Custom vs Customised Homes: What’s the difference?
Designing and building a new home is such an exciting, albeit daunting, experience. One big consideration during this process is how much flexibility and personalisation you’d like when it comes to the design and layout of your home.
This is where it’s important to understand the difference between a custom home and a customised home. While the two terms sound extremely similar, there are some big differences when it comes to the possibilities for alterations and design freedom.
Inspired and informed by the experts at Pivot Homes, here’s what you need to know about custom homes vs customised homes.
What’s the difference?
A customised home involves starting from a predetermined floorplan. This option allows you to make some changes and tweaks to the internal or external features. Generally speaking, these customisations require an additional fee.
A custom home starts on a blank canvas. Every aspect of the home is designed to suit your wish list, the size and slope of your land and your budget.
What are the levels of design freedom?
Customised homes allow buyers to modify certain elements of the design, such as choice of floor coverings, minor floor plan changes, the façade colour and the style of tiles. Most of the alterations are centred around aesthetic elements – not structural – and as a result, the level of customisation can remain limited. You’ll need to discuss what specific design changes are permitted with your chosen builder, as it can vary.
Building a custom home allows buyers to have complete design freedom – from the floorplan all the way to the smallest of internal and external details. You can work with the designer to create a home that responds to the unique orientation of your land to maximise natural light in both your home and garden.
What about pricing?
It’s often assumed that custom homes cost more than customised homes, but the truth is, it depends on the project. You could select a cheaper customised home design and add on a range of aesthetic alterations that increase the final price. Or, you could choose to build a custom home from the start, where you get better value for your money.
The best way to stick to your budget is to ask your builder to be extremely clear about what’s included and what’s extra, and map out how much each addition will cost.
Which option should I choose?
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to designing and building a home – it all comes down to your unique situation and preferences.
If you like the idea of selecting a base design with the ability to make small tweaks and changes, then a customised home could be the perfect choice for you.
If you’d like to have total control over the design and personalisation of your home, where nothing is off limits, then a custom home could be the way to go.
The most important thing is to find a reputable builder that understands your needs and has demonstrated experience building in your location of choice.
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