Everyone has an idea about what their dream home will look like, how the design will create a story of who they are, reflecting their personality and lifestyle. Building a new home is the perfect opportunity to make that dream home come true, ensuring it is uniquely you and a true extension of yourself. Here, we look at the benefits of using a custom home builder, how to select one, and what you need to think about for your design brief to help the architect bring it to life.
Using a custom home builder
In order to get a truly unique home, using a genuine custom home builder will ensure your house is designed to fit your lifestyle, personality and vision. Unlike a volume builder where ready-made floor plans make it hard or costly to customise, you will not need to compromise. The architect and builder will work with you from start to finish to design a floor plan that meets your requirements while remaining functional, and they will help you select the materials.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a first home or family home, whether it’s single or multiple storey, or the lot size and shape; all you need is a vision.
Selecting a custom home builder
A good place to start looking for a custom home builder to bring your one-of-a-kind dream home to life is on Google. You can narrow your search to include the suburb you want to build in, the architectural style of house you want and your budget range.
Once you have narrowed down your options, you can check out their previous work and display homes. This will not only allow you to see the quality of work they produce, but it also gives you an idea of what they can create and what you could potentially include in your design. But remember, these display homes are designed to inspire and showcase an example of what the architect and builder can produce, you can take lots of inspiration from these for your own home or none at all.
If you’re happy with your selected builders, the next step is to organise a meeting with them to explore your options. You want to be completely comfortable and trust the custom home builder you select, and this meeting will allow you to establish a rapport with them, see if they understand your requirements and vision, and if they can make it work within your budget.
Things to think about when creating your design brief
When you select a custom home builder, you will need to provide them with a design brief – your vision for your new home – and the more detail you can provide at the start, the closer to your dream home the architect will be able to make the initial concept design.
There are four key things you should include in your design brief:
- Budget: This is important to establish at the very start, as many elements of the design will affect the cost of building the house including the block it sits on, size, complexity and finishings. Knowing this, the architect will be able to create a unique design, that is also realistic to your budget, while retaining as many of your individual specifications as possible
- Rooms: How many rooms do you want or need? What size do you want them? Where would you like them to be located? Are there specific elements you want included in any rooms i.e. walk-in-robes, built-in bookcase or a fireplace? Do you want a mud room, or theatre or games room?
- Style: A custom built home will be designed to match your desired architectural style, whether that be contemporary, classical or french provincial. Your style choice will help inform the floor plan and design details that can be included
- Specifications: If there are any other specifications that you want included in your dream home they should also be included in your design brief including disability requirements, or cultural or religious elements
An experienced custom home builder
Grollo Homes is a family-owned and run business with over 50 years’ experience in designing and building luxury custom homes. Renowned for designing and building distinct and elegant homes with style, the workmanship and attention to detail the team puts into every project, makes every home they build high quality and truly unique. With experience designing homes in different styles, and building on challenging sites, the team at Grollo Homes can bring to life your unique dream home.
Clients work with the teams’ in-house architect and builder from start to finish, ensuring that everyone understands the vision for the house and has oversight over the entire build process.
When you book a free, no obligation meeting with Grollo Homes, the team will conduct thorough research before a potential design is considered to ensure you have all relevant council information up front and know about any restrictions on your land right from the start.
The architect will then put together a concept design for before your first meeting based on your design brief. This can then be discussed and developed to show you what Grollo Homes can do for you.