There Are Few Experiences More Fulfilling Than Creating And Building Your Own Custom Home
Imagine, it’s been a long day. You are tired and laying in bed thinking of the day’s activities. Sleep does not come easily because you are excited. You look around the new room – your room; so vivid in your recent dreams but now so real in fact. The coffered ceilings, the perfect built-in video area that your spouse designed; the smells; more exciting than the “new car” smells that you have experienced. Everything about the home is perfect. The bathroom, patterned after that resort where you spent your honeymoon, the window with the view; the parlor just like grandma’s home in Michigan. You always loved that space – and its associations. The kitchen is the best you have ever had; designed and built based upon your study of the experts, your own experiences as well those of Aunt Betty’s. Every nook, every cranny, every detail is just as you and your loved ones wanted. No compromises, not this time. It’s exactly what you want.
Four times I have had this experience. I must say that to say these were fulfilling would be an understatement. I could even liken it to the birth of my kids. Not in the exact same category but the similarity is quite real. And like all hard-won goals, these have been pinnacles of my life. The truth is that many experience this feeling – many have. You may have as well – and if you have you know of what I speak.
I am certain that many wonder how difficult this is to achieve. Some may wonder if it is even possible. Please trust me when I say that it is absolutely obtainable. It is well within many, many people’s means to be able to achieve a custom built home; a habitat which is their own space – created for them or by themselves alone.
Today may be one of the best times to do this.
So What is a Custom Building?
Custom building is the action of designing and constructing a home precisely and uniquely to one’s own taste.
It is one of the last industries where the creation of such uniquely individualized products is economically feasible. Other industries, today, rely upon duplicity of effort, in the form of mass production, to keep prices of various items to a level of affordability. Few could afford a car or computer or radio or any of the myriad of items available if each item was custom designed and built for the user. Actually mass manufacturing is a key to our material success in this society but it, inherently, must be guided by mass appeal.
A custom designed home, however, is a unique kind of product. even though it is designed and built entirely to the specs of an individual it can be actually achieved, quite realistically, for a cost quite similar to that of the existing, mass-appeal units. Why? It is simply because most homes are built in the same way; regardless if they are designed for mass appeal or alone for an individual. And, since homes tend not to depreciate too much, newer homes can commonly be built for cost very similar to purchasing those already built. Isn’t that interesting? It turns out that building can commonly be of similar cost. Yet it would likely have much greater value – at least to the first owner. Since the owner is attempting to recover his costs to build, when he sells an upscale, custom home, he will usually choose costs similar to the cost if you actually had it built it yourself. And that is not to mention the savings if you did your own contracting.
Now, pay attention here. You will find model homes or predesigned floor plans can and are modified in limited ways. These are commonly called custom homes but this is a misnomer. Actually, these are “customized” homes or models. This could be considered a form of “custom” it is more similar to getting to choose the color of your car or if you want leather or cloth seats. This would not really be custom, as defined here. Homes where you have a few limited choices of modifications are “customized” homes.
Custom homes, as defined here, are homes uniquely designed and built. These are not homes from stock plan companies. These are homes that are designed for you.
This is an experience and something that is quite within reach of many, however there is much to know if you want to avoid the pitfalls. It is advised that before you venture into this adventure of a lifetime, make sure you obtain a good understanding of the process so that you will not fall into some of the traps that can exist.
It is something you may well think you deserve. If so, you should go for it. Happy Building!