All of the great custom homes that we have seen have had one thing in common: every detail in the home was intentionally placed in the home to try to provide the best possible living experience for the homeowner. The design of the home and the construction of the home was intentionally created to bring the best possible natural light into the home, through the use of windows strategically placed around the home. The finish work such as the hardwood flooring found throughout the home, was perfectly aligned at the transitions. The architectural detail at the roof line and at the corners of the home, were designed to be aesthetically pleasing, while also providing additional support to the home.
Average houses just have poor proportions, wrong finishes, and a very poor floor plan that makes you to walk around things instead of going through them.
The difference between a quality custom home and an average custom home is how every decision is made along the way. All homes are built within a budget. The way in which that budget is spent to design and build a home is what truly differentiates the homes on the market today.
Design That Solves Real Problems
The first thing is to find the right architect or designer to work with. Most designers can develop a good sense of how a family will live in their new home after meeting with the family a few times. They can determine if the family is going to be entertaining and need a lot of counter space in the kitchen for preparing meals. They can also figure out if one or more members of the family will be working from home and need their own office away from the rest of the living spaces in the home. The designer can also figure out how guests will be flowing through the home for parties and social gatherings. A good designer will incorporate the needs of a family to create a home that is attractive both on the outside and the inside of the home. After the initial construction of a home it does not have to remain great. Great homes are great for years to come.
However, there are many things that aren’t shown in the pictures. The kitchen has an island but the island blocks too many paths through the kitchen. The master bedroom is located above the family room area. You will hear the TV, and the family, in the bedroom at night. The laundry room is located on the opposite side of the home from where most of the families do their laundry. And, even though there are cabinets in the kitchen, the cabinets are only 24″ tall. These are just a few of the many things that were not thought out for the real life of the people who will be living in the home.
Another factor that contributes to the value of a home’s design is whether the designer anticipates the future needs of the home’s owner and provides solutions to meet those needs. A home with a fantastic home office for example could have the plumbing roughed in for a bathroom down the road if the homeowner decides to convert the area to a bathroom. A well-framed basement gives a homeowner the flexibility to complete the area as they wish over time. And, when choosing window locations for a home, a designer should consider where the morning sun will hit a breakfast nook, as well as where the afternoon sun will hit a family room.
Materials Matter More Than Most People Think
In production homes you will generally be able to determine subpar quality within five years of the home being completed. In inferior quality cabinet construction slightly sagging cabinet doors are typical, in inferior quality hardwood floor construction poor wear patterns are typical which expose the thin veneer used, and in inferior quality exterior paint poor faded and chalking paint is typical. These problems and many others typically occur in production homes that were built with cost as the primary consideration.
Great custom homes age differently.
A great custom home can last for decades. And we don’t mean that it will just survive for decades. We mean that it can remain to look great for years to come. Because the builder chose the best finish materials for the home’s exterior based on the home’s climate, the paint and siding can remain to look great for years to come. The floors can show signs of aging but remain strong. And the doors and drawers can still be closed with the utmost of ease even years after they were first hung. When a builder chooses to use solid wood for the cabinet doors instead of a thin veneer of wood on a low quality core, the doors will last for decades. And when the builder chooses a finish flooring product that is rated to last for many years in the home’s specific climate, the floors will look great for years to come.
The best custom homes are built with the best materials to form the finest living spaces of lasting quality and distinctive character. They are your treasures to live in and to show off for years to come. And because they are built with the very best solid wood cabinets and doors, they will still be opening and closing after many years. And after many moves. The floors will still be great with normal wear.
Craftsmanship You Can Feel
One of the aspects of the quality homes that we are highlighting here at HomesbyVera is that of items that will get put through their paces! Items such as drawer slides that have been filled to capacity with every imaginable type of material such as clothing, kitchen items, bedding, etc. And then opened and closed repeatedly with no “squeak” or further adjustment. The doors of homes of the highest quality will open and close perfectly every time, regardless of whether or not they have been covered in panel, upholstered, carpeted or simply painted. Also, items such as tile grout that have been applied so finely between each tile as to leave little to no visible lines. And the corners of the tile work that are meet’d up perfectly with no sign of lippage (uneven surfaces) on any of the individual tiles. These are some of the things that you can look for in quality homes to confirm the superior construction.
When selecting a custom home there are many ways that a home can be quality and save you money in the long run. For instance the electrical work in a quality home is completed to function for real life and not just to meet the minimum code. This means that outlets are completed in locations where you will need to use a plug to charge a device. For example outlets in a pantry to power small appliances in a kitchen or outlets on both sides of a bed to charge devices throughout the night. In addition, switches will be completed to control the exact lights that you would anticipate.
For this reason, it is very important to have a high-quality HVAC system in your home. An effective heating, cooling, and ventilation system is designed to circulate air at a constant temperature throughout the house. As stated before, there are always areas in every house that seem to always be hot or cold, usually a result of the direction that the house faces or the positioning of the exterior walls in relation to the heated or cooled air. However, with an HVAC system designed to get the air to all of the areas of the home consistently, you will no longer have to deal with these “hot and cold spots”. They may cost a little more initially than those systems designed to distribute air in other unusual manners, but in the long run, you will save by not having to constantly repair problems in the less expensive alternative.
Also the selection process for materials and finishes is key to determining if you are getting a quality home. When looking at the best custom homes Ohio builders offer it is very common for the builder to go over the materials and construction methods used in the home and explain why he chose to use certain products in the home.
The Long View
Great custom homes are worth more! Many individuals do not know how to determine value for homes. They know that a great custom home is worth more, but they cannot explain why. Simply, a great custom home is worth more because of the great materials used in the home. In the long run, great materials hold up well. Additionally, great custom homes have floor plans that make sense in the future. Lastly, the systems in a great custom home will function properly for years to come and will require fewer repairs and updates.
Yes, even the best priced home can turn into a money pit if it is average. You see its lack of quality in selling an average custom home today in the current market. Even though its lack of quality in a home may not be so apparent in the photos on the web, it is observed very easily by potential buyers who view the home in person. They will drive down the price that they are willing to pay for your home due to needed repairs and that can extend the time needed to sell a home on the market.
The best value for your money is a home that you can enjoy living in for years to come. These homes have value because they provide a great living experience for their owners. They are flexible and can be modified to meet the changing needs of their owners. They require less maintenance because they were built with the best systems to last for many years. Therefore, the best custom homes are those that provide the greatest value for the money that you spend to build them.
The value that great quality homes hold over average custom homes is enormous and will last long into the future. Homes designed, constructed and finished with the highest quality are some of the best custom homes Ohio builders can offer and they hold their own in value over the long term. Many of these homes even appreciate in value. It is just the opposite with average custom homes. The value of homes with average design, construction and quality of materials do not hold as much value as the great quality homes. In fact, homes with inferior design, construction and materials will not hold as much value as other homes on the market. This can hurt the resale value of a home as other homes are selling. In addition, potential buyers of inferior quality homes will try to negotiate a lower price as they know that they will have to fix things in the future.
