If you’re thinking about buying a new home, you’ve probably come across the terms semi-custom, custom, and production homes. You might have a general idea of what each of these means, but in this week’s blog we’ll go into a little more detail to describe the differences between the three.
Production Homes
Production homes are homes built by a builder in a development in large communities. These communities may be duplicated in areas throughout the state, and the homes in them generally don’t vary too much in terms of design.
The advantage of a production home is that they’re generally the most affordable of the three options. In addition, the construction time for production homes is the shortest of the three, which means buyers don’t have to wait as long for their new home to be ready. Builders often buy a tract of land and parse it into lots. The lots are then sold as buyers come along, and the home is built. Some homes may be built ahead of time to give buyers an example of what the houses in the community will look like.
The disadvantage of a production home is of course the cookie cutter nature of the homes. In addition, if you’re looking for a little more space, you may not find the community aspect of production homes appealing.
Custom Homes
Custom homes are of course completely custom designed as a collaboration between the buyer, the builder, and the architect. Custom homes offer limitless options in design and are wholly unique.
The advantages of custom homes are easily apparent, but the disadvantages often are overlooked. For one thing, custom homes take a long time to build. Navigating the construction process of a custom home can be difficult for the buyer. In addition, many buyers find they want to change design decisions in the middle of construction, which adds both time and expenses to construction. Buyers who aren’t careful run the risk of running up prohibitive expenses during construction, resulting in a larger mortgage payment than they were expecting.
Semi-Custom Homes
A semi-custom home is a combination of the best elements of custom and production homes. Semi-custom home builders have a set of home templates, each with their own unique design. Buyers can look through templates to find the one that best matches their needs and wants, and then work with the builder to further tweak the design if they desire. Once these adjustments are made, construction can begin.
The big advantage of semi-custom home building is that the construction process is much more streamlined than that of a custom home. The design phase goes much faster, saving several months of design work. Semi-custom home plans also tend to stick better once they’re decided on, which reduces the vacillation common during custom home construction. Many buyers appreciate that many of the design choices are made for them beforehand, making the process that much easier.
Lifetime Series Homes: Your Home Builder in Maryland
Lifetime Series Homes is a home builder in central Maryland that offers fast construction of semi-custom homes. To learn more about building your new home with Lifetime Series homes, contact us today at 410-549-4443! You can also keep up with us on our blog as well as on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and YouTube.
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