In the world of home building, custom design is a term that some in the industry use to describe just about any home with a minor adjustment to the standard designs on offer. In truth, the words custom design mean that something is a unique design, a one-off, that is different from anything else available.
However, in reality when building homes, we usually borrow from existing designs and ideas. This occurs even if you use an architect to design your dream home.
At ZAC Homes, we consider custom designed homes to be those that are designed from scratch to suit the client’s requirements. We call this service ‘Tailored Approach’.
We also consider our ‘My Style’ service, where we use our existing designs and modify them to suit your requirements to be customised too. This includes elements of custom and off-the-shelf design and can save time and money. The great part about building a new home is you have many choices, and you decide how much ‘custom design’ you want to apply to your dream home. Here is an outline of some of your options:
Should I hire an architect?
Bespoke homes built by architects are highly sought-after due to their uniqueness. Highly-trained architects put together drawings, plans and renderings of your project. Some will also help with budgets, council approvals, hiring consultants, and even supervising the build. But you’ll also need to hire a builder.
When hiring an architect, you need to do research into their past projects and experience and understand their design style. If you’re looking to build a bespoke home, with experimental or difficult design features or fittings, it may be best for you to consult an architect. But, if you’re looking for a well-designed, functional and more conventional home you may be better with a builder who offers custom designs. Not only will they handle your whole build from start to finish, but they’ll also be more affordable.
Custom home with a builder
Some builders also offer design services. At ZAC Homes if you want full flexibility with the design of your new home then you can work with our experienced in-house designers to craft a design that is perfect for your lifestyle and block.
Our designers will work with you and your family to make your vision for your new home come to life.
You will have a much greater choice of fittings and fixtures based on what suits the design.
Having complete flexibility also allows you to include sustainability as a key design element. There are many ways a home can be sustainable including the materials used, the design, the inclusions, and more.
Choosing a custom design home will take longer, you’ll have more decisions to make, and it will generally be more expensive, but you’ll have a one-off home to suit your needs. Our designers can work with almost any site, although an undulating site will require careful and considered design, suitable construction techniques and most likely increased costs.
Modify an existing design
If you’d prefer to have some of the advantages of an existing design but make it your own, then ‘My Style’ could be the best option.
You can choose one of the many ZAC Homes designs and modify it to suit your family’s lifestyle, block and budget.
There are many ways you can customise the standard plans and make them stand out from the crowd.
You can make small changes like the addition of special light fittings, an island bench in the kitchen, or a butler’s pantry.
You could also make larger changes like an altered floor plan to create extra living space. If the standard floor plan doesn’t quite fit your needs, we’re happy to work with you to alter the floor plan with minimal structural changes to the overall design.
You could consider enclosing part of an open-plan living space to create an extra room to work from home. Sliding doors can be a great option because you can leave them open to get the open-plan feel most of the time and then only close them when you need.
Perhaps add a skylight to your new home for a little bit of extra natural light, or some additional windows or different size windows depending on the aspect of your new home. A popular way to distinguish your home from a neighbourhood of similar new homes is to change the façade. You can also experiment with different paint colours on the front door or a custom door handle.
Build a new custom home with ZAC Homes
Whether you choose My Style or our Tailored Approach, you will receive exceptional customer service, and the ZAC Homes team will make the journey of building your new home as fun and exciting as possible.
ZAC Homes builds with trust, respect, integrity and pride, which we work hard to deliver to every client. Call us on 1300 350 793 or send us an online enquiry and our team will work with you to design and build your dream home.