Guess who’s back on blog!
Well it’s been a LONG minute since I made an actual blog post (like almost a year hiatus yikes!), but it’s important to me to keep y’all in the loop as Brandon and I go through the building process and unfortunately there’s only so much I can fit in an Instagram caption. So I’ll be trying to do a better job documenting the whole thing on the blog that way I can share way more detail and information for those of you interested!
Let’s start with one of the main questions I’ve been getting in my DM’s: what exactly is the difference between the custom build we are doing versus a semi custom build? And why did we choose custom?
What is a custom home?
A custom home is just that, EVERYTHING is custom from floor plan to finishes. Typically you work with a builder and often times an architect to completely find a unique home. With custom homes you can choose how many bedrooms, where you want walls, how many sqft, you hand select every single finish in the house. No item comes ‘standard’, you literally are responsible for each and every decision about the home. It’s a much more detailed process and often times a more expensive process since sources and materials are unique to each home. The custom home building process is also longer, it can take up to 9 months once ground is broken to complete the project.
What is a semi-custom home?
Typically with a semi custom home you work with a builder who has an existing library of floor plans and homes they build. You can’t adjust the floor plan by changing room sizes, adding rooms, or changing the lay out. These things are set in stone. Since they build the same type of homes in bulk they are able to source materials more economically and can pass that savings on to you. You can select your own finishes but only from certain options they or their design studio present to you. For example they may have 3-4 different tile or countertop options you can choose from. The building process itself is also much more expedient.
Why we chose custom.
Brandon and I bought a 6 acre lot that first off didn’t require us to use a specific builder. Often times in neighborhoods there is a certain builder or builders that are preferred and required. We are planning on this being a potential forever home for us so we wanted it to really fit our needs and our lifestyle and we knew the only way to get that was to go custom. There are pros and cons to each. The sheer amount of decisions and detail for a custom home has definitely had me stressed, there are a lot of times I wish someone would just present me with a couple options I could choose from! Picking countertops and finishes I think will be fun but when you’re talking about selecting every location in the house where there will be an outlet and deciding on how many divided lites (if any) you want on your windows you can get overwhelmed by the process quite easily! On the other hand with semi custom you may dream of having gorgeous griege cabinets with gold hardware and marble countertops but if your builder doesn’t offer those are options you will be out of luck! Price is also a big factor, as I said custom building is $$$$ and you get a lot more bang for your buck with semi custom.
What else do y’all want to know?? Let me know in the comments!