Do you know what makes a custom home, custom? As we have conversations with more potential clients, we realize that many people don’t know exactly. In our conversations, we explain the varying degrees of custom homes and lean in as they talk about their specific goals, expectations, and needs so that together we can figure out exactly what caliber of design they are seeking for their “custom” home and which of our services are the best fit for them.
Do you know what goes into designing a custom home?
In this post, we talk about custom home design, the benefits, who they are best suited for, and why we love designing them.
What Makes a Home a Custom Home?
In our post Characteristics of a Custom Home, we highlight eight attributes that define custom homes. Things like cohesiveness, harmony, engaging, inspiring, and thoughtfulness come to mind.
Many homes have a few of these characteristics. They are mostly semi-custom or “customized” homes that typically start as a stock plan. Then, you customize them to fit your needs and aesthetic preferences. After a few rounds of customizing, the home feels like a custom home to you. It’s custom enough.
Then, there are the homes that are based on unique floor plans and designs. These ones have many of the characteristics we discussed. They are thoughtful and cohesive. They integrate with the surroundings and result in a very nice custom home. Most details are planned with you in mind. These homes are what most people think of as custom homes: a unique floor plan with material selections based on your personal preferences.
And then, there are the custom homes where every single detail is considered. Details are meticulously studied to ensure that they speak to the other parts of the home. This is what makes a custom home. It’s not that each detail is custom. It’s that each detail is considered and thought through enough to where it feels like it speaks to you and is cohesive to everything else in and around the home. We call these homes “high-design” homes because there are thousands of design decisions to make. Our effort is much greater with these homes. We are deliberately designing every single detail so that the entire design is unified and the entirety of the home speaks to you.
In this scenario, you and your specific project requirements in mind with every design decision. From setting the floor elevation above grade to defining room sizes to setting the tile pattern so that there aren’t any awkward slivers of tile. When all the decisions are deliberately planned out, things line up with other things. There’s symmetry (when you want there to be) and there are surprise and delight moments. The home engages with your senses in a way that feels right. It’s sited on the land to work with it, not against it. And it fits you and your way of life perfectly. The home is timeless. These homes check off all the boxes of custom home design.
As you can imagine, A LOT goes into designing these high-design custom homes. It takes a talented group of architects and design professionals to effectively craft a truly custom home. On a single project, you may have a dozen or more design-minded professionals involved. You may need architects, interior designers, engineers, window wall technical departments, and vendors to help make educated decisions. And it takes an equally talented and detail-oriented team of builders and craftspeople to turn that vision into a reality. Design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. There are many expert minds working collectively and collaboratively to craft great-looking homes.
Why We Love Designing Custom Homes
At YR Architecture + Design, we love designing custom homes. And we’re actually one of the few architects in Columbus that design modern custom homes.
While we provide a few different levels of service, what really sets us apart from other residential architects is our high level of design thinking, creativity, and ability to infuse your ideas into a thoughtful design that works for you. Our attention to detail and client-centric approach also differentiate our design services, elevating our process (and the overall experience) above others.
The sweet spot where we like to work is in modern high-design custom homes. This is where highly crafted design rigor is important to the success of the project and desired from our clients.
We love getting into the details. Designing how materials interface with each other and defining the relationship and location of elements in and around the home is a huge part of custom home design. We also like selecting materials, fixtures, and finishes during the design phase so that everything is planned and coordinated. We’re very particular about material sizes, panel joints, and alignments of materials. We’re concerned about how a window wall sits in the larger wall, how the steel framing is concealed, and what that intersection looks like between glass, window trim, and siding. By creating a logic and rationale for where splices occur in individual pieces of materials, everything feels intentional and not a random occurance.
We also draw interior elevations to show the relationship of the tile layout to devices, fixtures, and wall edges. No one likes little slivers of tile or a showerhead awkwardly off-centered in a tiled wall.
These interior elevations and interior details play a crucial part in the planning process. They help communicate how materials relate to each other, and aid in coordination with various trades. They can show how piping, ductwork, and structural beams can exist in a tight space together.
When possible, we make sure things work on paper during the design phase. This saves time, money, and peace of mind later. Knowing all of this information helps prevent surprises during construction, and ultimately reduce change orders.
When we’re involved from beginning to end, we can make a huge impact on the overall design caliber of the project. It’s also those tiny details that truly make a home one-of-a-kind. And these details are a huge asset. They are great communication tools to convey the design intent to clients and contractors alike.
When the project scope and budget allow, we involve our trusted design partners. Whether it’s interior designers, landscape architects, or engineers, we find that the synergy of like-minded design professionals working together to collaboratively create a cohesive vision elevates the project farther than we can possibly do alone. Plus, it lets each of us focus on our respective areas of expertise.
Benefits of a Truly Custom Home
There’s no question about the difference in design caliber between our basic design service and our full or comprehensive architectural design services when designing a custom home. Not only will the design be better, it will be a better-constructed home, also. It will be more energy-efficient, use more premium and durable products, and will be of higher quality. It’ll use better insulation, sheathing, and waterproofing details (and the most appropriate materials for each specific application), Rest assured, you’ll have a higher quality home, which is very important especially if you’re dishing out the money on a truly custom home. We also observe construction to ensure the project is built to the level of care we specify.
Keep in mind, though, that custom home design involves higher design fees, especially when we’re asked to provide this added level of service to design, detail, document, coordinate, and select everything. It just takes more time and effort on our part to deliver such a unique and signature home experience. But, for those who value a great, magazine-worthy design, it’s worth the higher design fees. These clients see the added value we contribute and what a good design brings.
Who Are Custom Homes Best Suited For?
In every market there are clients and there are CLIENTS.
It takes a special kind of person to really value a custom home, regardless of the construction budget. At YR Architecture + Design, we spend a lot of time thinking about these kinds of people because they are our ideal target market. We think about the kind of people they are, how they live, what motivates them, and what they value. We have found that custom homes are most suited for:
- People who have a specific PROBLEM they want solving
- People who are PASSIONATE & MOTIVATED about the project goal and vision
- People who APPRECIATE good design, understand its benefits and care deeply about living in a unique, one-of-a-kind home tailored to them and the way they want to live.
- People who are willing and able to INVEST in a meaningful solution, who enjoy a detail-oriented process, and are not willing to compromise on a sub-par solution or diluted vision.
- People who are OPEN to exploring new and innovative ideas.
- People who understand that it takes a TEAM to create a great design solution.
- People who have a unique property, a SPECIAL PLACE that they would like to honor, enjoy, and immerse themselves in. They want a home design that respects the surroundings, integrates with the land, and showcases the character and beauty of the landscape.
Let’s Talk!
One crucial observation we’ve noticed when determining if a potential client is serious about working with us at YR Architecture + Design to design a custom home is that they don’t want to pay us to draw up a house. Instead, they want to pay us to create a unique design solution because they see our value in helping them create an exceptional custom home and a world-class experience for years to come.
We don’t just design a beautiful home, we create the perfect home for you. If you’re looking for a team that you can trust with your dreams, we would love to hear from you. Contact us today to discuss your custom home design project.
