Often, when people think about custom homes, their thoughts turn toward luxury features. Images of expensive stonework, exotic woods, and gold-plated bathroom fixtures come to mind. Although luxurious fixtures and features can certainly be part of your home, building a custom home involves is a little more involved than many homeowners realize. So, what does it really mean to build a custom home?
While it’s true that you’ll spend more for a custom home than you will for a “production” home in a large new home development, the custom home building experience really isn’t about opulence—it’s about customization. That means building a Rochester-area home that fits your family’s lifestyle perfectly. It means designing the space and the look of the home so that it reflects your personal sense of style—and the way you live and entertain.
Just because you’re building a custom home doesn’t mean you’ll be writing a blank check. You’ll still have to pay attention to your budget and carefully consider which features and finishes you want to include in your home. (This article cautions about some of the surprising places that your Rochester custom home could cost more—and how to prepare for those surprises.)
When you buy a production home, the process is fairly straightforward. You select a lot on the builder’s site, choose from one of a few floorplans available, and wait for your house to be built. Custom home building involves a few additional steps. The custom home process involves:
The easiest way to explain the custom home building experience is with a few examples.
Here’s a great room in a custom home we recently built. You’ll notice that there’s nothing “typical” about it, from the woodwork and lighting in the great room ceiling to the unique fireplace and the stunning hardwood floors. It’s light and bright and open (making it a great place to entertain). And even though it’s an open floor plan, there are design elements to clearly delineate between the great room and the kitchen/dining area.
The unique cabinetry in the kitchen reflects the homeowners' personal style and preferences. You can certainly tell from the range and hood that this is a family that enjoys cooking. The homeowners choose a kitchen island that accommodates food prep and casual dining. Although your kitchen might not be outfitted with appliances for gourmet cooking, this home gives you an idea of the possibilities.
The master bathroom is another area where custom homeowners like to include something a little different. These owners added custom bathroom cabinets and countertops, in addition to a walk-in shower with a large shower head.
Of course, you could add other features that personalize your bathroom and make it more comfortable, like a steam shower, or heated flooring for those cold Rochester mornings. Another custom feature that’s become popular is a separate, private compartment for the toilet.
You’ll notice that this custom home master bathroom looks a little different than what you’d find in a standard production home. Notice the unique ceiling that adds depth and visual space to the room. If this were your home, you might choose to extend the room to include a larger reading area—or perhaps include a built-in audio/visual center that hides away when it’s not in use.
Sometimes the location and lot you chose is one of the most significant custom elements of your home. You can see from this image that the custom home we built takes advantage of fantastic views of open space—including a pond in the back. It's no wonder that these homeowners opted for full-length doors at the back of the home that leads out onto a patio that lets them enjoy the scenery.
Although floor plans give you a sense of a home’s layout, there’s nothing like seeing a house in person. As you walk through one of our model homes, you’ll probably find it easy to decide if you’d like to make a few changes or if the design is perfect as it is.
We currently have several model homes available for tours including:
We also offer virtual home tours of many of our floor plans, such as this spacious Van Buren with four bedrooms and a first-floor study.
At Gerber, we offer a variety of great floor plans, one of which may be perfect for you. If one of those floor plans meets your needs, that’s great. But if you’re after something more specific—a design that really reflects your personal sense of style and lifestyle, download our free Custom Home Guide. The guide explains all the steps you’ll need to take if you want to build a custom home, including setting a budget, selecting your building team, finding the right home site, negotiating the contract, and actually designing the home of your dreams!