Are you on the fence about a new home?

If you’re in the market for a new home, you have a few choices available to you. You could purchase an existing home in a neighborhood you like, you could build a home by choosing from a builder’s selection of pre-designed layouts, or you could choose to build a custom home.

There are many factors involved when deciding whether building a new custom home is right for you. There’s the upfront cost, the long-term cost, the location, the feasibility, and the time commitment to name a few.

If you’re on the fence about what to do, here’s some convincing reasons to build a custom house.

A tailored fit – created for you and nobody else. 

Everyone’s needs and wants are different. And every house on the market is different. The chances of finding the exact house you’re looking in the current housing market are slim unless you decide to compromise on something.

One of the reasons to build a custom home is that everything is personalized to your unique style – from the overall architectural style to the floor layout, cabinetry, finishes, tile, and color choices. There’s really no feeling like being able to create a custom home that’s tailored to you and nobody else that’s truly a custom fit with your vision at the forefront.

A custom home is designed for your lifestyle.

When buying a pre-existing home, people face the challenge of trying to figure out how to make their newly acquired house feel like their home. You’re inheriting an architectural style and design choices that were chosen by someone you’ve never met and you’re faced with learning to personalize it to fit your needs, wants, and desires.

This is why so many people remodel their home soon after buying. But it’s expensive to remodel and adds to the overall cost of the house.

If you’re committing to spending the money anyway, why not create something that’s 100% yours? Because, if the first thing you think about when buying a pre-existing home is what you’d like to do to the spaces or how much you’d have to remodel, you’re probably better suited building a custom home from the start.

Not to mention, architectural styles have changed over time. The way we live has evolved. Older homes have floor plans that aren’t conducive to the lifestyle we have today.

You’ve been in those homes with a bunch of small rooms, tiny closets, and long hallways. Open floor plans have since replaced these dated layouts. Today’s home is centered around an open communal space for living, cooking, and entertaining. We now live in spaces that enhance family interaction and contact – spaces that are light-filled, warm, and open.

A custom home is built for your needs today and tomorrow.

At such a big investment, you want your new home to be flexible in meeting your needs now and years down the road. You may want to start a family and have spaces for your children to grow into. You may have aging parents who may need to move in so your house may need to accommodate them. Or you may decide you want this to be your last house and want to grow old in it with age-in-place in mind or universal design principles.

In any case, an existing home won’t easily adapt to these changing needs. It’s mighty hard to make small spaces work as you grow older and need more room to mobilize. Those small bathrooms can be costly to remodel when you get older.

But with a custom home, you can plan ahead for your needs in the future.  Once you determine your goals, you can customize your home’s design to accommodate spaces and features that work for you now and in the future. It’s another reason to build custom.

A good, quality investment. 

A custom home builder lives and dies on his reputation as a quality builder. It’s in his best interest to make you happy and create a great home for you to live in.

At the same time, you have the ability to select who you want to work with to build your home. You can check qualifications, visit past houses they’ve built, and talk to their clients to make sure they meet your satisfaction and approval before working with them. Hand picking a qualified contractor whom you trust is an advantage you would never have with pre-built homes where you have no idea how well they were built or if they will last.

Quality construction built by someone you can trust. 

Because you have done your homework and selected a qualified contractor for your new custom home, you can sleep easier knowing that the quality of construction and materials is good. You also know that the contractor provides workmanship warranties guaranteeing the house will perform as designed for years to come.

It’s safer and healthier.

Another reason to build a new house is that you know your house will meet all the newest building codes and regulations. Codes change even in just a few short years.

Codes change, even in just a few short years. More stringent requirements and advancements in technology mean that new homes are safer and healthier.

Houses are now required to have hard-wired smoke detectors, garage doors with infrared beams, air conditioners with less toxic coolants, and materials with fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs). New houses have up-to-date electrical wiring. And newer home building products are eliminating hazardous materials, such as asbestos, formaldehyde, and lead that can alleviate symptoms of those with allergies or asthma.

It’s brand new, under warranty, and easier to maintain.

Building from scratch also gives you the peace of mind that everything is brand new, clean, and under warranty. Equipment, appliances and other products are all under warranty. No need to worry about expensive repairs or replacements for out-of-date products or worn out materials. You have warranties in place and can rest assure you won’t have that looming uncertainty and risk that comes with pre-existing homes.

When you buy a resale, you don’t know what’s hidden behind the walls. The house may look normal from where you see it, but behind those walls may be black mold, termites, or a slowly dripping water leak. The last thing any new homeowner wants to do is move into an existing home and discover foundation problems or need to replace expensive mechanical equipment.

In new construction, the roof is new, the siding is new, the equipment is new, and the kitchen is up-to-date. You’re part of design and construction process of your home. You help select materials and products that are durable and long-lasting. Sure, they may cost a little more upfront, but those initial costs will be dramatically offset by their long-term savings in utility and maintenance. You can move in and start living the life you want, rather than inheriting an extensive to-do list of things to fix and update with an existing house.

More time and money to spend doing the things you love.

Safety and health aren’t the only advantages of meeting the newest building codes. Lower operating costs are also a nice benefit.

Existing homes can be very inefficient to run. They have air leakage and poor insulation, which can be difficult and costly to fix. Seemingly small retrofits cost thousands of dollars and may only marginally improve your energy bills. It takes drastic improvements to see the large energy savings you’d normally have in new construction.  So, you can quickly see how the cost of buying an existing home adds up when you consider long-term costs.

Live efficiently and save.

Building a new home means that your home meets the increasingly stringent energy standards of today’s time.

Better insulation, better control of air infiltration, and higher performing windows all contribute to an increase in energy efficiency and lower energy bills for years to come. Newer lighting solutions, heating and cooling systems, and appliances are all more efficient today than with yesterday’s technology, resulting in cash savings and a healthier, happier quality of life.

Don’t forget that there are also various tax credits and rebates available to offset upfront and annual expenses. These can drastically save you money and let you spend it on more important things you love.

A whole-house approach to efficiency.

Another one of the reasons to build a custom home is that it allows you to take a whole-house approach to energy efficiency rather than adding in elements piecemeal as you would if you bought a pre-existing home.

You can take advantage of passive heating and cooling solutions by strategically orienting and designing your home and it’s elements to utilize the free energy provided by the sun and earth, saving significantly more money in the long run.

And, you can optimize the layout of your home so you don’t have to waste energy to heat and cool those underutilized spaces, saving you money on your utility bills.

Emotional satisfaction & pride.

If you’re contemplating whether to build a custom home you probably already have this dream home idea in your head. You’ve thought about it many times and really want to create something special and perfect that you can be proud of and share with family and friends.

Pride – and the challenge of creating something out of thin air – are very real and valid reasons to build a custom home. People take pride in helping create a home that suits their taste and lifestyle and is uniquely theirs. They like the challenge and journey through the creation process. And, they like the satisfaction of a job well done.

It’s hard to put a pricetag on value.

And lastly, people see value in creating a custom home. They see the many benefits a custom home can bring. Lower construction costs, lower operating costs, improved quality of life, well-being, health, productivity, and efficiency – not to mention higher resale values. A home that is well-thought-out, efficient, and looks nice is a good investment and ultimately sells better. And those values are hard to ignore.