February/March 2009

Designs For Your Lifestyle
Custom Homes
by Melanie F. Gibbs

New residents relocating into the Atlanta area will find a plethora of housing options—just one of the many reasons the city is a great place to call home. An option home buyers might not immediately consider— assuming it’s beyond their reach—is a custom home. However, there are numerous builders in Atlanta who offer custom homes, making this option more possible than some might think. Today, “custom home” has evolved to mean more than the traditional definition for the term— picking the lot, the floor plan, the paint colors. “Custom” is about the control the home buyer has in the building process. The more control the buyer has, the more custom the home. But why choose a custom home? First and foremost, it allows buyers to tailor their home to fit their specific needs and preferences.

“For most of us, our home is the most important investment we will ever make,” says Cecil Francis, president of Stix and Stones Homes. “Choosing a custom home allows our clients to choose from custom architectural designs and customize functionality to fit their individual lifestyle.”

“Every family situation is different,” adds Blake Shaw, owner of Blake Shaw Homes, which builds in Atlanta’s Brookhaven and Buckhead neighborhoods. “What one might want or need in a home isn’t necessarily what a builder had in mind when he built the spec home. I have also found that people who build custom homes generally pay less for the lot/house in total than people who buy off the open market. A custom home builder does not have to factor in interest fees and real estate fees to his price, so the homeowner instantly saves this money. This allows someone new to the area a chance to build a house that is perfect for the family and have instant equity in a house that is worth more than he or she paid.”

“Custom” and “customizable” are two terms sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a difference. A true custom-built home is where the client is involved from start to finish, from choosing the lot to the floor plan to the paint colors. However, the term “custom home” also is used to describe a home with custom options, where the homebuyer can make selections for different features of the home. This is more accurately described as a customizable home rather than a custom home.

With respect to customizable homes, some builders have design studios where clients can choose flooring, appliances, countertops, cabinets, door designs, etc. For example, offering homes in more than 30 neighborhoods in the Metro area, John Wieland Homes provides onestop shopping and creative choices in flooring, lighting, cabinetry, paint, custom extras and more through its New Home Studios. More than 17,000 square feet, Wieland’s new Atlanta Design Studio offers home buyers an array of choices to customize their new home with the help of a professional design consultant.

“Custom” essentially is all about buyers getting what they want—the willingness and ability for the builder to make changes as well as to let buyers choose the flooring, countertops, cabinets, etc. And this has to do with the level of control the home buyer has: the more control the buyer has, the more custom the home would be considered; the more a buyer is limited, the less it is custom.

“Every house we build is designed for the lot on which it sits, and every interior/exterior detail of the house was selected by a top designer specifically for that house,” says Shaw. “Every house is treated individually and, ultimately, has a look all its own.”

Shaw adds that a customizable home would be a builder’s stock plan that a homeowner could preselect for a lot and then choose what finishes he or she wanted for the interior. Says Francis of Stix and Stones, “Our process allows the client to become involved with the very intimate details of material selection, design and budgeting. Stix and Stones considers its custom-built homes as an experience that incorporates the input and direction of our clients with our building process.”

Buyers can customize their new homes in a whole host of ways. Francis says the most popular options are beautifully appointed gourmet kitchens “with no detail spared;” owners’ suites with custom shower steam room combinations finished in a variety of natural stone options such as slate; outdoor sanctuaries with custom fireplaces and/or fire pits, stone patios and pergolas; and energy-efficient home innovations.

Ranging from the $280s to the $400s to over $1 million, each Stix and Stones’ home is built in popular “intown” neighborhoods that are increasing in value.

With the creation of refrigerator drawers and mix-and-match fridge/freezer columns, homeowners can even completely customize how/ where they store their food. Multi-temperature wine coolers are also great options for the storage of both red and white wines. Built-in coffee/ espresso machines are also a great counter space saver while giving homeowners the café feel in their home.

“In the bathrooms, we are seeing more and more configurations for showers to create the spa experience” Shaw adds. “Body sprays, rain showers, steam units, programmable touch pad shower systems that allow homeowners to push a button and have a customized shower experience.”

Other great options for the home include whole-house audio systems, radiant floor heating for tile floors, tankless water heaters for endless hot water, and eco-friendly wood floors.

“With our custom builder program Hewett Custom Builders, our buyers have virtually limitless options,” says Dina Gundersen, director of marketing for the company. “We can build on their existing lot or help them find a lot in the perfect location. We can build their home to an existing plan, help them customize one of our beautiful floor plans or help them design one from the ground up through our design partners.”

Through its parent company Monte Hewett Homes, Hewett Custom Builders has experience building homes from the $300s to over $1 million in a variety of styles, from Craftsman to traditional brick to more modern designs, from townhomes to estate homes. Hewett homes typically are available in Metro area locations like West Cobb, Sandy Springs, Marietta, Roswell, Lake Lanier and the Emory area.

“The face-to-face design process allows buyers to express their needs, wishes and desires,” says Gundersen. “We consult with them throughout the entire building process and can handle changes as they come up.”

Considering all these choices, if you are going to be buying a home in Atlanta, perhaps you shouldn’t settle for what someone else thinks you need; opt for a custom home tailored to fit your lifestyle in your new city.

Featured Builders

Blake Shaw Homes
404-202-9225
http://www.blakeshawhomes.com/

Hewett Custom Builders
866-924-9532
http://www.hewettcustombuilders.com/

John Wieland Homes
770-996-1400
http://www.jwhomes.com/

Stix and Stones Homes
404-454-6699
http://www.stixandstoneshomes.com/