PALM SPRINGS
CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS
Exploring Custom Home Design Options
When considering a custom home, it’s helpful to understand the various approaches to building.
Key New Build Terms
You might have heard terms like spec home, standard plan, and custom or semi-custom home. Each represents a different building method, and there’s plenty of discussion about which is best. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your budget, timeline, and how involved you want to be in the design and construction process.
SPEC HOME
A spec home is a pre-designed and constructed house chosen to suit a specific lot, with little to no input from the buyer. These homes are often offered as part of a House and Land Package or as a fully completed residence, ready for immediate move-in.
STANDARD PLAN
A standard plan is a home design selected from the curated collection of Palm Springs Signature plans. These designs are ‘tried and tested,’ offering a reliable and proven product. While limited personalization options, such as selecting fixtures, fittings, and colors, may be available, your involvement in the overall design process will be minimal.
CUSTOM OR SEMI-CUSTOM
If you choose to modify a standard plan—such as adding extra rooms—it becomes a custom or semi-custom home, depending on the extent of your involvement. The term ‘custom home’ can also refer to a completely unique design, created and built from scratch to meet your specific vision.
What does ‘custom home design’ really mean?
Whether it’s a semi-custom or fully custom design, a custom home is typically defined as a unique home that takes the homeowner’s desires, needs, and tastes into consideration. This requires significant input on behalf of you, your builder and your new home consultant, allowing you to change everything from the floorplan to the finishing materials.
In reality though, custom home designs aren’t necessarily created from scratch, and for good reason. Reinventing the wheel is likely to lead to a home design that just doesn’t work, has wasted space and poor solar gain. Most architects/designers and custom home builders have a series of frameworks and patterns that they work from, based on the brief and input you provide.
There are of course boutique architects/designers that will design you a truly unique, full custom home design. But for the everyday American family, this isn’t the reality.
How do I create a custom design?
When selecting a custom home with PS Signature Homes, our new home consultants will introduce you to the concept of a Palm Springs (P.S.) Signature Plan. This option gives you the proven functionality and practicality of an existing home plan, while allowing you some of the flexibility that comes with a custom home design.
The process of starting a P.S. Signature Plan is uncomplicated.
Step 1: Book an initial consultation with our custom building experts
At P.S. Signature Homes, we have custom home builders, not only in the Coachella Valley, but also through out California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Fresno, San Jose. Attending an initial consultation will give an understanding of what you want and what our team can achieve within your budget and timeframe.
Step 2: Select your base
Start to envision just exactly what your dream plan will look like by selecting one of our existing floor plans to start as a base. This can take a lot of the worry out of customizing, by starting with a a tried and tested template.
Step 3: Work with your home consultant to customize the design
You will have your consultation with a home builder. We recommend coming with a list of all the important aspects you would like added to your home, such as your number of bedrooms and budget. Our home builder will then start to draw up your home with an estimated price. This is called a purchase agreement.
Step 4: Select your finishes and fixtures
This includes selecting countertops, flooring, hardware, lighting, windows, trim, cabinetry and more.
Step 5: Build your custom home
After reviewing everything with your home building consultant, your construction will start. You can expect our team to clear the site, build the foundations, landscape the property and more.
If you love your community, but aren’t in love with your home, our team of custom home builders also offer knock down rebuilds. These rebuilds involve replacing your current home with a new custom one, so that you can enjoy a home and lifestyle that you love.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
1. What is a custom home?
A custom home is a one-of-a-kind house designed entirely according to your specific needs, preferences, and lifestyle. It offers complete flexibility in floor plans, materials, and features.
2. How long does it take to build a custom home?
The timeline for building a custom home varies based on complexity and size, but it typically takes 12-24 months from design to completion.
3. Do I need to own the land before starting a custom home?
Yes, owning the land is generally required before beginning the design and construction process.
However, we work with many land owners to secure the land and build the home so you don’t have to buy the land up front.
During the process, we can assist with land evaluation to ensure it meets your needs.
4. How involved can I be in the design process?
As much as you’d like! You’ll collaborate closely with our team to choose layouts, materials, finishes, and other details to create your dream home.
5. What is a semi-custom home?
A semi-custom home starts with a pre-designed floor plan that you can customize to a certain extent, such as selecting finishes, adding rooms, or modifying layouts.
6. What are the benefits of a semi-custom home?
Semi-custom homes offer a balance between personalization and efficiency, often with shorter timelines and lower costs compared to fully custom homes.
7. Can I make structural changes to a semi-custom home plan?
Yes, but the extent of structural changes depends on the specific plan and builder. Major modifications may extend the timeline and cost.
8. How long does it take to build a semi-custom home?
Semi-custom homes generally take 8-16 months to complete, depending on the level of customization and project size.
9. What is a spec home?
A spec home, or speculative home, is a move-in-ready house built by a developer with popular layouts and finishes, designed to appeal to a broad market.
10. Can I customize a spec home?
Spec homes are typically built with little to no customization, but in some cases, you may be able to select finishes or make minor changes if the home is still under construction.
11. What are the advantages of buying a spec home?
pec homes are a great option for those who need a new home quickly and want to avoid the lengthy design and building process.
12. How quickly can I move into a spec home?
Spec homes are usually ready for immediate occupancy or available within a few weeks, depending on the builder’s timeline.
13. What is a standard plan build?
A standard plan build uses a pre-designed floor plan offered by the builder with limited options for customization, focusing on efficiency and affordability.
14. What customizations are available in a standard plan build?
While the structure and layout are fixed, you can often choose finishes like flooring, cabinets, countertops, and paint colors.
15. Are standard plan builds cost-effective?
Yes, standard plan builds are often more affordable due to streamlined processes, pre-approved designs, and bulk material purchasing.
16. How long does it take to complete a standard plan build?
These homes typically take 6-12 months to complete, depending on the builder’s schedule and availability of materials.