Have you been daydreaming about custom homes? Can you visualize your family making memories in spaces you’ve designed to accommodate their comfort, creativity and development? Not entirely sure how to bring those visions to life in the custom home builder process?
You’re in the right place!
The pros at Weaver Custom Homes have been making homeowner dreams a reality for decades, and we’ve seen it all — from the highs of move-in day to the lows of maxed-out budgets to the seemingly endless legalese for everything from zoning to local ordinances to building permits and more.
Our blueprint as a leader in the custom home building industry means we have the insight, experience and knowledge to translate your dreams into the reality of a bespoke home that perfectly suits your family and lifestyle.
We’ve put together a list of five important things to consider when building a custom home. These considerations can help make this exciting and sometimes overwhelming process more manageable — and more fun!
Get ready to see how your daydream can transform into your family’s ideal living space with Weaver Custom Homes guiding you through the process.
1. Choose the Best Custom Home Builder
Unless you’ve got an Edenic piece of property tucked away that’s just waiting for your ideal house, you need to start by deciding which home builder is best suited to your project. But do you know how to choose a home builder you can trust? Our advice is fairly typical for the industry:
- Shop around
- Ask lots of questions
- Check out customer reviews
- Get everything in writing
By starting with a builder — rather than lot or floorplan selection — you’re setting yourself up for a streamlined process. Skilled and experienced custom home builders can tap into your motivation for building, translate your dreams into real-life solutions, help you find your ideal location and even assist with budgetary planning.
2. Find Your Ideal Neighborhood
Remember the old real estate adage, “Location, location, location”? Well, there’s truth in that cliché. After all, custom homes are an investment in your family’s future, so you want to make sure you’re building close to the services and amenities you’ll need, like good schools or employment opportunities — and far enough away from situations you want to avoid, like noisy highways or railroad tracks.
And this part isn’t only about where your custom builder builds. It’s also about positioning your house to best advantage on the property and choosing from types of custom homes that will fit in with your neighbors while fitting your family’s lifestyle.
3. Include Unique Features of Custom Homes
This is the fun part! Once you’ve done the hard work of selecting the best custom builder near you with experience and integrity, it’s time to let your imagination run free. Going custom means choosing unique elements that support your family’s hobbies and interests while making everyday living easier and more comfortable. But it also means adhering to building restrictions and creating a structure that fits in with the aesthetics of the neighborhood.
Here are four ways to include unique elements in your vision of the perfect house as you navigate the custom home builder process:
Plan for Storage
It’s amazing how quickly we accumulate stuff! Every family needs places to store things, and with custom homes, you can explore really creative ways of adding storage that go beyond extra closets — though you’ll want plenty of those, too! From a walk-in kitchen pantry to a dedicated mud room to window seats and built-in shelves, consider the value of every nook and cranny for storing sports equipment, seasonal décor, family heirlooms and more.
Avoid Cookie-Cutter Details
The whole concept of custom home building rests on making your home different from all the rest — so don’t settle for cookie-cutter details! It’s great to check out the home trends of 2023 for inspiration, but then take the time to make every aspect of your new home your own. Whether that means choosing custom window treatments that will fit seamlessly into your home’s specs, opting for eco-friendly building materials and power systems, or something we haven’t thought of yet, you’ll be glad you took the road less traveled in the long run. It’ll make all the difference; we promise!
Focus on Functionality
Is movie night your family’s favorite part of the week? Is there a budding chef in your household who dreams of twin ovens and a butler’s pantry? Are you or your spouse (or both of you) working from home these days? Does your current home feature a washer and dryer crammed into a closet in the kitchen? When you focus on how you want your custom home to function in your family’s everyday life, you can begin to see the method in the seeming madness of the custom home builder process. Figuring out your must-haves can help clarify and cut down the overwhelming number of options available for custom homes.
Think About Your Family’s Future
Where do you see your family in five years? In 10 years? 20? Your family’s future is arguably the most important thing to consider when building a custom home. That’s because you’re creating a space where your family can grow — perhaps even where you can retire and enjoy your life’s next chapter. So, whether you’re newlyweds, an established family with kids or empty nesters, you’ll need to imagine how your custom home will work for you today, tomorrow and in the years ahead. Along with making choices today that will endure, you need to avoid common mistakes in custom home building, like giving in to pressure to make decisions too quickly.
4. Understand the Custom Home Builder Process
As you’re dreaming up novel floor plans and imagining unique features for your new home, it’s helpful to understand what the actual custom home builder process entails. The journey from dream to reality is long and winding, often with side trips into unknown territory. In general, most custom homes get started in a process that goes like this:
- Initial consultation – Meet your builder, share your dreams and choose a location.
- Preliminary budget planning – Discuss floor plans and features, get the first estimate.
- Design agreement – See your custom design drawn up to meet your specs.
- Finalize design and estimate – Discuss changes, choose finishes and get a full estimate for your custom build. Schedule a site meeting to decide house placement. Your builder will submit plans to an architectural review board for approval, if required.
- Authorize purchase agreement – Sign off on all details and make your initial deposit so the builder can get permits started.
- Construction financing and insurance – Get financing approved through your builder’s recommended lender or your own choice, establish payment schedules and obtain a homeowner risk insurance policy.
- Select finishes and interior design elements – Meet with a designer to choose flooring, countertops, cabinets and more.
- Construction begins – You’re on your way to the custom home of your dreams!
5. Explore Your Options with Weaver Custom Homes
Now that you’ve got a realistic idea of what’s ahead, you’re ready to go back to dreaming about your ideal custom home! Building that dream begins at the Weaver Custom Homes Design Center in historic downtown Wooster, Ohio. One of our experienced experts will guide you through all the decisions that bring your vision to life, from ceiling treatments to doors to wood and tile floors you can see and touch in real life.
