Custom Homes vs. Project Homes - What's the difference?

When you sit back and think about your dream home, it probably consists of bits and pieces of inspiration you've collected throughout your life.

The open plan kitchen you saw in Vogue Living. The master suite you saw on The Block. The infinity pool at your Airbnb on the Greek Islands. Jamie Oliver’s kitchen.

The thing is, most new homes that get built are what the industry calls Project Homes.

Project Homes are predesigned by large scale building companies and mass produced for as many customers as possible. They're a repeatable product that allow building companies to buy materials in bulk and find shortcuts throughout the construction process.

Some Project Home builders allow you to personalise their designs, but restrict the ability you have to make changes. The starting point for someone wanting to build a Project Home is usually a display centre.

A Custom Home however, is uniquely yours.

Choosing to build custom allows you to take all of your ideas and inspiration and turn them into something that you can honestly call your dream home.

The starting point for building a Custom Home is usually a conversation with a builder, architect or designer.

Your architect is the one who can help you transform your vision into a set of drawings. Most architects and designers can produce highly detailed 3D renders of your vision - so you can see the finished result even before starting construction.

Like any project, there are Pros and Cons for both Project Homes or Custom Homes.

The real question to ask is, "Do I want to live in a home that someone else has dreamt up, or do I want to build my very own dream home?".