Building a new house is always an exciting, challenging and eye-opening experience. There’s always a tone of decisions that need to be made. It’s sometimes hard to imagine that the whole experience starts with a simple idea that was put on paper a while back. But at the end of the day, that’s what it all comes down to: an idea that you eventually bring to life and call it home.
Many new homeowners are often faced with the challenge of deciding between a custom home and a semi-custom home. Both of these options have varied differences and offer different options for a new home. But like everything else, they have limitations. To make the choice easier for you, we look at the differences between custom and semi-custom homes.
Semi-custom homes
With these homes, you are presented with house designs and floor plans that were pre-designed. Out of the many that you are provided with, you choose one that you prefer most. You then make modifications to the plans to make it suit your desired style. You can revise the size of rooms and extensions among other things. Semi-custom homes are often built on a land lot owned by the builder or as part of a community.
Pros of semi-custom homes
- Personalized design – Given that homeowners are allowed to revise and make modifications to original floor plans, they get to have a house with a design that’s specific to their families.
- Budget – For homeowners who are on tight budgets, a semi-custom home is a great option. It is not as costly compared to custom homes, especially since you don’t have to pay for new house plans. Moreover, while some features and products may not be as unique as those of custom homes, they can still be purchased at subsidized prices.
- Time – again, if you are working within a tight timeline, it’s easy to see why semi-custom homes are the better choice. This stems from the fact that the design phase is incredibly short, saving you and the contractor a lot of time.
Cons of semi-custom homes
- Homeowners often have to compromise on style, design and much more if they go for semi-custom homes
- The functionality and quality are compromised sometimes as well
- Given a limited budget, high-end products and features have to be ruled out
- There are limited options on where one can build their home
Custom homes
There is just one word to describe custom homes: freedom. Freedom is basically what everyone craves for in every aspect of their lives and to have that when building a new home is a bonus. Custom homes a limitless range of possibilities starting with the size of the house, design, products and features and whatever else you need just to create the best space for your family.
Normally, custom home projects begin with an idea that’s developed with the help of a qualified general contractor in Los Angeles. Over time, your idea, location, the needs of your family and other significant factors pull together and soon the custom home plan comes to life. As the name suggests, the house is completely custom built to fit your needs.
When it comes to location, custom homes are built where the homeowner prefers. In this case, it’s usually a lot owned by the homeowner. Given that everything stems from an idea and there are no shortcuts in the design phase, there are more decisions to be made.
Pros of custom homes
- Control – Homeowners have control over every aspect of design and building process
- The quality and functionality are always up to standards
- Budget – Given the level of control that homeowners have, they can also set a budget within which to work
- Uniqueness – The choices that are made during the design, building and décor phases make custom homes very unique to a specific homeowner and different from other properties
Cons of custom homes
- Price – Custom homes are very expensive considering that the design is new. Moreover, the products and features chosen to contribute to hiked expenses.
- Depreciation – Compared to traditional homes, custom homes depreciate faster. This means that they have a shorter life span.
- The added expense of hiring an architect may be incurred if your builder is not a qualified architect
- For this project, you may require a construction loan, which many banks do not provide. The makes financing a challenge.
- If you have a tight timeline, this may not be the best option as custom homes take a long time to complete
While both may seem appealing, it’s always important to put consideration into budget, time, family needs and the level of uniqueness when deciding on the type of home you want. All these factors, as well a clear understanding of the similarities and differences between custom and semi-custom homes, are important will help you make a better investment for your family.
