Custom vs. Semi Custom Homes – What’s the Difference?

When starting your journey to building your home, the choices you have to make can be overwhelming. After picking the lot, which is a huge decision in itself, you have to decide how you’d like to go about building your home. You could have an idea of what you want your home to look like or you could have the floor plan already completely mapped out. Either way, custom and semi custom homes are both great choices. Both are also very different processes. It all depends on what kind of experience and how much of a say you want when going through the journey of building a home. Your budget will play a huge role in deciding what type of house to build. Your timeline may come into play as well if you need to be in your house sooner than later.

Custom Homes

Custom homes are just as they sound, completely custom. You have complete control over what your home will look like, from the light fixture placement down to how many closets you want. With both custom and semi custom homes you will need to pick a lot. After the lot you’ll work with your own architect and builders to create your dream home step by step. Custom homes are great for people who know exactly what they want and don’t feel stressed out making decisions. Custom homes also are for patient people. They take a little longer to build and can be thrown off track if someone misses a deadline or an unexpected surprise shows up during construction. Having patience is a key factor when building a custom home. It’s important to know your budget as well. Custom homes can be more costly considering they are built custom from the ground up. They are very beneficial if you know what you want and

PROS

• Exact floor plan you dream up
• Complete control over every detail
• Total unique home, unlike any other
• More involved in the process

CONS

• Takes more time to build
• Can be overwhelming with decisions
• Are more costly

Semi Custom Homes

Semi custom homes are the “in between” of a pre built home and custom home. These homes won’t be like every other house on the block but you won’t have to start from scratch either. They are perfect if you want to have a say in certain features in your home but don’t want to have to make every single decision throughout the process. When the process of building a custom home looks daunting, a semi custom home is the way to go. Usually with a semi custom home, after you purchase your lot, you’ll choose between different floor plans a builder already has made. You can choose any add-ons you may want, such as a garage or deck at an extra cost. You can also choose finishes inside the house such as cabinets and counters as well as colors for the outside of your home depending on what materials the builder has. The choices are more limited with a semi custom home but you still can make it your own without the hassle and extra stress. They are an affordable way to build a home that is still unique to you.

PROS

• Quicker to finish building
• Lower budget
• Less decisions
• Lower chance for unexpected surprises
• Still gives you the option of custom features and designs

CONS

• Limited on options for finishes and building material
• Cannot be made completely custom to what you want for the floorplan
• You won’t have control over everything during the building process

What Simonini Does

Simonini is a one stop shop for trustworthy partners. We have a dedicated team of architects, designers and builders to make your dream home come true. Our architects are capable of creating a design from scratch or taking an existing design and customizing it for you. We offer an array of different floor plans already made, available for you as well. We can take you all the way to the design days with our great design team to help finish your home. Building a home doesn’t have to be full of stress and worry, with the right team it’s an exciting time.

What’s the Best Choice for You?

The best choice between a custom and semi custom home depends on a number of things. Your timeline and budget are two major indicators on which would be a better choice for you. If you’re anxious to get into your home and you have a strict budget, a semi custom home might be your best option. If you have the time and a flexible budget take on a custom home to create exactly what you want. It’s also dependent on how many decisions you want to make and how involved you’d like to be in the process. With a custom home you will be in charge of everything. Every little detail, every aspect of the floor plan right down the where the electrical sockets will be. It will be more costly than a semi custom home and take more time. You will have to find your own architect and builders. It’s a great option if you know exactly what you want and you have the budget for it. It also gives you a home that is totally unique to you, your needs and your wants.

With a semi custom home the choices become more limited but the prices lowers. Semi custom homes are perfect for people who still want to make decisions on fishing touches and features in their home without having to create their own floor plan and have an overwhelming amount of choices. With either choice you’re going to be walking into a dream home that you helped build and it’s an incredible feeling.

Contact us to guide you through your next home decision. Our team is ready to help!