You’ve probably visited many display homes and have just not been able to find a home design that ticks all the boxes to cater for your lifestyle and family’s needs.
If this is the case then a custom home may be your ideal solution to building a home that has all the things on your wish list.
A custom build gives you the freedom to produce your ideal home design and we see the joy it brings our clients when they are not restricted by what they want in a home.
In-house Designer or Independent Designer?
When you want a custom design, you work with a design team and builder to create your perfect home from scratch.
There are a couple of options relating to choosing a home designer when going down the custom home path:
- You can deal with builders that have an in-house design service, or
- you can deal with a building designer that is independent of any specific building company.
Most custom home builders that offer in-house design services tend to be larger companies that are still using components of the volume home building business model, which can restrict your choices.
What does this mean to you? This usually means that the build is not fully customised as designs and inclusions are to some degree pre-determined or based on pre-existing designs which are tweaked. Your ideas may be moulded into an existing design or you may feel you need to compromise rather than have the ultimate choice.
On the other hand, a true custom build gives you full say in style, size and inclusions to create your perfect home. That’s the beauty of working with Renmark Homes; you have the ultimate choice to make it a home you absolutely love.
When building a new home, it’s important to put a lot of thought into who you will work with and the home that best suits you.
The initial stage involves choosing your team. Do you want an in-house design or an independent design by an architect or drafts-person?
If you choose the later, then the selection process to appointing the right designer will be similar to appointing your builder. You need to go with the best fit for your needs and preferably someone who will work closely with your chosen builder.
It is a known fact that the best outcome for a successful custom build would be appointing a builder and designer to work closely with you from the outset. This will give you the expertise of both types of professionals to troubleshoot issues early in the design process and have a team approach to delivering exactly what you want.
Design Considerations
Your Land
The first thing to consider when designing a home is the specifics of your block of land.
Once you have determined these key characteristics, you can start to consider your own personal needs and aesthetic choices.
Components of Your Home
This step involves how and where your rooms are structured to suit for your ideal design.
Double storey has become increasingly popular due to decreased land sizes. However, a single storey home does have its uses especially if it is a retirement home or the land size is conducive to it.
Think about how many bedrooms and bathrooms you require, as well as additional needs like garage space, an outdoor entertainment area, home office, gym, theatre room, retreat space and any backyard use.
Ask yourself questions, such as whether you want all the bedrooms in one area of the house. Do you want an open plan living area, or separate kitchen and dining rooms? All these factors will become the design brief for you designer.
The design brief or scope of works, as it is sometimes called, is the road map that the designer will follow.
As custom builders we would always recommend our clients to go through the design process in stages. A concept first drawn to scale and covering all your ‘must have’ components can then be sent across to your builder for preliminary pricing, to ensure your dream home is within your budget.
Budget
Your budget for building your home will determine the kind of builder you will approach for your home design. Some builders are well known for delivering exceptional, cost-effective homes. Others are better equipped to provide luxury and customised home designs.
Starting with your budget will ensure you only consider the right builders.
It’s important to remember that not all builders will offer customised builds. If you have already had plans drawn up, then by definition they are a custom design.
Many larger builders won’t be able to create that home for you so it’s best to engage a custom builder from the beginning of the process. This helps to keep the project within budget and ensures the builder is able to accommodate every aspect of your design.
The advantages of a custom home design are that they allow you to be more involved in the building process. If you have specific needs or desires, you can incorporate these into your house design; from the floor plan to the finishes, everything can be customised just for you.
It’s good to remember that custom home designs are more expensive than standard builds. They will often take longer, due to the added time of designing your home and a longer construction time frame.