Close your eyes and picture your forever home. You’re envisioning a place where holidays are celebrated, grandkids run through the yard, and each room adapts to your life’s evolving chapters. For many families across Upstate New York, the Finger Lakes offer the ideal backdrop for making that long-term vision a reality.
Between its small-town charm, access to top-tier healthcare, award-winning school districts, and a growing array of outdoor amenities, the Greater Rochester Area is increasingly seen as a smart place to build a custom family home. Gerber Homes has been building custom homes in this area for decades, and we’re happy to walk you through everything you need to know, from choosing the right community and home design to incorporating universal design features and planning for future needs. If you’ve ever wondered what makes a perfect family home or the best tips when building a house, this one’s for you.
Designing your forever home starts with a commitment to building a space that reflects your current lifestyle while anticipating what’s to come.
Your home should be built with materials and craftsmanship designed to last generations. Durability is critical in regions like Monroe and Ontario County, where winters can be harsh. From energy-efficient windows to weather-resistant siding, a forever home begins with a solid structural foundation.
Your family today may look very different ten years from now. That's why a perfect family home should include adaptable spaces like bonus rooms that can evolve from a playroom to a teen lounge or a home office that can later be converted into a guest suite.
Easy-to-use features and materials will serve everyone well in the future. Include smart choices like rocker light switches, extra lighting, easy-to-reach outlets, and wide hallways and doors to ensure easy access. Even if you don’t need those features now, planning for them during the initial build saves money and effort later.
A forever home is built for a lifetime of moments. That means considering how your needs, routines, and household might change over the years. From the noise of toddlers to the quiet of retirement, your home should serve multiple purposes and evolve alongside you.
For families with young children, durability and layout are key. Think wipeable surfaces, high-traffic flooring, and an open kitchen that flows into the living area so you can keep an eye on playtime while prepping dinner. Bedroom placement matters too. Keeping kids close to the primary suite is helpful early on, but as they grow, distance and privacy become a welcome shift. Storage for toys, sports gear, school supplies, and seasonal items is non-negotiable. Mudrooms, walk-in pantries, and smart built-ins are features that carry value well into the teenage years.
If you love having people over, your home should work hard behind the scenes. Open-concept living areas, generous dining spaces, and outdoor areas like covered patios or decks make entertaining easy and enjoyable. Consider traffic flow through the kitchen and great room, and plan seating that encourages gathering without crowding. Bonus rooms or flex spaces can double as a game room, media lounge, or weekend guest suite, allowing you to accommodate visitors without disrupting your routine.
A forever home does not require a major remodel in your retirement years. Incorporating universal design principles like wide doorways, zero-threshold showers, and main-level living early in the building process saves time, money, and stress down the road. In fact, aging-in-place home design and aging-in-place remodeling have become cornerstone elements in custom home design, and for good reason. They offer independence, safety, and peace of mind.
When building a forever home, where you build is just as important as what you build. Your location impacts everything from property value to daily convenience and long-term satisfaction.
Ontario County is ideal for families looking for space and scenic beauty. It's the spot to put down roots if you want a balance of privacy and connection to regional attractions.
Larger lots with room for expansion or outdoor living
Proximity to Canandaigua Lake, wineries, and nature trails
Quiet neighborhoods with easy access to Route 332 and the Thruway
Monroe County includes suburbs like Webster, Penfield, and Pittsford, all excellent for families, professionals, and retirees. It features awesome daily amenities and short commutes.
Strong Memorial Hospital and top-tier healthcare
Award-winning public and private schools
Access to shopping, dining, and cultural venues
Wayne County offers value and flexibility for budget-conscious custom home buyers. Benefits include:
Lower land and development costs
Peaceful communities with rural charm
Easy reach to Lake Ontario and Route 104
Before choosing your property:
Ask a builder to assess slope, soil, utility connections, and permit conditions
Consider zoning, stormwater rules, and HOA regulations
Time commutes to work, school, hospitals, and emergency services
Timelessness and long-term utility are vital in a home meant to serve you for the foreseeable future. Here are some important aspects to consider for your forever home's custom design.
Keep essential spaces like the bedroom, kitchen, and laundry on the main floor. This supports both aging in place and multigenerational ease.
Open floor plans remain popular, but with more definition so that each space lends itself to clear function with partial walls, built-in shelving, and sliding doors to separate rooms when needed.
You'll never be sad that you included more storage space. You have yet to collect half of the things you'll one day want to stash. From walk-in pantries to mudrooms with built-in cubbies, storage is your first line of defense against future clutter.
Instead of building more square footage, build better square footage. Examples include:
A flex room that evolves from playroom to study to guest suite
Finished basements that become apartments, rec rooms, or hobby studios
Unused attic or loft space prepped for future finishing
Homes in Upstate New York need to handle all four seasons. When planning your layout, include features that consider the changing conditions and support you as they cycle.
A dedicated mudroom with durable flooring for winter slush
Covered entries or porches to buffer cold air
Properly zoned HVAC for efficiency and comfort
As more families choose to live under one roof, multigenerational home design has moved from niche to mainstream. Whether you’re welcoming aging parents, adult children, or both, your home needs to serve multiple generations with privacy, comfort, and connection. A multigenerational setup can help with shared caregiving, provide cost savings on housing and utilities, and strengthen family bonds with opportunities for quality time. But it only works if the home is thoughtfully designed with features like separate living quarters, private entrances, and soundproofing.
Budgeting for a forever home doesn't always follow the typical rules. While many clients choose to finance, a significant number opt to pay cash, especially when they’re downsizing, relocating, or investing in what may be their last major move. That said, even cash buyers need to be strategic.
A custom home is a layered investment. Land costs, home size, finishes, and future flexibility all factor into your bottom line. People often encounter issues when they underestimate the cost of choices over time. This plays out in your material and feature choices, like flooring or cabinetry, and in the design and engineering you incorporate.
One of the smartest approaches is to focus on long-term value rather than short-term trends. For example, spending a bit more now for energy-efficient windows or a better HVAC system will pay off for decades. Likewise, putting money into structural elements like roof quality, insulation, or foundational drainage often beats splurging on tech gadgets or surface-level extras.
Working with a lender who understands new construction is key for those who do finance. Timelines, draw schedules, and appraisal methods vary dramatically from resale homes. We always advise working with professionals who specialize in custom builds and understand how to support buyers through every stage.
There’s no overstating this: your builder is the single most important partner in the custom home process. They’re translating your lifestyle, routines, and vision into a physical space you’ll live in for years, possibly decades.
There’s a real advantage to choosing a builder who lives and works in the region. From understanding zoning laws to anticipating soil conditions, local knowledge can differentiate between seamless progress and frustrating delays.
When choosing a builder, look beyond the price tag. Are they transparent about the process? Do they offer design guidance or expect you to come with everything ready? What’s their approach to change orders, delays, and communication?
At Gerber Homes, we believe in collaboration. We don’t expect clients to have it all figured out. We walk alongside them. That means helping them evaluate land before they buy it, creating plans that balance beauty and practicality, and maintaining open lines of communication from groundbreaking to final walkthrough.
The right builder will ask the right questions, bring solutions to the table, and make your priorities their priorities. And that’s exactly what building a forever home requires.
The equation for your forever home is simple, but sophisticated. Make space for people and for quiet. Make room for aging parents or growing children, but also for solitude. Invest in areas that impact daily life. Think of the future, but make it livable now.
Most importantly, work with people who take your dream seriously and can bring such important concepts into reality. Gerber Homes is here to become your guide and partner as we create the home that will become the backdrop for the rest of your life. Reach out to us here to start the conversation. We cannot wait to get started with you!