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In the realm of home construction, you might encounter terms like spec home, standard plan, and custom or semi-custom home. Discussions often revolve around distinguishing these three approaches and determining which one suits your preferences best. Ultimately, your choice will hinge on factors such as your desired level of engagement in the design and construction process, budget considerations, and timeline requirements.
A spec home refers to a predetermined home design tailored for a specific plot of land, typically with minimal or no customization options provided to the buyer. Spec homes are commonly offered as part of a House and Land Package or as fully constructed properties ready for occupancy.
A standard plan home is selected from a builder's catalog of existing designs, which are known for their reliability and effectiveness. While there may be some room for personalization, such as selecting fixtures, fittings, and colors, the buyer typically has minimal involvement in the design process.
If you opt to modify a standard plan, such as adding extra rooms, this falls under the category of a custom or semi-custom home, depending on the extent of your involvement. The term "custom home" can also refer to a completely unique home designed and constructed from the ground up.
Whether you opt for a custom, semi-custom, or fully bespoke design, you and your builder or new home consultant will have significant involvement in the design process. Consequently, you may incur higher consultation fees from draftspeople, building designers, and possibly architects.
It's important to recognize that the term "custom home design" is nuanced and can vary depending on individual interpretations. Nowadays, very few people start completely from scratch, and for good reason. Starting from scratch often results in a home design that is impractical, inefficient in its use of space, and lacks optimal solar orientation. Most architects, designers, and custom home builders rely on established frameworks and patterns based on the brief and input provided by clients.
The costs of customising a home will vary, depending on whether you decide to go with a customising a ‘standard plan’ or a fully bespoke custom home design. The build costs are inherently more expensive for bespoke homes.
It could be just a few hours or it could be weeks depending on the magnitude of the changes.
You should always ask your new home consultant, “What am I compromising by making this change?”
Remember that the floorplan you are looking at is a tried and tested design. By making changes, you may actually be detracting from another part of the home, impacting things like solar gain, space efficiency, acoustics, and liveability.
