Are you thinking about building a home? If so, you’re likely wondering if you should build a pre-designed floor plan vs. a custom home. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, and we’ll be discussing them in this blog post!
If you’re new to our blog, welcome to Hearthside Homes of Kansas City! We’re a semi-custom home builder based in Liberty, Missouri. Since 1987, we’ve built nearly 2,000 long-lasting homes. We currently build in the Kansas City, Parkville, Kearney, and Liberty areas. Our homes range in price from $350k-$700k. You can check out our available listings here. Don’t forget to check out our gallery! You can click here to learn more about the other communities we build in. We hope you enjoy this blog post about the advantages and disadvantages of building a pre-designed floor plan vs. a custom home.
Pre-Designed Floor Plan vs. A Custom Home
Before we dive into the advantages and disadvantages of building a pre-designed floor plan vs. a custom home, let’s clarify what these terms mean. Semi-custom home builders offer a wide range of expertly designed floor plans for you to choose from. Once you’ve chosen a layout you love, homeowners can make all the aesthetic decisions, such as paint colors, hardware, lighting, flooring, and appliances. On the other hand, a fully custom home means a homeowner will work with a builder to choose everything from the blueprint design to even the smallest details.
Cost Effective Or Expensive?
One of the most notable comparisons between building a pre-designed floor plan vs. a custom home is the cost. Pre-designed floor plans are typically less expensive than custom homes, as the design work has already been done. Builders that offer pre-designed floor plans have likely built the same house over and over again. With this in mind, builders are able to more accurately price pre-designed floor plans, and they’ll be able to help guide you through the process of making material selections that align with your budget.
Building a custom home can be expensive, and it’s not uncommon for the cost to exceed the initial budget. As you can imagine, keeping costs under control and making decisions about what to prioritize can be stressful. If staying within budget is important to you, a pre-designed floor plan might be the best option for your family!
Quickest Construction Process
Semi-custom homes with pre-designed floor plans are often built much faster than fully custom homes. Since contractors are building the same floor plan time and time again, they’re able to efficiently and quickly migrate the construction process.
A fully custom home is a lengthier process, as it requires more time to perfect a floor plan, get an estimate, and pick every single detail of the home. A custom home generally comes with a few surprises and challenges along the way since a contractor hasn’t previously built the same floor plan. Unexpected delays and setbacks are common when building a fully custom home since more decisions and approvals are required throughout the process.
For example, Hearthside Homes is a semi-custom builder. Our clients get to choose one of our expertly pre-designed floor plans and then make all their material selections at our Design Center. From the time we break ground on their project, their home can be move-in ready in as little as six short months! Seriously!
Customization Options
When it comes to making your home unique to your style, a fully custom home allows homeowners to choose every detail of their home, including the layout. Complete customization may be important to you if you want to have the freedom to design your home exactly the way you want it, from the blueprint to the finishes. If you have a family member with special needs or you have very particular preferences, a fully custom home might be your best option.
Although semi-custom homes do limit floor plan modifications, homeowners still have the option to choose aesthetic components such as paint, flooring, cabinetry, lighting, landscaping, and more. Semi-custom homes limit structural changes; however, you can still make modifications to the home, including adding built-ins and storage solutions.
Is The Stress Worth It?
Let’s face it, building a fully custom home can be quite stressful. If you have a demanding job or don’t have time to fuss with all the little details, a semi-custom home with a pre-designed floor plan is definitely the way to go. You’ll still get to choose material selections that complement your design preferences and personality!
Build With Hearthside Homes
We hope you enjoyed this blog post about the advantages and disadvantages of building a pre-designed floor plan vs. a custom home. Ready to learn more about the efficient and quick home-building process at Hearthside Homes of Kansas City? You can click here to learn more about our 2-story, 1.5-story, ranch, reverse, and split-style floor plans.
To request more information, fill out this form on our website or call (816) 781-0234. We’d love for you to follow all the behind-the-scenes fun on our social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Explore Move-In Ready Listings
Want to speed up your home-buying journey? Click here to view our current listing! At Hearthside Homes, our buyers can either purchase one of our expertly designed spec homes or build with us from the ground up. To learn more about our efficient and stress-free home-building process, click here.
Third-Party Inspection Process
At Hearthside Homes, we understand that buying a home is a big deal! You want to make sure the home your purchase isn’t one you’ll regret in the future. That’s why all of our homes are inspected by third-party experts. In other words, we hire impartial third-party industry leaders to review each of our new construction homes! This comprehensive assessment involves a:
- Cosmetic inspection
- Third-party HVAC duct cleaning
- Third-party sewer line inspection
- Third-party home inspection
Many home builders don’t subject themselves to these extensive inspections. At Hearthside Homes, we want our buyers to have confidence in their purchase! That’s why we hire impartial pros to look over our work.
12-Month Warranty
In addition to completing a thorough inspection process, we proudly offer a 12-month warranty on all of our new homes. We even have a Warranty Manager on our team to make sure you have a go-to contact to reach out to if needed. You’ll have peace of mind when you buy with Hearthside Homes!
Hear From Our Happy Homeowners
At Hearthside Homes, we prioritize customer experience and satisfaction. Did you know Hearthside Homes of Kansas City has over 100 5-star reviews on Google? Click here to check out our Google reviews and hear from some of our happy customers. Our client, Cassandra, shares:
“Our new home is a dream come true! From communication through the building process to going above and beyond to make our home the best fit for our family it was an amazing process! We love the details and the quality of our new home and cannot wait to build so many memories with our family! I can’t tell others enough how much we recommend working with hearthside!”
Want to hear more from our happy homeowners? Click on the video below to watch a customer testimonial. Jeff & Becca are so thrilled they trusted Hearthside Homes with their new build! After years of searching for the right floor plan and builder, they finally decided to go with our team. Now that they’ve had time to settle into their new home, they are so happy they made the right decision to choose Hearthside Homes!
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