Help! I Can’t Afford the Custom Home of My Dreams—What Should I Do?
Here at Springhouse Architects, we know how exciting it is to visualize your perfect house. But let’s face it: building a custom home can be a daunting, complex process. Where do you even begin? More importantly, how do you start the custom home process when you can't afford what you love? Every single day, we’re bombarded with beautiful images of homes on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram—and once you latch onto one, it’s hard to let it go.
Just this past week, our team met with a new client looking to build a unique custom home. They’ve been saving up, already bought their land, and were ready to go! That being said, the client had already talked to a couple of builders before us and felt discouraged. Unfortunately, once the client showed them images of the house they’d fallen in love with—a modern, clean design—the builders were immediately scared off. They had never built this type of home before. Although this particular style looks simple, the detailing can be tricky. There’s not a lot of room for error, which makes builders nervous. In an effort to turn the client away, the builders gave them an offer that was far too expensive.
Let’s look at the numbers. If we were to replicate the house this client loves, it would cost $500-$600 per square foot. To put that in perspective, most of the houses we design at Springhouse are $225-$300 per square foot, which means their house would be twice as expensive as the average custom home market rate.
Although it’s possible for some people to afford this, I recommended this client scale back. Instead, we worked together to identify what they specifically liked about the house. When we got down to the nitty-gritty, our team determined we could still design a beautiful custom house for them without breaking the bank. For example, we discovered the client loved simple materials, like concrete, stone and glass. We didn’t need to replicate the entire home to make this happen—we just needed to pull pieces from it, instead.
If you happen to fall in love with a home you cannot afford, don’t give up! Try to reimagine the pieces of the house you love in a different structure and context. Pay an architect to simplify the home into something you can afford. We make sure to listen to your wants and needs, taking what you can afford into account. Because, ultimately, whatever your life goals are, you need to be comfortable with your budget. That being said, bring your dreams and your inspiration with you! Don't discount aspects of the home just because they're out of your price range. We can use this inspiration to understand what you truly love, and then deliver.
Have any questions?
Although we covered a lot in this post, you may still have some other questions about how to afford the custom home of your dreams. Whether you’re involved in the custom home process now, or even just considering it, join our free Facebook group—we’ll help you answer any questions you might have! Also, feel free to invite anyone that you think would benefit from this collaborative. You’ll not only get advice from me, but from other people who have been through this, too.
Start the process.
When it comes to designing and building a custom home, nothing beats having a trusted, experienced team of architects on your side. Let’s set up a call to meet, discuss your goals, answer your questions, and settle your fears. We can’t wait to meet you!