A custom home is one that is especially designed to meet the specifications of the person who commissioned it. Stock building plans are not custom designed; the same plan may be sold to many different people.
Frequently a builder will customize stock plans by changing details. The builder may change the type of siding, move a doorway, or even add a dormer. However, the house is not truly a custom home unless a designer (usually an architect) has closely studied the land and interviewed the clients to create a one-of-a-kind home that is tailor-made for the people who will live there.
Custom Home Builders build homes that are unique. Generally, the homeowner or home builder decide on variables for the home that will make it different than other homes. It will usually be customized to the new owners tastes and desires for amenities, features, size, creative touches, style and etc…
A custom home might be a very large, medium or even a small sized home.
It could be very standard in many ways but still be a custom home. People often think of a custom home as being an elaborate gorgeous large palatial estate. While that is often the case it is not always.
For example, a retired couple may want a custom home built that is only 1500 square feet and has 2 bedrooms with and 2 bathrooms. The floor plan might be a U in shape with the kitchen on one end, living room in the middle and 2 bedrooms on the other end. The garage will not be attached. The wood trim package will be a stain grade
brazilian hardwood and the wood floors will be the same. So, a large estate or small estate could both be custom homes.
Spec Home Builder
Spec Homes are built and than sold. The builder speculates that he will make money from this transaction of buying a lot and building a home on it.
It may be sold during construction but the idea is a builder buys a parcel of
land and builds a custom or semi-custom home on the lot and than sells it.
Spec homes are not always a large custom home. Oftentimes the home is
a medium sized home with custom features and styles.
The spec home builder decides the floor plan rather than the homebuyer
since it is not sold yet. In a sense it is a custom home since it is not a
standard run of the mill home in a housing tract. However, it could be a
very plain home or it could be a high end decorated estate. Either way
it would be thought of as a Spec Home.
Tract Homes
Tract Homes are built by home builders or developers who own a large piece (tract) of land that is divided into many smaller lots upon which to build homes. The tract home builder has model homes chosen which will be the homes built on these lots. For example they may have chosed 4 floor plans of various sizes and shapes and will put 25 of each model
on the 100 lots of this subdivision.
So, the tract home builder begins building the homes and advertising the houses for sale. They usually have an open home and several model homes for the prospective buyers to walk thru and the homes are decorated very nicely to give the homebuyers an idea of how nice the home is all furnished. The faster they sell the tract homes the faster they try to keep building them to keep up with demand. These homes are generally sold by real estate agents and real estate brokers. The model homes are usually staffed by a licensed real estate agent.
FWIW, I agree with these definitions. A custom home is one that is uniquely designed and built to the owner/builder’s specifications. A tract home that has been remodeled is a remodel, even if they significantly change the look and layout of the house.
