Does a Custom Home Cost More than a Pre-Built Home?

Mention “custom home” and typically dollar signs start to swim before your eyes. In theory, however, building a custom home needn’t break the bank, as–simply defined–it merely means building a home to your precise specifications. As long as your plans aren’t gold-plated and platinum-tipped, there’s every reason to believe that you can build the custom home you want within a preset budget. Does it cost more to build a custom home than to purchase a production home? Not necessarily, but again, that depends greatly upon the selected plan, finishes, fixtures, etc.

What you may not have considered are the non-monetary costs associated with going the pre-built route. When you start to compile the list of pros and cons,keep the following points in mind:

What does it really “cost” to buy a pre-built home?

• Privacy
  Often, pre-built homes are built in subdivisions where lots are smaller and neighbors closer. Are you willing to forfeit a measure of privacy? Additionally, such communities often have HOAs (homeowners’ associations) which can be a pro–maintaining common areas, community pools, etc.,The downside of living in a community with an HOA can come when or if the HOA becomes a bit too “Big Brother,” overly restricting individual homeowners’ choices such as the parking of vehicles, choices of exterior paint colors, and the placement of recreational equipment or exterior decorations.
• The Perfect Floorplan
  Pre-built homes in a given subdivision are usually based on just a few basic floorplans, with minor tweaks made to exterior elevations.Your home may look similar to others in the area, and the layout may not be the ideal one for your family, as you will have had to select  from a limited number of available options.
• Personalized Decor
  A pre-built home comes standard with builder-grade appliances and fixtures. Colors, flooring, and finishes are chosen as a package from pre-determined builder-selected specifications–usually of mid-grade quality. Any unique personalization you may wish to add to your home must be added after you close on the home and move in.
• Personal Priorities
  When building a custom home, you get to choose where to invest in upgrades. For example, if you work from home, you may wish include a large office as part of your floorplan, whereas in a pre-built home, you might have to make due with a spare bedroom or an area in the basement.
• Decision-making Power
  With a pre-built home, the builder makes the majority of the decisions. With a custom-built home, the home buyer has greater control in deciding how and where money is spent and upgrades are prioritized.
• Choice of Builder
  Some subdivisions offer homes built by more than one builder. When you opt to build a custom home, however, you get to choose your own builder, based on your own knowledge and research.

As a local builder founded in 1978, Sheffield Homes stands behind their reputation for quality and integrity, ensuring that your new home exceeds the most stringent standards of excellence. A big enough company to have the know-how and experience to put you at ease, Sheffield is also a small enough company to be able to offer individualized attention to each customer. Sheffield Homes:  Colorado roots, customer driven.

Trust Sheffield Homes to walk you through the custom home-build process, one step at a time. Whether your dream home is large or small, we’ll work with you to see it become a reality in the Denver metro area or in Northern Colorado!