Custom Home or Semi-Custom Home? Which one is right for you?

If you are planning on building a new home, one of the first decisions you will consider is the choice between building a custom home or a semi-custom home. The choice between these two will likely be influenced by your budget, the amount of time you want to invest, and the number of decisions you want to make.

Understanding the differences will help you make a choice that aligns with your budget, goals, and lifestyle. When making a choice between a custom home or a semi-custom home, you’ll need to understand the features, as well as the pros and cons of each.

At Lexis, we build both custom homes and semi-custom homes. The majority of our clients choose to work with our in-house design professionals to create a truly custom home. However, some clients step into our show home and often fall in love with the floorplan, and decide to make it their own in a semi-custom home build.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each and help you get closer to your dream home!

Custom Homes

A custom home is a one-of-a-kind design created just for you that reflects your vision and lifestyle preferences. Let’s check out some of the pros of building a custom home:

PROS

1. Custom Tailored

In a custom home, it’s all about choice! This is the biggest advantage of building a custom home. We find that many homeowners choose a custom home for greater choice and design flexibility. A custom home allows you to incorporate your personal states, resulting in a home that is a complete reflection of you.

2. Optimal floorplan

Homeowners want a home that maximizes space and functionality. With the ability to create a floorplan specific to you, your home will better cater to your family’s needs.

3. Location

You can choose the location that best suits your lifestyle, whether it is near work, schools, or nature.

4. Long Term Satisfaction

Building a custom home is a highly personal experience. Many of our homeowners say they feel a greater sense of satisfaction when seeing their own vision come to life. The journey of building a custom home creates an emotional attachment, making it truly feel like home.

Building a custom home is a sure way to get exactly what you want, but there can be some drawbacks. Before embarking on your custom home journey, you’ll want to be sure you are prepared for some of the ‘cons’:

CONS

1. Complex Decisions

There are countless decisions to make when it comes to design, materials and finishes. While some homeowners really enjoy this aspect, it can be overwhelming and stressful to others and lead to decision-making fatigue. Without preparation, anxiety and frustration may be felt throughout the process – which is the last thing you want, as building a custom home should be enjoyable. To mitigate this, we always recommend working with a skilled designer to guild you through the process. In fact, in a recent poll of our homeowners, 100% said they would NOT build a custom home without using a designer. Check out this article about why you need a designer when building your custom home. 

2. Time

Since a custom home is generally designed from scratch to fit the homeowner’s specific needs, the time to build a custom home is a longer process. The planning and design phase is the most time-consuming part of the process, typically taking 4 months (or longer depending on the client and project). Everything from the floorplan and layout to the finishes and materials is tailored to the homeowner’s needs.

3. Over Customization

Over customizing a home mean costly modifications later on if the home does not appeal to future buyers. While you may be itching for some niche colour choices or theme-based décor, this may limit buyers in a resale. However, if you are planning to stay in your home forever, all the power to you!

Semi-Custom Homes

Semi-custom homes are well-crafted, standard plans that have been pre-designed by the home builder. At Lexis, every home we build—whether semi-custom or custom—features the quality and characteristics that our clients love, including premium finishes, exceptional lighting, and energy efficiency, to name just a few.

Here are a few pros of semi-custom homes:

PROS

1. Tried and True Design

Semi-custom homes tend to follow a previous tried and true design. The benefit to this, is that the builder has likely constructed the home more than once. They know what to expect. Because the builder has gone through the construction process more than once, they know what needs in the process from building it the first time. A good home builder will have made necessary adjustments to the construction process to ensure any subsequent builds are smooth sailing!

2. Simpler Decision-Making Process

When you select a pre-designed floor plan and finishes, the decision-making process is much simpler as the bulk of the design work is completed. With a more straight-forward process, building a semi-custom home can be less stressful than managing a custom build.

3. Ability to customize some areas

Just because you are building a semi-custom home from a pre-designed floorplan, doesn’t mean you can’t make the home your own. You’ll still have decisions to make when it comes to paint colours and finishing touches. While the floorplan may not be 100% custom, the interior of the home is yours to decorate with your own unique style!

A production home is a great option if you want to save time, money and the stress of too many decisions. That being said, there are a few downsides as well.

CONS

1. Less Flexibility

Although a semi-custom home allows for some design modifications, there are often limitations when it comes to major changes in layout or structure. Significant changes can quickly increase costs. Many homeowners begin with the intention of making only a few adjustments, only to find that their requests for additional changes start to add up, driving the overall price higher than expected.

2. Reduced Personalization

In a semi-custom home you will be able to modify certain features like flooring, paint colours, and millwork. You may also be able to modify the exterior elements of the home. Some homeowners find that the overall limitations in customization can make it more challenging to fully personalize the home to their unique tastes and preferences.

3. Decisions

Although semi-custom homes require fewer decisions than fully custom builds, the range of choices for paint colors, appliances, lighting, flooring, and finishes can still feel overwhelming. Striking the right balance between desired upgrades and your budget can add an extra layer of stress to the process.

4. Choosing the Right Builder

Choosing the right builder is a vital part of any home building project, but it’s especially important for semi-custom projects. You’ll want a builder with specific experience in semi-custom construction to ensure high-quality results and smooth communication throughout the process. For helpful tips on choosing your home builder, we’ve outlined some key considerations here.

SUMMARY

Choosing between a custom or semi-custom home ultimately depends on your priorities, whether it’s the flexibility and personalized experience of a fully custom build or the convenience and efficiency of a semi-custom option. A custom home offers design freedom, ideal for those with a clear vision and a flexible budget. However, it comes with more decisions and potentially higher costs. On the other hand, a semi-custom home allows for quicker decisions and a streamlined process, though it may offer less flexibility in design.

At Lexis Homes, we specialize in both custom and semi-custom builds, helping you create the home of your dreams while balancing your budget and lifestyle. No matter what type of home you are building, our team is here to guide you through every step of the process.