One of the most critical decisions you have to make when strategizing on buying a new house is choosing the right custom home builder. Most home builders would are classified as either Production or Custom home builders. What does that mean and how does one choose? In this blog post, we will give you a rundown of the differences and benefits of the two to help you explore and ultimately make the right consumer decision.
Production Homes
A production home nine times out of ten involves the same house design used over and over again. These are typically seen in neighborhoods that are built by large-volume homebuilders. Tract homes may appear in quiet suburban locations outside more densely populated areas so larger tracts of land can be subdivided to support such construction. All homes in the community may be built by just one Production home builder who owns all the lots. There are a number of large, national production homebuilders with sterling reputations, as well as local or regional builders that could fall into this category.
Custom Homes
A Custom home is rare and unique, typically designed and built from scratch from the ground up. The process involves collaboration amongst the homeowner, custom home builder, architect, carpenters, and various other parties involved in the design and logistics. Usually, the house lot is a driving factor in the overall design and construction. Often the homeowner has found its own lot for sale, but sometimes it’s a builder lot. Custom home builders tend to be combined with high-quality craftmanship, and are focused on a smaller local or regional markets.
Semi-Custom Homes
Somewhere in between is the Semi-Custom home – often where a custom home is built based on an existing set of house blueprints that have been just slightly altered to meet the new buyer’s needs, but also a term used for some production home builders who provide greater flexibility and a large set of options to tailor their stock plans for the new homebuyers needs.
Benefits of Production Homes
Production homes are generally built at a array of pricing options, but offer colossus value and efficient cost-savings for homebuyers. There is a no hassle benefit to these stock floor plans. There are typically several plan choices and options from which to choose, but without having to go through the stress and day-to-day decisions of building from square one. Time is and money is saved throughout the Production homebuilding process, allowing a buyer to expedite the move in process.
Sometimes production houses are referred to in a negative light and often are coined as “cookie-cutter” homes. Due to the nature of these house plans, many times there are little to no options when looking at finishing touches (like countertops, cabinets or flooring) or room configuration or layout, and low flexibility once the course of a plan has been set into action.
Here’s an interesting take on the history of american production homes, with a decade-by-decade look at production house types over time and how they were influenced by trends, fads and even events in history and the industry.
Benefits of Custom Homes
Custom homes offer two humongous benefits are freedom of choice and flexibility. These houses offer a homeowner a choice in almost everything in the homebuilding process from the foundation to granite flooring to the doorknobs. Custom home building are flexible in mixing of unique styles and plans to construct a home that is molded to the owner’s needs and unique lifestyle. Some would argue and debate that this custom attention leads to higher quality.
Of course, we all want this flexibility comes with a certain price – time and cost. As either the homebuyer or the homebuilder you will be dealing with more decisions, more stress, more room for errors and possibly more setbacks than the average production home. All of the additions and unforeseen costs may not be clear at the start of a custom home are a project, but can certainly contribute to the overall pricing.
Evaluate your homes construction preferences and decide the balance of quality, budget, peace of mind and customization that you want in building your new home. Once you’ve determined which type of home which will suit your day to day requirements and lifestyle. Whether it be a production home, custom home or somewhere in between make sure you’ve chosen a homebuilder that operates with integrity assesses your true needs, and is seasoned an experienced and has a good track record. Dont forget to ask for referrals!?!
