You see a home being built and you think, is that a custom home?  How would you know?  The building process looks the same whether by custom home builders or production home builders.  So, what is the difference and how would that affect you if you were building a home?

Custom home builders are builders who help you plan from the first stage through the final touches, customizing everything to what you need, want, and can afford.  They will sit with you and tell you the price per square foot to build the kind of home you want, they go over your plans with you, helping you understand what you can change and what you can’t or shouldn’t, and they consult you at every step, making sure you are happy with the outcome.

Production builders, on the other hand, have a pre-selected set of plans they are working from, and they are building one of those plans on every home in a selected area.  You can usually choose from one of two or three or four floorplans, and you have a few choices along the way.  For example, hardwood or laminate or tile in the kitchen and laundry room.  Which types of countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms.  The carpet pile and color.  The paint color. 

You get some clear choices, but you do not get to customize the pre-set areas. Why? Because these home builders keep costs low by having standardization.  Any deviation from the standard costs money, but it also takes more time to do the custom job, which means less time for another home. They are scheduled to build a certain number of homes in a set time period, which dictates exactly what they allow you to customize.

Custom home builders allow you to choose practically every detail along the way.  So, when you are making your decision of what kind of home to build, weigh the alternatives and make the choice that best suits you.