What are the top reasons people build a custom home?
The National Home Builders Association (NAHB) outlines a few key custom home building trends:
1. Building a custom home helps the environment
Green Building—Concern for the environment is growing in American homeowners. NAHB’s 2013 “What Buyers Want” study that found 89 percent of homebuyers surveyed would prefer and energy-efficient house over a comparable house without energy efficiency features, even if the high-performance home costs 2 to 3 percent more. Many custom homes are now focused on high performance features like water-saving appliances, insulation to improve heating efficiency and renewable or recycled building materials.
2. Building a custom home enables you to select special features like smart homes or game rooms
Amenities—Home owners also want their custom home to be a life improvement. Special features like resistance pools and fitness rooms for improved health, game rooms and theaters for entertaining, and screened-in porches and outdoor kitchens for outdoor living. This includes tech features like smart homes with automation to control energy usage, security systems and lighting.
3. Building a custom home can make space for grandma
Multigenerational Living—Custom builders are seeing an increasing need to tailor homes for extended family members like elderly parents or adult children. The U.S. Census reported that 4.3 out of 76 million households were made up of at least three generations. Families can build homes with the traditional “mother-in-law suite” or a totally separate locked-off living space. These independent spaces can have a kitchenette, full bathroom and private living areas.
4. Building a custom home enables accessibility and broadens reach to more buyers
Universal Design—As the US population ages, Universal Design (UD) provides more accessibility with features like wider doors, lower countertops and fewer stairs. An accessible home allows owners more freedom to enjoy their home as they age and can also increase value by reaching a broader group of buyers.