Home Builder, Home Designer, Architect : Who will best design your house plans?

Which is the best path to design your next home, an architect , a home designer or a home builder?

Getting the right home design for your home can be accomplished several ways all with advantages and disadvantages. Whilst most people will ultimately build a plan from a home builder, here we look at the other options with some comparisons offered.

The Advantages of using house plans from a home builders Display home.

What you see is what you get [well sometimes]

In my display home I have noticed that a lot of home buyers state that they need to see the home, and walk the plan to get an idea for the floor plan. They are just not comfortable reading a home plan and visualising how the home would come out.

I used to believe that these people were visuals, because they said that they had to “see the home”, or that they were looking to find the right home to build. I now believe that these home buyers are “feelers”. That is they need to feel the space around them and touch the doors and tiles and counters to get the information they need to understand the home design better.

The amazing thing that I discovered that women home buyers are more into discovery by feeling the space around them, whilst men were often wanting to see more plans.

On the basis that women drive most home buying decisions today, and at least have the power of veto on the final house design selected, it makes sense that most people do in fact use home builders own designs to build, and that most home consultants in fact sell most plans of the homes that they have on display.

Disadvantages of what you see is what you get [WYSIWYG]

There are some disadvantages of  what you see is what you get in display homes.

  1. Sometimes the builder will load the home with addons, and the home consultant will not let you know that the base home price, does not include many of the things you see in the display. Is the dishonest or deceptive? I think so, and so the the ACCC. Here’s my take.
    1. If you “Show” something, you should give the price for what you show. [I usually say our home as displayed to day is $...... We also have a base price for this of $........ The inclusions at that price are in this inclusion list.
    2. If I have specials on offers, I then introduce them. By the way, we have special incentives for our homes in this range today. Should you want to take them up, they would save you in the order of $..... today, because we would include at no cost to you this list of inclusions, that we normally charge extra for.
  2. This gives people a fair idea of the value of the home they are looking at. What they don't get with the base price, and what they do get with our special offers on at the moment, at a time when no pressure is on the customer to decide. [They hasn't see the home yet, so are not in a position to decide if they want it yet.
  3. Many Home builders may load the display with things that add to the appeal, but are not included in the base price. Many of these add to the experience within the home, but many are just for show, for the ego of the home builder or their interior designers.
  4. And worse still, many items that are displayed in other display homes are not for sale at any price. This breaks a fundamental rule in sales, as far as I am concerned. and the is "Never make anyone want something that you don't intend to supply. It is just plain wrong and can only confuse or annoy the customer. No wonder it so hard these days to buy a home. The problem for honest home consultants is that some home buyers things that all builders and their home consultants operate in this fashion. It is not the case.
  5. In my humble opinion, builders should focus on good home design, and many fail at this. A good home consultant can tweak a design to improve many a house design, and you should work with these to design your home.
  6. Another disadvantage of buying via the display route is that you may fall in love with a home design that is not suited to your land. The slope of the land, side slope , and orientation to the sun are all important to choosing a sound home design for your lot.

The problem of bad home design

A good home design costs the same to build as  poorly designed home, but will never have the same value. A poorly designed home will cost more to operate and maintain and will be harder to sell, and will sell for less.

Here's the problem with building homes from mud maps. People sometimes believe that they can design of better home than an architect. I know this may sound bizarre, but why else, beside the money would they even consider this option?

They usually bring in plans are not architecturally sound or lifestyle savvy. Have to ever walked into a home for sale and seen major design faults that should not have got past council? I have and those homes will never achieve a good resale price because of it.

Worse still they may have copied ideas from another builder's home plans in the hope of saving money.

From these plans we can then modify and tailor the home design to suite your needs.

This concept suit most people looking to build in the "budget construction" band of home construction. This right now is from $130,000 to $350,000.

The main advantage of using project builders own house designs is cost

  1. Home builders tend to use well designed home plans.
  2. Many of their plans have stood the test of time.
  3. They are not free. But their costs are included in the build and it is defrayed over many homes and this makes the home a bargain.
  4. Home builders tend to build very cost effective spaces, and with workable home designs for most people.

Using and Home Designer to design your home

Some home buyers will prefer to use either a home designer or architect to design their next home.

Advantages of using a Home Designer

  1. Can covert a mud map into a work of art.
  2. Can help you identify key needs that you may not have considered.
  3. Can start with  blank piece of paper and come up with a unique design.
  4. Can be cost effective.

Why home designers can be better than architects for your project

  1. Home designers devote most of if not all of their time to residential design.
  2. Usually in field trained, have less tertiary schooling and more people orientated.
  3. Many come from home building sales consultants that have a natural flair for designing great living spaces.
  4. Services cost less, and then you are free to pick your builder.
  5. They may also work in with builders.
  6. Can produce wonderful designs tailored to your lifestyle needs.

Using Architects to design your home

Architects may be the ultimate method of designing your new home, if you have a budget beyond say $500,000 to build your home. You will get  unique home and exactly what you want. The fees can be steep, but might be as cost effective for larger projects.

The advantages of using Architects

  1. Architects are tertiary trained to degree level.
  2. Understand building limitations and can create the look and feel you want.
  3. Can licensed to build the project out and act as consultants and or builders, for a percentage of the costs of the project.
  4. Can just buy the house plans and then seek bids to build the plans from other builders.
  5. Remember: Should you choose the Architect method, they will still own the house plans. You don't own the plans. Just own the right to build that home once, on the site that the home was designed for.

Precaution: Architects can work in many different fields, you should consider their strength and weaknesses based on their past work and how much of their work has been on single residential homes, and how much of that is on homes in your budget band and home style.

Costs Comparisons of home builders, versus Home Designers, versus Architects

We have listed cost last, but the reality is that cost can be the determining factor in many people's thinking. If you are investing $600,000 or more in your home and land project, maybe you should be.

1. Home builder wins hands down on costs for smaller homes. but as the home price increases the differences are lowered.

2. Home designers work only with homes and have many ideas that you may not have considered. They can be pricey, though I know of modestly priced home designers that do great work for major builders.

3. Architects can be the least affordable option, but having a home designed specifically for your needs and wants may be worth the extra expense.

Summary

In the end you pay for home design. With good home deign you pay for it upfront, or its included in the price as in the case of the home builders own plans.

With bad home design you pay for it in operating and maintenance costs and when you go to sell the home you will lose more money than you thought you could save. You will also have to put up with it whilst living in a poorly designed home and that can take its toll.

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