Custom Builder Vs Project Builder

Custom Builder vs Project Builder Comparison

When considering whether to build a home with a project builder or custom builder, read this builder comparison article first.
Here’s a really useful builder comparison table between a custom built home with Custom Home Designs and your typical Australian project builder.
If you haven’t built before or don’t know the difference, this will quickly give you a snapshot of the pros and cons.
At the very end of this list is a summary so you can make an informed decision on which way you should proceed.

Description	Custom HomeDesigns	Project Builders
Provide a genuine cost indication of final house price
Building on sloping block of greater than 2 metres of cross-fall
Building on sloping block of greater than 3 metres of cross-fall
Building on sloping block of greater than 4 metres of cross-fall
Meet you on site
Have meetings at your existing home
Fanatical customer service
Provide pre-plan concept drawings
Let you retain full copyright on plans
Make minor changes to the plan
Customise the façade
Heavily customise the plan
Create a unique, one-off home
Provide slab, brick and tile home
Provide suspended floor options
Provide external wall material options
Provide materials for fire resistant homes
Personalised one-on-one service
Use HIA Builders Contract
Use MBA Builders Contract
Refuse to use customised Builders Contract
Use “fair for both parties” builders contract
Number of builder’s quotes provided to you
Option of full interior design by qualified designer
Option of full landscape design by qualified designer
Option of full pool design
Fully support you from start to finish
Member of GreenSmart HIA
Pole home design and build
Split level and sloping block design and build
Narrow lot design and build
Battleaxe lot design and build
Process and manage all council town planning issues
Process and manage demolition/knock-down
Process and manage VPOs and tree clearing
Process and manage bushfire reports
Source required documentation (survey plan, Geotech report & engineering, etc)
You own the plans
Guaranteed start time
Regular access to site under construction
Make changes during construction
Deal direct with designer or draftsperson

	= yes, included as part of the service offering
	= warning, most builders don’t offer this
	= no, not included

PLEASE NOTE; In engaging ‘Custom Home Designs’ to draw your plans, you are NOT OBLIGED in any way to use our suggested builder for your construction work, however, we are happy to recommend local pre-qualified builders from our panel if requested. Most of our clients prefer to be put in touch with tried and tested local builders.

Note: This comparison is general in nature but fairly represents the majority of Australian project builders. We have tried to be as accurate as possible with our information but please bear in mind that companies can change how they operate from time to time.
Summary
Although we can’t speak for all custom builders, there are major benefits that Custom Home Designs offers over other project builders.

You retain full copyright on all designs and plans that Custom Home Designs create for you. With a project builder, they retain full copyright so you can’t take the plan to another builder to construct, without breaking copyright law. (Note: Big name builders take copyright of their plans very seriously indeed and will pursue you to the full extent of the law.)
You get a minimum of three quotes for the construction of the home with Custom Home Designs. With a project builder (and almost all other custom builders), you get one costing only. We do the hard work of liaising with three carefully screened and selected builders in your region and then present these to you.
Create unique, one-off homes with Custom Home Designs. With a project builder, you’re getting a rubber stamped home that will be similar to tens if not hundreds of other homes. With us, you’re able to make minor, major and complete overhauls as you see fit. You can even make changes during construction.
Custom Home Designs offers one-on-one personalised service including helping you choose the right block of land, meeting you on site to understand your dreams, meeting you in your existing home to go through designs and plans, hand holding you during construction and fanatical customer service throughout.
Custom Home Designs will support you through the whole project from start to finish including demolition (if needed), town planning, council issues, submission of plans for building approval, construction, interior decoration, landscaping, fencing and pools.

Have questions? Need some help?
If you want to explore building a customised home, then click on the ‘Get started today’ button below to start the process.

Evelyn & Jeremy, Eltham (North Vic)

Three things that we would recommend Custom Home Design for:
1) extremely professional with great communication;
2) their wealth of knowledge and experience in design and in the building industry and
3) attitude that goes above and beyond

We started our home design process sometime in August/September 2020, right smack in the middle of COVID lockdown, but regardless of that, the Custom Home Design team has maintained the highest level of professionalism and great communication throughout the process. The team always delivers what they promised to deliver and are on time with our meetings, which shows their commitment and passion to the work that they are doing. Most importantly, we also feel heard in the design of our house - Custom Home Design team really put in a lot of thoughts in the design with our best interests and managed to deliver a functional and beautiful home! The team has definitely given us a lot of comfort and confidence in the process, they were very patient with all our questions and concerns given that this is a new experience for us.

Custom Home Design team's wealth of experience and knowledge also really shined throughout the process and we have a wonderfully designed home that is also considerate of our budget. We really appreciate that the team has gone the extra mile and length to make sure that this is the house that we are happy with and that we can build - not just an expensive piece of plan.

We highly recommend Leanne and the Custom Home Design team for displaying a very positive attitude right from the beginning and have delivered above and beyond what we asked for. The process has certainly been fun, quick and exciting. We will definitely continue to recommend Custom Home Design to our friends and family who are building houses in many years to come!

Neville and Alison

The house is gorgeous and everyone who walks in the door loves it. It’s amazing how many people say “I want this” (should be good for resale!!)

Thanks for keeping in touch. Happy to have a visit anytime. Love your work!

Custom Home Designs is thorough and articulate which leaves you confident that you as a client were heard!

Irwin

It has been a pleasure to work through the design stages for my house at Allambie Heights with Leanne and Michael. My block has a very steep slope (11-13m) and many standard project home builders would not consider anything over 4m – even the ones that say they specialize in sloping blocks. In my initial discussions with Leanne, she said this was not a problem for herself and her team at CHD.

Ronald

It is a rare blessing to see a [job] position detailed as thoroughly as yours; but more importantly I LOVED what I read about the person you are looking for: I believe it says a lot about your business and your ethics when you are that diligent and clear about the role, expectations and the kind of person to fit with your company culture. I could pull out snippets about key items highlighted with regards to not wanting a sales gun, but better to say I firmly believe more now than ever that there is no competition for what you are doing; Custom Home Designs should win all contracts by default.