time and place convenient for you, to fully flesh out your situation and help you decide what might be the best way forward for you.