Developers are in the business of providing a basic product with a list of upgrades they have developed. They have knowledge and (hopefully) the ability to properly install those basics and upgrades.

Adding something outside the basics and upgrade list creates time/installation problems. They may not have the materials to install nor the expertise. They do not want to do custom installs because of those issues.

A custom builder may me more willing to venture outside their 'comfort' zone. However, the extra time/money will be charged to allow the builder a profit.

Optional method is to do the developer installs at the very basic level and after taking possession, have upgrades installed. More time/interruption, but having experienced people make the upgrades is usually less stressful and only a small cost higher than fighting the unwilling developer.

Example: As a remodeler/handyman, I often was challenged to use materials/rework something with which I was not familiar. Good example of that was strapping a house to the foundation rather than bolting it as usually done. Was not possible to bolt since the (new) house was delivered in two halves and craned onto the prebuilt foundation. The crew delivering/setting the two halves knew how to do that job, but had never strapped a two piece house(all the houses they worked were one piece, up to that time). So, I spent several hours researching and educating myself on the correct procedure. Then, I had to walk the Home Depot clerk through how to order the straps(as well as selecting the correct length/size) since they had never done that before.

I chalked the five or six hours time and work up to education. I could afford to do that for several reasons, where a developer/custom builder would have to charge and spend that time.

In the end, I was the only person associated with that entire job that had any clue how to strap the house----to include the building inspector. I had printed the instructions to show him so he would be able to sign off on the job and the owner could move in.

Custom residences are almost always more expensive than a tract home for many obvious reasons. Custom residences are...well...custom! As one of a kind, they don't benefit from bulk buying and construction of 25-100 similar tract houses. The quality and durability of custom homes is usually superior. Plus, an architect-designed custom home represents a design to fit the lifestyle and budget of the family for whom it's designed. The home fits the family, rather than vice-versa.

So the question becomes, "how important are all of these things to you and your family?"

Custom may be more expensive to build but you will get the home that you love and not the vision of a production builder. If you "settle" for a production home, will you end up not being satisfied and ultimately build your custom home? That would cost you more in time, money and lost happiness living in the home you really wanted in the first place.

Off the rack at J.C. Penney or bespoke from Saville Row? Hard choice.

Find an architect and build a better house. Bigger isn't always better.

So can you find an architect before you have a lot? Will the Architect have an idea how much the house will cost to build? Not really sure what we can budget for the lot until we know how much the house will cost. How much would an architect charge to draw up a 3000 sq ft house? Where do you start? What comes first?

I wouldn't necessarily assume you need a 3000 square foot house. Many times an architect can create a smaller house that lives larger and better. It's not about size, but about how it's arranged.

You can find a lot first and then an architect, or you can find an architect first who will then help you pick from several lots. Many times the lot you think is the best might not turn out to be the best one.

Mike, you must be able to get an idea of lot prices in your area. Check real estate listings to find the high and low lot prices - and determine what makes one more than the other. That should give you a starting point.

You can find an architect first, and start getting an idea of what the costs will be. Lot, design fees, house cost, etc. Don't forget the 'little' things like permits, septic system, water supply, power supply, etc. For a custom home, you want to design it to fit the lot, but you need to find out if the entire project is going to be within your budget, and if the bank will loan that much. You can have outstanding credit, but if the house costs more than the appraisal, they won't lend the money.

From what I read here, make sure to make a generous allowance for cost overruns on a custom build.

A 1.2M + build needs to start with expectations, then a bank, then an architect and lot. If you want less $$ than that, you may be commuting from WV or PA or Richmond.

Custom homes always more expensive. CalAtlanic, TollBrothers, etc pay $50 for a door that you would be lucky to buy for $180. Esp their lumber discounts very significant. Because of their size they could get cut throat rate on labor, hvac, and many others.

>. She pressed them for LED lighting, and they finally did give in,

You can install these post production. To be perfectly honest I do not know how would I vote on my own house. $80 - $90/sq ft big builder box vs $300/sq ft custom builder vs wasting nine month G.C.ing. (~$100)

Nah, custom homes quality is variable. Tract builder are time tested and have learned from their past mistakes. Custom builders are typically small and one off builders but they sure charge a lot!

Mike, there are vast differences in what builders will allow too. We know people building in DFW with a small, local and others with a huge, national builder. The huge/national builder will not budge on, literally, one thing; everything is take it or leave it, but mosty take it because they won't let them leave anything out. The small/local builder is bending over backwards making changes and is incredibly accomodating to all sorts of ideas. Where are you looking? Maybe try to find a smaller, local builder.

Developers will always be cheaper, because they have low labor (building the exact same wall/bathroom/etc) and can buy materials in bulk.

We're building 100% custom, and yup, large learning curve, *specialty* items, etc add to the cost. For us though, still think it's worth it.

Been there over the years, developers, semi-custom and 100% custom etc. True 100% custom is definitely most exciting but expensive and can get really expensive if one goes bigger and bananas (like me); fortunately I have a good DW who manages to keep me 'partially' in check.

What we did and are doing was to extend the 'buying the lot' to 'completed home duration' which gave us ample time to put more into the home, adding customization, while paying off for the 'lot' and large chunks of work done, i.e. carrying zero debt forward; this does not or may not work for most families on a timeline. The delay no doubt made it easier for us to pay off each stage however costs also increased from year to year, but it's working out fine and we are able to absorb increases by being smart in our purchases where feasible. Absolutley worth it.

I like the comment about a better house, not bigger. We downsized last year and, although it's half the size of our previous home, I truly believe it lives bigger. We did end up buying property and building, and we drew up our own plan, taking it to an architect to tweak a little. (DH had designed our previous home, including all the construction blueprints; but this time he just wanted to get the layout done and then let the architect take over.) I think the reason it lives so well is the fact that we sat down together and discussed our daily activities and what we wanted in each room to make it work for us. We also considered the flow through the house and how it fit OUR preferences. This is our fourth house (3rd build), and I'm happy to say it's the best fit we've ever had---which is a good thing, since this is the house we will be retiring in and plan to age in place here.

I don't have the breadth of experience to say whether developer or design/build your own will be more cost effective for you. I can say we definitely came out ahead with building our own (utilizing an architect and general contractor). Our builder was an acquaintance of ours who came highly recommended by friends for whom he had built a home about 5 years earlier. He stayed on schedule and finished right on time and within our budget. Of course, we stayed on top of the budget throughout the process and decided where we wanted to spend more money and where we could save money. We sourced a lot of items on our own, which also saved. We also found property in our desired area that had just been put on the market, which proved to be ideal for us and much better than any of the areas being developed in our area. It's very hard to find property in our desired area that wasn't already snatched up by a developer.

If you're trying to stick to a budget, you do need to be able to discipline yourself not to splurge on everything when you're building---and, if there is something you want to upgrade, then you need to figure out how you're going to pay for it now (not over the next 10-15-20-or-30 years), such as by cutting back on something else. And, of course, allow a contingency for the unexpected. We did this by estimating line-item costs higher than we expected, thus building in a cushion . Of course, we were highly motivated because we wanted to own the house outright, with no mortgage, at the end of the build. Most of this would apply to a developer's house, as well. If you choose one before it's finished, then you could end up with the option of choosing some very expensive upgrades that could quickly put the house over budget.

Hope you have success in your search for a new home. This site has some wonderful, knowledgeable contributors that can help you along the way. There are also a lot of beautiful homes with features that will inspire you to create a lovely home but also tempt you to start seeing a luxury as a necessity. : )